Golf finale is awash in possibilities

Two years ago, when the FedEx Cup debuted, players complained that there wasn’t enough movement, up or down the standings, during the four playoff events. Last year, gripes flowed because there was too much movement; the new system also determined that Padraig Harrington, winner of two majors, wasn’t one of the top 30 point-earners who advanced to the playoff finale. Plus, with Vijay Singh winning the first two playoff events, he couldn’t be overtaken no matter how he fared in the final two, giving the Tour Championship an anticlimactic fizzle.

No such issues this time around. As the Tour Championship starts today, all 30 players can win the FedEx Cup, and any one of the top five of the points standings wins with a victory at East Lake Golf Club, regardless of what anyone else does.

While the eventual FedEx Cup winner might not have the most victories this year - Harrington or Jim Furyk could actually win the FedEx Cup without any victories - the third version of the season-long competition should provide the kind of unpredictability the PGA Tour was seeking.

And with the possibility of having someone standing over a putt on the tournament’s final hole with $11.35 million at stake - the winner of the Tour Championship makes $1.35 million, while the FedEx Cup champion bags $10 million - it could be further proof that, typically in golf, one drives for show and putts for dough.

“There’s a lot of excitement, a lot of anticipation,’’ said Steve Stricker, who won the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston on Labor Day and is second in the points race behind Tiger Woods. “You’ll be just as nervous over that putt to win a tournament if it was for a million dollars, compared to $11 million. I think the nerves are going to be shot either way.

“You can’t try to get ahead of yourself thinking about the FedEx Cup or anything like that. Just try to pay attention to this tournament and play well here.’’

Woods, Stricker, Furyk, Zach Johnson, and Heath Slocum are the five players who control their fate; each would lock up the FedEx Cup with a victory. The other 25 players need to play well, plus have the right finishing order to make the numbers work in their favor. But for the first time in three years, everyone here has a chance.

Luckily, they’ll get a chance to play an East Lake course that stood up quite well to the storm surge over the weekend, when some parts of Atlanta absorbed as much as 15 inches of rain in a 24-hour period and the Chattahoochee River spilled from its banks, turning streets into streams. Early estimates put the property damage from the Flood of 2009, as it’s being called here, at $250 million; nine people have lost their lives because of the flooding.

While a golf course and its condition, coupled with the fact that 30 millionaires are playing for more millions, are rather inconsequential when dealing with a natural disaster in the area, the golfers were amazed at how playable the course was yesterday and Tuesday. Sub-air suction systems have been installed under every green, giving East Lake the ability to drain quicker and more effectively.

“I’m surprised at how playable the golf course is,’’ said Woods. “The fairways are pretty wet, obviously, but the greens are unbelievable. They’re firm. They’re rolling out.’’

Woods won the inaugural FedEx Cup in 2007, then missed the second half of last season (playoffs included) recovering from knee surgery. He has won six times this season (Stricker is next with three), but the competitor in him knows that he’ll have to play well this week, and maybe even win, to get his hands on the FedEx Cup again. Player of the Year could also be up for grabs, if Woods hasn’t clinched that already.

“There are a lot of things at stake this week, but I think I’ve had a very good season, a very consistent one, and one I’m very proud of,’’ Woods said. “Obviously you’d like to win the FedEx Cup, but we still have 72 holes and we’ll see how it turns out. A lot of scenarios could pan out, but you play well, you win it, and you take care of everything else.’’

For players like Woods or Stricker, who have been near the top of the points standings for much of the year, a win this week would validate their season. For others, like Harrington, it would make theirs.

“I hadn’t done anything, really, coming into the [playoffs], so I was very motivated for it,’’ said Harrington. “The motivation was, if I can play well and finish the season off, particularly if I got a win, I’d be able to look back at this year as being a very positive year. And if I win this tournament, say, and win the FedEx Cup, when we look back in time, we say 2009 was a great year.’’

Michael Whitmer can be reached at mwhitmer@globe.com.