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GUIDE TO THE US PGA TOUR'S 2018 FEDEX CUP PLAYOFFS

QUALIFIERS

The top 125 players on the FedEx Cup points race after the US PGA Tour's regular season-ending Wyndham Championship qualify for the Northern Trust event at Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey; the first of the four events in the playoffs.

FORMAT

A progressive cut through the first three events determine the final 30 players who qualify for the Tour Championship.

After the Northern Trust in New Jersey, 100 and ties progress to the Dell Technologies Championship in Boston before the top 70 and ties advance to the penultimate BMW Championship in Philadelphia. The top 30 after the BMW are reseeded for the finale in Atlanta, where the FedEx Cup Champion is crowned.

POINTS

Once the playoffs start, the point totals increase with a victory yielding 2000 points. Points earned through the regular season are carried over into the first three playoff events.

Points are then reset for the finale to ensure any player in the top 30 has a chance to win. The top-five seeds in Atlanta are guaranteed to win the FedEx Cup bonus with victory at the Tour Championship.

MONEY

The four playoffs events offer a total of $US32 million ($A44 million) in prize money, while the FedEx Cup also awards a $35 million bonus pool.

The FedEx Cup winner takes home $10 million and the remainder is divided throughout the list, including $3 million for second place, $2 million for third, $1.5 million for fourth and $1 million for fifth.

FEDEX CUP WINNERS

Tiger Woods won the inaugural FedEx Cup in 2007, Vijay Singh won in 2008 and Woods triumphed again in 2009. Following winners include Jim Furyk (2010), Bill Haas (2011), Brandt Snedeker (2012), Henrik Stenson (2013), Billy Horschel (2014), Jordan Spieth (2015) and Rory McIlroy (2016).

No Australian has ever won the FedEx Cup and four Australians in this year's post-season is the smallest representation in the 11-year history of the series.

AUSTRALIANS AT THE 2018 PLAYOFFS (rank)

Jason Day (6)

Marc Leishman (22)

Cameron Smith (53)

Adam Scott (73)

A defiant Tiger Woods claims Sam Snead's all-time US PGA Tour winning record is within reach as he begins the $US 67 million FedEx Cup play-offs buoyed by recent results.

With 79 titles on the US Tour, Woods needs four wins to surpass golf great Snead (82) and the 42-year-old is confident he can defy the odds.

Having spent 10 months on the sidelines in 2017 while recovering from spinal fusion surgery, Woods has showed flashes of his brilliant best this year.

He held the lead on the back nine on Sunday at the British Open, finishing tied for sixth, and was in with a chance on the last nine holes at the recent US PGA Championship only to finish runner-up to Brooks Koepka.

Speaking ahead of the Northern Trust in New Jersey, Woods said an 80th US Tour title was around the corner.

"I'm close; I have been close to winning tournaments this year," Woods said.

"I think if I keep giving myself opportunities, I'll get the job done."

A much taller order is overtaking Jack Nicklaus' record 18 major championship wins, with Woods trailing on 14 having last hoisted a major trophy at the 2008 US Open.

"In order to get to Jack's record, I have to pass Snead's record; it's just simple math and I want to make that happen," Woods said.

Playing with Woods at the play-offs opener at Ridgewood Country Club is Australia's Marc Leishman and Englishman Tommy Fleetwood.

It is the third time Leishman has been grouped with Woods this year, having played alongside him during the opening rounds at the Masters at Augusta and Quicken Loans National.

World No.18 Leishman has no doubt Woods will win again soon, citing the fact he is ranked fourth for strokes gained in approach play, ninth around the green and 27th in putting.

"He is not too far away from him winning," Leishman told AAP on Tuesday.

"Definitely (Snead's record is attainable); his bad shots are better than at the Masters (in April) and he's hitting his irons as good as anyone.

"He's looking pretty good and it'd be great for the game if he does, but hopefully I win this week."

Leishman says his frequent marquee groupings with former world No.1 Woods have given him an advantage, having contended through 36 holes at Augusta and sharing 13th at the Quicken Loans.

He hopes the occasion forces him to improve on his poor record in the play-offs opener, making the cut just three times from nine previous appearances.

"It definitely helps to focus when the crowds are huge," Leishman said.

"I guess so I haven't played well here at all; so it will be helpful to have the focus of big crowds early in the tournament."

Golf's European Tour will have a two-event Australian swing early next year after agreeing to co-sanction the Vic Open with the PGA Tour of Australasia.

The deal means Europe's men will join their counterparts from the Ladies European Tour (LET) in competing in the Vic Open, which boasts men's and women's tournaments, at 13th Beach Golf Links in Barwon Heads from February 7-10.

The European men will then be able to cross the country to play the World Super 6 Perth tournament the following week.

The last time the European Tour went back-to-back on Australian soil was the 2004 Heineken Classic at Royal Melbourne and the following week's ANZ Championship in NSW.

The LET will be entering the third year of a Vic Open co-sanctioning deal with the ALPG.

Jason Day is primed to launch his bid to become Australia's first FedEx Cup champion, but several of his countrymen have been relegated to the cut-throat Web.com Tour finals.

Former world No.1 Day joins Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith and Adam Scott in advancing to the US PGA Tour's $US67-million playoffs series, after the regular season concluded at the Wyndham Championship on Sunday.

Day has been a perennial contender in the post-season but has fallen short of the $US10-million bonus awarded to the leading points scorer following the Tour Championship.

Ranked sixth in the standings courtesy of two US Tour wins this year, Day's focus will be pushing into the top-five seeds who automatically take out the FedEx Cup with a Tour Championship victory.

His quest starts at this week's Northern Trust tournament in New Jersey, which Day won during his sensational 2015 season.

Day says he is inspired by the challenge of winning the FedEx Cup, which has eluded Australian players since the series was created in 2007.

"I'm looking forward to the FedEx Cup playoffs," Day told AAP.

"I've worked really hard this season and, while two wins have me in a great position, I need to focus and play some pretty decent golf these next four events."

The playoffs begin with the top-125 FedEx finishers qualifying for the Northern Trust, while retaining their playing privileges for next season.

The fields then reduce for another two events before the top 30 advance to the Tour Championship finale in Atlanta, Georgia in September.

Needing a top-10 result at Wyndham to sneak inside the 125, Aaron Baddeley tied 24th and finished at 132nd on the FedEx standings.

But the four-time US Tour winner has a number of options to battle his way back to the top flight.

Finishing within the 125-150 bracket affords Baddeley conditional status on the US Tour in 2019 and he will likely receive 12-15 starts.

Fellow Australian Matt Jones missed out on that category by a cruel two FedEx points, dropping to 151st.

But Baddeley and Jones will join Cameron Percy (168) and Stuart Appleby (197) in the secondary Web.com finals, where they can play their way back to the main circuit by finishing inside the top 25 on the money-list after those four events.

FEDEX CUP: AUSTRALIAN FINISHES

Jason Day (6)

Marc Leishman (22)

Cameron Smith (53)

Adam Scott (73)

Aaron Baddeley (132; conditional status 2019)

Matt Jones (151)

Cameron Percy (168)

Greg Chalmers (184; medical exemption)

Stuart Appleby (197)

Rod Pampling (203; exempt through 2018/19)

Geoff Ogilvy (207)

John Senden (224; family crisis exemption)

Robert Allenby (250)

Brandt Snedeker began the Wyndham Championship with history - and ended it with a victory.

Snedeker earned his ninth PGA Tour title Sunday, three days after opening with an 11-under 59.

He closed with a 65 for a three-stroke victory in the regular-season finale, breaking a tie with C.T. Pan on the final hole with a birdie and Pan's double bogey in the group ahead.

Snedeker finished at 21-under 259 for his first win since 2016 and his second at the tournament, but first at Sedgefield Country Club, to close what he called "the most stressful week I've ever had in professional golf."

"Shooting 59 on Thursday, your expectations go through the roof," Snedeker said, also expressing pride that he could "cap it off the way we did today, to play pretty much a flawless round of golf."

Pan shot a 66 to tie for second with Webb Simpson. Simpson matched his career-best with a 62.

Snedeker opened the tournament with the 59 that made him the first tour player this year and just the 10th ever to break 60, then on the final day played 29 holes at five under to seal it. He's the fifth tour player to shoot in the 50s and then win the tournament.

He was never in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in his career, but the victory gave him a huge jump on the points list. He climbed 50 spots to No. 30 on the list, after arriving at 80th - which would have been his lowest finish.

"To be perfectly frank, I didn't have any chance at all" to win the FedEx Cup before this week, the 2012 playoff champion said. "After this week, I feel like I have a chance."

The other subplot at Sedgefield was the last-minute push for the playoffs, which begin next week at The Northern Trust in New Jersey with the top 125 players qualifying.

With every player who was between Nos. 122-127 missing the cut, there figured to be plenty of movement near the bubble.

Aaron Baddeley had an eagle on the par-5 15th and two front-nine birdies in a round of 66 on Sunday to finish at 12 under in a tie for 24th and 132nd position overall.

Baddeley's fellow Australian Cameron Percy closed with a 65, which included an eagle at the par-5 fifth and five birdies, to grab a share of 33rd at 11 under and end in 168th position.

Sergio Garcia will miss the playoffs for the first time in his career after winding up 131st on the points list.

Brandt Snedeker was three-shots clear at the PGA Tour Wyndham Championship when the third round was suspended because of severe weather.

The American was 16 under for the tournament after seven holes on Saturday, at the final event of the regular season.

Brian Gay was 13 under through 12 holes, and Trey Mullinax, Keith Mitchell, C.T. Pan and D.A. Points were another stroke back at varying stages of their rounds.

Thirty players were still on the course when play was halted during the mid-afternoon with thunder booming and a threat of lightning.

After a delay of more than three hours, organisers chose to hold things up overnight and resume play at 8am on Sunday.

When things resume, Snedeker - who opened with a 59 at Sedgefield Country Club to become the first tour player this year and just the 10th to break 60 - will look to keep himself in position to contend for his ninth victory on tour and his first since 2016.

Spaniard Sergio Garcia is at 11 under after nine holes of round three in a tie for seventh.

Australians Cameron Percy (17 holes) and Aaron Baddeley (11 holes) are in a group tied for 35th at seven under.

Snedeker started the day off strong, rolling in a 60-foot chip for birdie on the par-4 second hole, then pushed his lead to three strokes with a birdie on No.5.

After he sank a short par putt on the seventh, thunder boomed and the horn sounded to stop play.

Gay was 12 holes into a second consecutive strong round when play was halted.

After shooting a 63 in the second round, he had four birdies and an eagle on Saturday.

Brandt Snedeker has followed up his first-round 59 at the PGA Tour's Wyndham Championship with a three-under-par 67, a two-stroke lead over fellow American DA Points.

After posting the Tour's 10th sub-60 round on Thursday, Snedeker's 14-under 126 total is the lowest halfway score of the season on the PGA Tour.

Snedeker started the second round slowly but found his groove on the back nine, coaxing in a 30-foot eagle putt at the par-five 15th, and then holing one from slightly longer for birdie at the next at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina.

"I knew it was going to be tough, battling the emotion of everybody pulling hard for you, wanting to see you do it again," Snedeker said.

"I didn't really drive it well, didn't do anything particularly well on the front nine. Pulled myself together on the back nine, made some good swings, made a few putts."

Snedeker did not even try to block out thoughts of the previous day.

"You hear people telling you every two seconds "Mr. 59" or how cool it was to watch it.

"Phone is still blowing up this morning, guys in the locker room are still talking to me about it so yes, totally on your mind.

Points, who made just one cut since January, said he is playing with two herniated discs in his back.

"My thumb, index finger and middle finger go numb 10 or 15 times a day," he said.

"I've been talking with lots of doctors trying to make a game plan."

C.T. Pan of Taiwan matched the 64 by Points to move into third place on 11-under.

Brandt Snedeker fired the round of his life but the best shot during the opening day of the Wyndham Championship could easily been made by Aaron Baddeley.

After Baddeley hit his first tee shot at the Wyndham Championship on his way to a five-under 65, he reached into his bag for his phone.

The 37-year-old then took a camera shot to capture an image of a moment that meant everything to the five Australians in this week's field at the Sedgefield Country Club.

Sitting on the first tee was a golf bag and a set of clubs with a yellow bucket hat sitting on top.

Belonging to Jarrod Lyle, it took pride of place as a tribute to the much-loved Australian golfer who died last week after fighting myeloid leukaemia for two decades.

"When I hit my tee shot I turned around and saw it and I was like 'oh, man, I've got to get a picture of that'," Baddeley told pgatour.com.

The 2016 Wyndham Championship is the last tournament Lyle played on the PGA Tour and he birdied the 18th hole in his final round at Sedgefield.

"These are sad days for the PGA Tour family," tournament director Mark Brazil said.

"I knew Jarrod to be one of the kindest human beings on Tour, and I know all the guys, especially the Australians, will really miss him."

The tribute will remain throughout the tournament and players have been given yellow belts and bucket hats to wear during the four days.

Baddeley is the leading Australian after the opening round but he finds himself five shots adrift of Snedeker who put himself in rare Tour company with an 11-under 59.

He has a share of 11th place as he fights to keep his PGA Tour card while trying to secure a berth in the season-ending FedEx Cup playoffs.

Baddeley's Tour exempt status expires this week after four wins in the United States and he is relying on a top-10 finish to save his card.

Fellow Australian Cameron Percy is two shots behind Baddeley after a three-under par 67 while Tour veteran Stuart Appleby had a one-under 69.

Snedeker predicted low scores, but not this low.

His 59 on Thursday was one shot shy of matching the PGA Tour record.

He made a 20-foot putt on his final hole to become the 10th player in Tour history to break 60.

Jim Furyk set the record with a 58 in the final round of the Travelers Championship in 2016.

"I better be smiling," Snedeker said. "I don't do this every day."

This is the third consecutive year the PGA Tour has had a sub-60 round and Snedeker's gave him a four-stroke lead.

Aaron Baddeley has credited the swing coach he shares with resurgent Adam Scott for instilling belief he can save his US PGA Tour status at this week's Wyndham Championship.

Baddeley sits 12 places outside the top 125 on the FedEx Cup standings who qualify for the upcoming play-offs and earn US Tour cards for next season.

With his exempt status running out this week, Baddeley is likely to need a top-10 finish or better at the regular season-ending Wyndham event in Greensboro, North Carolina.

But 37-year-old Baddeley is not worried about FedEx Cup standings as his rank of 137 has all but guaranteed a spot in the secondary Web.com Tour finals - where he can earn back US Tour privileges - as well as conditional status on the main circuit next year via the 125-150 FedEx finishers category.

"I have no doubt I can get it done this week," Baddeley told AAP.

"But even if I don't; there are plenty of options for me to have enough PGA Tour starts next season.

"You can't think about those numbers because it's not helpful to playing good golf."

A defiant Baddeley, who owns four US Tour victories, is setting his sights higher than just retaining his card this week.

Having flirted with the lead and contended during the past two months at the US Open, Canadian Open and Barracuda Championship, the Victorian feels he can win the Wyndham Championship.

He says swing coach Brad Malone, who has enjoyed good results with former world No.1 Scott since they reunited, including a third place at last week's US PGA Championship, has Baddeley feeling his best golf is yet to come.

"My results, I think, have been a combination of what Brad has laid out for me as well as the hard work I've been putting in," Baddeley says of Malone, who he has worked with for almost two years.

"I have always been a tinkerer with my full swing, but Brad has simplified it down to four components I work on constantly and it has changed my game.

"This year has been one of the better ball-striking years I've ever had; I just haven't rewarded it with good putting.

"But I feel the putter getting hot again and I know my best golf is ahead of me."

Also in the field and needing hot finishes at the Wyndham Championship are Australians Matt Jones, who is 146th on the FedEx standings, as well as Cameron Percy (170th), Stuart Appleby (196th).

Rod Pampling will tee up at Sedgefield Country Club but is exempt until the end of next season courtesy of his US Tour victory in Las Vegas in 2016.

Triple major winner Brooks Koepka has fans, but they were few and far between in the final round at the PGA Championship on Sunday.

A charge by Tiger Woods, playing two groups ahead, had sucked the oxygen out of the atmosphere surrounding the final pairing of Koepka and Adam Scott, who played in almost funereal silence by comparison at Bellerive.

"Tiger's coming," yelled one of the few spectators who bothered hanging around to watch Koepka and Scott after the 14-times major champion had been through.

The fan was not exactly wrong, but it hardly fazed the under-appreciated Koepka.

Despite one of the most powerful swings in the game, an unflappable temperament and now three major titles, one less than Rory McIlroy, the same as Jordan Spieth and two more than world No.1 Dustin Johnson, he is rarely mentioned among the game's A-listers.

Whether Sunday's two-stroke victory over Woods changes the way the 28-year-old is perceived is an open question.

"I try to acknowledge all the fans as much as I can but there's always going to be people that hate you, but you've just got to move on and use that as motivation," said the American.

"The people around me, they know who I am, and that's really all I care about."

Few people actually dislike Koepka, but apathy is a more appropriate description of how most golf fans view him.

No matter what, it was difficult not to be impressed with the way he responded to the challenges of Woods and third-placed Scott with birdies at the 15th and 16th holes that proved the difference in the end.

"I have a lot of self belief," said Koepka, struggling to recall having ever been rattled on the course.

"Even today, I knew when everyone was making that charge that if I just hung in there I was going to have a chance to separate myself a little bit."

Koepka has only one non-major PGA Tour title on his resume, but Australia's Scott said that was not the worst thing in the world.

"I've heard some frustration that he hasn't won a lot of other tournaments, but he's won three majors now, so he's definitely winning the right ones," said Scott.

"If I was him, I wouldn't change much at the moment. I'd just keep doing what he's doing because he's showing up at the right moments in the biggest events.

"I can see he's got that mindset. There's something inside his brain that makes him believe that that's what he's destined to do."