Australian golfers Marc Leishman and Matt Jones have vowed to play aggressively this week as they attempt to crash their way into the high stakes US PGA Tour finale.
Only the top 30 on the season-long points list get to play in next week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta where – in addition to the title and winner’s cheque – a bonus prize of $US10 million ($A10.90 million) is on offer to the points winner and starts in three of next year’s majors are also at stake.
While Adam Scott (3rd) and Jason Day (12th) are assured of berths in Atlanta, fellow Australians Leishman (51st) and Jones (58th) have a lot of work to do to progress from this week’s penultimate playoffs event in Chicago.
To advance they will need at least a top-10 finish at the 70-man no-cut BMW Championship, but more likely need to be somewhere in the top five to sleep easy.
Leishman has triumphed in this scenario before, leaping into the Tour Championship in his rookie year of 2009 by finishing in a tie for second at the BMW.
He’s not the only Australian to make the push under the current playoffs points system where a total of just 11 players in four years have managed to jump from outside the top 30 into the Atlanta field.
John Senden and Geoff Ogilvy were able to do so in 2011 after finishing second and third respectively.
“There is no next week if you don’t play well and obviously I want to get to Atlanta again,” Leishman said.
“Of course it will take a strong finish to get there but I’m still looking to win this week and get up high and have a good chance to still win the FedEx Cup.
“Getting picked for the President’s Cup team really reinvigorated my practice and I’m excited to get out there.”
While the bonus $US10 million on offer to the season-long winner is one reason to want to be in Atlanta, it is not the major carrot for Jones and Leishman.
Just making the field locks up invites to the first three major championships next year plus a handful of World Golf Championships and Invitational events, allowing players to have a set schedule.
Leishman has just welcomed baby number two into his family and Jones is expecting his second early next year, making a set schedule an even bigger deal.
“I am in a no-lose situation so I can play aggressive,” Jones admitted.
“My normal game is pretty aggressive so that suits me also.”
I am new to the golf course so it might start patiently aggressive but I’ll attack more as the week goes on.”