Meet the 125: A look at every FedExCup Playoffs participant

AKRON, Ohio – It was just like old times as Tiger Woods put himself into contention at the World Golf Championships – Bridgestone Invitational. Woods looked every bit an eight-time winner at Firestone Country Club’s South Course as he managed to post a solid 4-under 66 in the opening round despite not having his best stuff. His experience was a key factor as the 79-time PGA TOUR winner ground out a workable score at the same time he blew off some rust. Following The Open Championship, Woods took some family vacation time and didn’t pick up a club until yesterday’s nine-hole practice round. “It’s nice to put together rounds where I may not feel the best but I’m able to post a score.  That’s how you win golf tournaments,â€� Woods said after his five birdie, one bogey effort. “You’re not going to have your best all four days and it’s a matter of that bad day being two, three under par instead of being two, three over par.â€� At the time he signed his card Woods sat just three shots back of Kyle Stanley’s clubhouse lead (63). This was despite hitting just half his fairways and 13 of 18 greens. The good news for Woods – only twice in his eight victories did he open with a better round than 66. Like he said on Wednesday … he’s trending. Playing partner Jason Day, who bested Woods by a shot with a bogey-free 65, can see it’s only a matter of time before the 14-time major champion puts it all together. He noted Woods was grinding like the Tiger of old over every putt and was determined as ever. “He’s not too far away from going on a pretty big tear here,â€� Day said. “We just hopefully stay out in front of him. He’s hitting his irons really nicely. If he straightens that driver a little bit, give himself a few more opportunities … “You can see how well he’s moving. He’s got a lot of speed. It’s not like he’s limping around like he was when he played a couple years ago. “When you have speed and when everything’s balanced in his life and he can focus on golf … obviously he’s close to tearing it up. “More so than ever, we have to work harder and try and better our skills. He’s out there and he’s focused.â€� With enormous support from the galleries Woods was hopeful of making his presence felt one last time at Firestone and then beyond. He is shaping up to play five of the next six weeks as he looks to claim a third FedExCup title. “I’ve had so many great memories here. Hopefully, I can have one more,â€� Woods, who ranks 47th in the current FedExCup standings, added. “I’m back to the grind here with a lot of tournament golf coming up. And they’re all big events, they’re all either World Golf Championships, majors or Playoffs. “They’re a big deal on the back end, and hopefully I’ll be playing in Paris as well.â€�

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Welcome to the Stats Insider, where we’ll look at Justin Thomas’ victory at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES. It was his 11th career victory, and second in his last four starts. He appears to be back on track after the wrist injury that interrupted last season. Thomas is just 26, but let’s appreciate the fact that we’re watching a player who seems destined to be in the World Golf Hall of Fame one day. RELATED: Thomas closes out 11th PGA TOUR title | What’s in Thomas’ bag? 1. GOOD COMPANY: In the last 60 years, only two players have collected more victories before their 27th birthday: Tiger Woods (34) and Jack Nicklaus (20). Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth also earned 11 wins before turning 27. Thomas turns 27 on April 29, while Spieth will celebrate that birthday on July 27. 2. WINNER, WINNER: Thomas turned pro after the 2013 Walker Cup, then earned his TOUR card after one season on the Korn Ferry Tour. His 11 wins since joining the TOUR for the 2014-15 season are the second-most in span. Only Dustin Johnson (12) has more wins. Ten of Thomas’ wins have come since the start of the 2016-17 season. That’s two more than anyone else. Only three other players have won more than four times in that span: Dustin Johnson (8), Brooks Koepka (6) and Bryson DeChambeau (5). Thomas has now won four of nine TOUR starts in Asia, winning two times apiece at the CIMB Classic and THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES. 3. CLOSER: Thomas and Danny Lee shared the lead after a three-shot swing on the final hole of the third round. Thomas pulled away with a final-round 67, though, to win by two shots. Thomas has held at least a share of the 54-hole lead on 11 occasions. He’s converted eight into victories. He has a knack for pulling away in the final round. Eight of his 11 wins have been by multiple strokes. Six have been by three or more strokes. 4. IRONS ON FIRE: Thomas’ strong iron play was on display again at Nine Bridges. He was 13 under on the par-4s. That was five strokes better than anyone else in the field. He hit 61 greens, which was third-best in the field. Thomas missed just six greens in the final three rounds. “You have to be in control of your irons and your golf ball and making sure your distances are correct because these greens are very difficult,â€� Thomas said after his win. “Making sure you’re on the right tiers and right spots is very, very important.â€� That explains his success at Nine Bridges. Thomas is one of the best iron players on TOUR. He was second to Henrik Stenson in Strokes Gained: Approach last season. It was the third consecutive season Thomas ranked sixth or better in that statistic. He has the seventh-best Strokes Gained: Approach average since ShotLink started (minimum 300 rounds). 5. SPIETH’S START: THE CJ CUP was Spieth’s first start since the BMW Championship. He finished T8. Spieth, who finished second in Strokes Gained: Putting last season, continues to lean heavily on his putter while he’s sorting out his full swing. He finished second-to-last in driving accuracy at THE CJ Cup while ranking first in putts per greens in regulation (1.61). He hit 11 fairways in the first round but then less than half in the final three rounds (20 of 42). Nine Bridges had the fifth-easiest fairways to hit last season. Last season, Spieth needed 14 starts to record his first top-10. He’s undoubtedly s moving in the right direction – he has three top-15s in his last five starts – but he said Sunday his ball-striking is still “a work in progress.â€�

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