PARAMUS, N.J. -- The PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedExCup begin this week, with The Barclays the first of four Playoff events. The top-144 points earners qualified for the Playoffs (136 are playing), with seeding determined by a points reset based on their Regular Season standing.

Sixteen players will be eliminated after the first week, with 120 teeing it up at the second event, the Deutsche Bank Championship in suburban Boston, Mass. The third event -- the BMW Championship near St. Louis, Mo. -- will have 70 players and no cut -- with the top-30 in the points standings qualifying for the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta, Ga. Those 30 will compete for the FedExCup, with the winner earning $10 million. Each of the four Playoff events features a $7 million purse.

A year ago, Steve Stricker had the honor of winning the first PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedExCup event: The Barclays. Stricker edged K.J. Choi by two strokes at Westchester Country Club and eventually finished second in the final FedExCup standings behind Tiger Woods. For his play, Stricker won $3 million from the $35 million FedExCup bonus pool.

This week, Stricker defends The Barclays title he won a year ago as the tournament moves to New Jersey's Ridgewood Country Club. Stricker enters the Playoffs in 21st place in the standings.

The Barclays will play at a rotation of golf courses in the greater New York area over the next few years. From 40 years at historic Westchester Country Club to the well-received move this year to Ridgewood Country Club to playing in the shadow of the New York City skyline next year at Liberty National, each course provides a different challenge to the game's best players.

The sites also offer an opportunity for Metropolitan New York/New Jersey to experience this one-of-a-kind event, the first in the PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedExCup. The rotation for The Barclays for 2010 and beyond will be announced at a later time, although under the terms of the contract with Westchester Country Club, The Barclays will return at least once by 2012.

In 2007, Steve Stricker won his first PGA Tour event since 2001 at the first event in the PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedExCup. Stricker birdied four of the final five holes in the final round to overtake K.J. Choi. Stricker jumped to No. 1 in the FedExCup points standings with the victory and ultimately finished second to Tiger Woods in the FedExCup. The victory came in his 148th start since his last victory at the 2001 WGC- Accenture Match Play Championship.

Last year, two players, Doug LaBelle II and Rich Beem, from outside the top 120 were able to advance to the following week's Deutsche Bank Championship. LaBelle, a rookie, advanced, thanks to a birdie on the 72nd hole at The Barclays and tied for 41st to move from No. 121 to No. 120. He edged Steve Allan by 25 points. Beem made a large jump from No. 134 to No. 113 with a tie-for-seventh finish.

Padraig Harrington, who won the British Open and PGA Championship within a three-week period, is a former Barclays champion. At the 2005 Barclays, the Irishman made a 61-foot eagle-putt on the final hole of regulation to beat Jim Furyk for his second PGA Tour victory. To date, Harrington has five PGA Tour victories and 16 international wins.

Vijay Singh is the tournament's only three-time winner. He recorded his first PGA Tour victory at The Barclays in 1993. He won again in 1995 and then again over a decade later in 2006. With his victory earlier this month at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Singh became the oldest player to win a World Golf Championships event and also broke the record for PGA Tour victories (32) by an international player.

Ridgewood Country Club, this year's tournament site, has hosted a number of high-profile golf tournaments, including the 1935 Ryder Cup, the third team competition held in the United States; the 1974 U.S. Amateur, won by Jerry Pate; the 1990 U.S. Senior Open, won by World Golf Hall of Famer Lee Trevino; and the 2001 Senior PGA Championship, won by World Golf Hall of Famer Tom Watson. In addition, Hall of Famer Byron Nelson once served as an assistant professional at Ridgewood. An area of the clubhouse is dedicated to the Ryder Cup competition at Ridgewood.

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