Moore enters playoffs in 38th place

For somebody so in tune with golf history, Puyallup’s Ryan Moore has embraced a new-age idea on the PGA Tour – the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Moore has been around since the four-tournament postseason swing came into being in 2007 – with the champion receiving a $10 million bonus.

This season’s playoffs start today at The Barclays in New Jersey, where the top 100 will advance to the next event. Moore enters the tournament 38th in the FedEx Cup playoff points standings, and Gig Harbor’s Kyle Stanley is 48th.

“The idea of it, I don’t mind,” Moore said. “These are all tournaments we used to play anyway – good tournaments I would have had part of my normal schedule. It is definitely different for golf. But I enjoy it. It is intriguing.”

If he can’t win the whole thing, Moore would settle for the same outcome as last season – advancing all the way to the Tour Championship in Atlanta, which means a guarantee to play not only in all four major championships in 2012, but the World Golf Championship tournaments as well.

“That would be huge. It sets up the whole next year, and that is the best part of it for me,” Moore said.

The 28-year-old out of Cascade Christian and UNLV has experienced about every possible outcome in the playoffs – except for winning. In his debut, he started 51st – and stayed in until the third event, the BMW Championship.

In 2008, he started 73rd and slipped to 87th and out after two playoff events.

Perhaps the most disappointing stretch came a year later. Moore won the Wyndham Championship the week before, entered the playoffs in 22nd, and still missed the Tour Championship, finishing 47th.

Last season, he got hot at the right time. Entering ranked 35th, he tied for third at the BMW Championship, then he tied for ninth at the Tour Championship for a career-best 21st in the playoffs.

“(Being 38th now) is nice,” Moore said. “You don’t have to do anything spectacular, whereas farther down, you have to do something special.”

Although the playoff system sets up for anybody to make a run at the title, Moore said the winner generally comes from the “top 30 or 40.”

The Puyallup golfer said after the FedEx Cup playoffs, he would play one more tournament – the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open starting Sept. 29 in Las Vegas – before taking an extended break to get married near the end of October.

Todd Milles: 253-597-8442 Todd.milles@thenewstribune.com

TRACKING LOCALS ON THE PGA TOUR

This week: The Barclays, today through Sunday, Plainfield Country Club, Edison, N.J. – the first leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

In the field: Puyallup’s Ryan Moore and Gig Harbor’s Kyle Stanley.

World rankings: Moore is 45th; Stanley 196th.

2011 earnings: Moore has $1.65 million (39th on the PGA Tour), and Stanley has $1.1 million (67th on the PGA Tour).

FedEx Cup playoff standings: Moore is 38th with 883 points. Stanley is 48th with 761 points.

Last tournament: A tie for 56th (7-over 287) at the PGA Championship on Aug. 14 not only extended Moore’s streak of cuts made to six in a row, it meant he made the cut in three of the four major championships this season. His only hiccup in any event was at the U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club. “A weirdly consistent yet inconsistent year” is how Moore described his 2011 season. Last season was the only time in four tries that the Cascade Christian graduate improved his FedEx Cup playoff standing from start to finish (from 35th to 21st). … Stanley, the Bellarmine Prep product, was so comfortable in the FedEx Cup standings, a missed cut at last week’s Wyndham Championship (even-par 140) did no damage. It was his first missed cut since May at the Travelers Championship. He ranks No. 6 among PGA Tour rookies in playoff ranking coming into this tournament.

Tee times Today: Moore (first tee) and Stanley (10th tee) both go off at 4:48 a.m. (PDT).

Todd Milles, staff writer