PGA Tour Notebook: Players see perks for making Tour Championship

LEMONT, Ill (AP) -- Ten players will be making their Tour Championship debut next week at East Lake, meaning they all have a mathematical chance for the $10 million first prize. For most of them, winning the FedExCup is unrealistic.

Some of the perks that come with a spot at East Lake are very tangible, however -- namely a spot in three majors, including the Masters. It will be the first trip to Augusta National for Kevin Na, Steve Marino, Brian Gay, Marc Leishman and Jason Dufner.

Gay had already qualified by winning (twice) on the PGA Tour this year.

Marino missed out on the Masters last year when he was 34th on the money list (the top 30 get in). He failed to qualify for the U.S. Open and got into the British Open as an alternate.

"I'm super excited," he said. "I've never played in the Masters. I've played in two U.S. Opens, but I didn't qualify this year. It's going to be a huge relief not to have to worry about that going into next year."

HOME ON THE RANGE: Padraig Harrington is peculiar about practice ranges.

Coming off a runner-up finish at The Barclays, the three-time major champion lost some confidence on the range at the Deutsche Bank Championship -- not so much because of his swing, but the angle of the range.

"There was something about the angle of the range (at TPC Boston) that I didn't like, and I hit a number of poor shots on the range," he said. "And every day I went to the golf course, I wasn't feeling good about my driving."

He had no trouble with the angle or alignment at Cog Hill. It remains to be seen how East Lake works out for him, as long as he can get past the pond that covers the first 100 yards.

As for his ranges he enjoys? He likes the TPC Sawgrass and Muirfield Village, but his favorite is at the Masters.

"Augusta, by a long way," he said. "And they're changing it."

BABY CONFLICT: Former U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy and his wife are expecting their third child early next year, right about the time for him to defend his title in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

The due date is Feb. 15, the Monday of the tournament outside Tucson, Ariz.

Ogilvy has considered his options, and said it's possible he could be on the Dove Mountain course when Julie goes into labor, in which case he would head home. He lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., just under two hours away.

"Hopefully, if she's on schedule, she'll have the baby the week before," he said. "I can stay at home when I don't have the early times. There is the potential I'll be on the golf course. I'll be disappointed, but it is the birth of my child."

Ogilvy is a two-time winner of Accenture Match Play with a career record of 17-2.

DIVOTS: Cog Hill became the fourth golf course were Tiger Woods has won at least five times. The others are Bay Hill, Firestone and Torrey Pines. He has won as many times (25) on those four courses as Johnny Miller in his PGA Tour career. ... Padraig Harrington has made double bogey or worse in his last 13 events on the PGA Tour. ... Six players have qualified for the Tour Championship all three years of the FedExCup -- Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Hunter Mahan and Stewart Cink.

STAT OF THE WEEK: Lorena Ochoa is No. 1 in the women's world ranking and No. 11 on the LPGA Tour money list.

FINAL WORD: "How could you not? Every day you wake up to a lifestyle like I have, playing professional golf. As I always say, I'd play this game for free. Just don't tell anybody." -- Padraig Harrington, on keeping a positive outlook during his struggles this year.

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