DEUTSCHE BANK CHAMPIONSHP
The Second of Four Playoff Events
TPC Boston
Norton, MA
Par: 36-35—71Yards: 7,207
FedExCup Points: 50,000 Winner: 9,000
Purse: $7,000,000Winner: $1,260,000
2006 Champion: Tiger Woods (268, -16)

Following his victory at the Wachovia Championship in late April, Tiger Woods took the lead in the FedExCup and never lost it for the rest of the PGA TOUR Regular Season. He began the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup with 30,574 points, didn’t play last week at The Barclays and finds himself in fourth as he defends the title he won last year at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

Last year, Tiger Woods overcame a three-shot deficit over third-round leader Vijay Singh to win by two strokes. Singh fired a course-record 61 Saturday to take the 54-hole lead for the 27th time in his career. Singh and Woods, who finished first and second in the 2004 Deutsche Bank Championship, were paired together, the fifth time that has happened in the final round of a PGA TOUR stroke-play event.

To overcome that three-stroke deficit entering the final round last year, Tiger Woods fired a 63. It was the 14th time Woods had overcome a 54-hole deficit to win a PGA TOUR stroke-play event.

Tiger Woods has won at least one tournament in each of the last 12 years, the longest current streak on the PGA TOUR. He has at least one victory every year since his rookie season in 1996. Vijay Singh is second on the list, with wins in each of the last six seasons. This season, Woods recorded victories at the Buick Invitational, the World Golf Championships-CA Championship, the Wachovia Championship, the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship

For the first time in its history, Phil Mickelson is playing in the Deutsche Bank Championship. Mickelson, fifth in the FedExCup standings, recorded his first PLAYERS Championship victory earlier this year at TPC Sawgrass. He also won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in his fourth event of 2007. In his last start, Mickelson tied for seventh at The Barclays.

Also making their first appearance at the Deutsche Bank Championship are Rory Sabbatini and Ernie Els. Sabbatini is currently third in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, while Els is in 10th. Last week at The Barclays, Sabbatini finished third. Els tied for fourth.

PGA TOUR

• Three former winners of the Deutsche Bank Championship are ranked among the top 10 on the points list entering the second week of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.  Tiger Woods (#4), Vijay Singh (#6) and Adam Scott (#9) are all former champs in Boston.  In fact, all three have finished second in the event, too, and to each other.  When Singh won in 2004, Woods and Scott were the runners-up.  When Woods won last year, Singh was the runner-up.

• This week’s field at the Deutsche Bank Championship will feature 18 of the Top 20 players in the Official World Golf Ranking. 

• More on the field at the Deutsche Bank Championship:  The field will include 20 former major championship winners, seven rookies and 83 players who have won PGA TOUR events during their careers.

• The battle for a spot in the Top 70 and the opportunity to advance to the third week of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup should be very close.  Only 812 points separate #63 (Steve Marino) from #76 (Brian Davis).  You can earn that amount with a two-way tie for No. 16 this week.

• PGATOUR.com’s Live@ video coverage will be available all four days this week on the par-3 No. 16 at TPC Boston.

• After winning The Barclays last week, Steve Stricker has taken over the lead in the FedExCup points race.  He’s also moved up to fifth in the Official World Golf Ranking, his highest placement ever.  He was No. 12 following the 1997 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

• Playing for the first time this week in the Deutsche Bank Championship are such notable names as Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington.

CHAMPIONS TOUR

• When Denis Watson won last week’s Boeing Championship with an eagle on the second playoff hole, it marked the first time in 22 years that a playoff ended with an eagle.  Lee Elder defeated Peter Thomson with an eagle at the 1985 Merrill Lynch Golf Digest Commemorative.

• Bernhard Langer will make his Champions Tour debut this week at the Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach.  The two-time Masters champion turned 50 on Monday.

• Only two Monday qualifiers this season have led after the first round of the tournament and both hail from Canada.  Rod Spittle shared the lead after the first round of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open and Ray Stewart was the leader last week at the Boeing Championship.

• Hale Irwin remains the only player to win at Pebble Beach on both the PGA TOUR and the Champions Tour.  Irwin won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in 1984 on the PGA TOUR and the 2005 Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach on the Champions Tour.

NATIONWIDE TOUR

• Steve Stricker’s victory last week at The Barclays was the 212^th win on the PGA TOUR by a former Nationwide Tour player and the 16^th this year.

• A hot race for a spot in The 25 is shaping up as the season winds towards the finish line.   Only $804 separate #24 on the money list (Jon Mills) from #27 (Scott Gardiner).

• Nine members of the Class of 2006 — Brandt Snedeker, Boo Weekley, Jeff Quinney, Ken Duke, Matt Kuchar, Cliff Kresge, Craig Kanada, Kevin Stadler and Doug LaBelle — all advanced to the second week of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.

• When Jimmy Walker came from seven shots behind beginning the final round last week to win the National Mining Association Pete Dye Classic, it was only the second-best come from behind effort on his part in his career.  Walker came from eight back to win the 2004 Chitimacha Louisiana Open.  It also marked the second consecutive week that the winner came from seven shots back to win after Nick Flanagan did it at the Xerox Classic the previous week.