Time to slice and dice the 125-man field into categories

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Retief Goosen (left) and Jim Furyk are two former major winners who should make an impact in the Playoffs.

The new-look PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup begins its four-tournament run this week, with 125 players starting out at The Barclays. Eventually, the field will be whittled down to the top 30 performers, who will meet next month at East Lake Golf Club for THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola to determine who gets the $10 million bonus check.

So how should we size up the Playoffs? Here's one way to break down the field::

LOOK WHO'S BACK: After missing last year's Playoffs while rehabbing his surgically repaired knee, 2007 FedExCup winner Tiger Woods is back. Even though Woods failed to win a major this year, no sober person could suggest that anyone else is the favorite going into Liberty National.

THE DEFENDERS: Vijay Singh won The Barclays and the Deutsche Bank Championship en route to winning the FedExCup in 2008. Camilo Villegas won the other two tournaments, the BMW Championship and THE TOUR Championship. Both return, but neither has much momentum going into this year's Playoffs.

THE USUAL SUSPECTS: No one would be surprised to see Steve Stricker, Kenny Perry, Phil Mickelson, Retief Goosen, Jim Furyk, Ernie Els or Padraig Harrington play their way to Atlanta.

PLAYOFF PREVIEW: A new points system promises to tighten up the race for the FedExCup. So word to the wise -- better be on your game for all four events. Click here MONDAY BACKSPIN: A special Playoffs edition of the Backspin takes a look at four guys not named Tiger who could win, players whose stock is going up (or down) entering the Playoffs, and 18 things you need to know about the Playoffs. Click here TEN BURNING QUESTIONS: You have questions about the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup? We have plenty of answers. Click here ULTIMATE ROAD TRIP: So if you had five weeks off and a car capable of some long hauls, what would you do? Attend all four Playoffs events, of course. Brian Wacker offers travel advice for the first leg of the trip -- the New York area. Click here QUICK LOOK: The Playoffs consist of four tournaments. Here's an early peek at each one. • The Barclays • Deutsche Bank Championship • BMW Championship • THE TOUR Champ. pres. by Coca-Cola INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Who has the longest putt in Playoffs history? Who's been the most accurate off the tee? Who has the best stroke average? The most top 10s? Our ShotLink crew has put together a slew of inside information for you. Click here CATEGORY CLUB: Columnist Stan Awtrey breaks down the entire 125-man Playoffs field into categories -- some serious, some a little, er, off the wall. Click here FEDEXCUP CHAMPIONS: What does it take to win the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup? Just two players know. • 2007: Tiger Woods • 2008: Vijay Singh

THE YOUNG LIONS: They're young, they're foolish and they're happy. Sean O'Hair, Nick Watney, Hunter Mahan, Anthony Kim, Ryan Moore, Kevin Na, and Webb Simpson have proven they can compete with the big guys, despite their lack of experience.

SHORT BUT DANGEROUS: Brian Gay, Mike Weir, Tim Clark and Scott Verplank don't kill the ball, but each has the ability to win. Weir was second at the Deutsche Bank Championship last year.

NO MAJOR SURPRISES: Don't overlook the winners of the four major championships. U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover, Masters champion Angel Cabrera, British Open champion Stewart Cink, and PGA Championship winner Y.E. Yang all start the Playoffs among top 30 in points.

THE GEORGIA CONNECTION: Those with roots in the Peach State include Charles Howell III, Davis Love III, Briny Baird, Bubba Watson, Bryce Molder, Brandt Snedeker (hangs out at Sea Island), Ryuji Imada, Jonathan Byrd, Matt Kuchar and Troy Matteson.

INITIAL HERE, PLEASE: Those in the field who are best known by their initials include J.J. Henry, J.B. Holmes, D.J. Trahan, D.A. Points and K.J. Choi. The only initials they don't want to see are M.C. (missed cut).

PHONE CALL FOR JOHNSON: These guys might all turn up for the same family reunion: Zach Johnson, Dustin Johnson and Richard S. Johnson. Zach's bringing the chips, Dustin the lemonade and Richard the potato salad.

AUSSIE ALERT: This crowd comes with the Thunder from Down Under: Geoff Ogilvy, Aaron Baddeley, John Senden, Robert Allenby, Mathew Goggin, Greg Chalmers, Nathan Green, Jason Day, Nick O'Hern, Rod Pampling, James Nitties and Marc Leishman. Better order a few more Bloomin' Onions.

RYDER CUP REVENGE SQUAD: Several of these guys might contend for a spot on the 2010 European Ryder Cup team. Paul Casey, Ian Poulter, Luke Donald and Justin Rose have been there before; Brian Davis, Greg Owen, Fredrik Jacobson and Alex Cjeka would like consideration.

VIDEO GAME FAVORITES: Kevin Sutherland and Charlie Wi; the latter is so good he has a gaming system named in his honor. (OK, maybe not.)

THE MEANING OF LIFE: Looking for answers? Ask Bill Haas, who majored in religious studies major at Wake Forest.

NO MORE Q-SCHOOL: Jason Dufner, Scott Piercy, Chris Riley, Ted Purdy and Robert Garrigus appear to be secure in their standing and won't need to endure a week in the professional pressure cooker.

BACK IN THE FALL: These guys are in the Playoffs, but they likely won't be able to shut it down after East Lake. They'll need to play in the Fall Series in order to secure their exempt status: Bill Lundie, Michael Allen, Harrison Frazar, Joe Ogilvie, Chris Stroud, Roland Thatcher, David Mathis.

I'D RATHER BE HUNTING OR FISHING: Deer season or trout season. These guys are ready: Boo Weekley, Heath Slocum, George McNeill and Scott McCarron.

WHAT'S IN THE CD PLAYER?: Kevin Streelman and Matt Bettencourt love their music, but can they make the clubs sing over the next four events?

SEEN ANY GOOD MOVIES?: Tim Petrovic loves watching films. Winning the FedExCup might be an Oscar-worthy performance.

WAITING IN THE WEEDS: These guys have won in the past and are capable of doing it again: David Toms, Justin Leonard, Ben Crane, Chad Campbell, Ben Curtis, Sergio Garcia, Chris DiMarco, Vaughn Taylor, Adam Scott, Stephen Ames and Todd Hamilton.

PLENTY OF MILEAGE: Not trying to say these guys are long in the tooth, but each one probably knows the value of pacing himself: Woody Austin, Bob Estes, Fred Couples, Jeff Maggert, Lee Janzen, Mark Calcavecchia and Steve Flesch.

FROM THE 2009 WINNER'S CIRCLE: These guys have already won once this year: John Rollins, Bo Van Pelt, Rory Sabbatini, Jerry Kelly, Mark Wilson and Pat Perez.

IT HASN'T BEEN THAT LONG: These guys won in 2008 -- Daniel Chopra and Cameron Beckman.

SECOND PLACE IS NICE, TOO: They didn't win a tournament, but they had at least one runner-up finish in 2009 -- Steve Marino, John Mallinger, John Merrick, Brett Quigley, Paul Goydos, Kevin Stadler, Jason Bohn, James Driscoll, Jeff Quinney and Charley Hoffman.

THE ANSWER'S IN THE DIRT: Similar to Ben Hogan, these fellows don't mind getting their hands dirty: Jeff Klauk (father was a course superintendent), Michael Letzig (family owned a farm), Jeff Overton (from Indiana; eh, probably has a garden).

And finally ...

INVITATIONS WERE LOST IN THE MAIL: A list of those who missed the Playoffs and get the next few weeks off include Andres Romero (who played in THE TOUR Championship last year), Rocco Mediate, Corey Pavin, Stuart Appleby, Tommy Armour III, Will MacKenzie, Carl Pettersson and U.S. Open runners-up Ricky Barnes and David Duval.

Stan Awtrey is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily reflect the views of the PGA TOUR.