PGA Tour pro Steve Stricker, defending champion of the Deutsche Bank Championship, will share his thoughts on golf and life on the PGA Tour occasionally in Boston.com's golf blog.

Well, folks, it’s postseason time.

The PGA Tour playoffs, one of the most exciting stretches of the golf season, is now upon us. The top 125 players have qualified for the Barclays and last I’m told, 123 of those players are here at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J., ready to compete for the FedExCup and the $10 million first prize.

In the three years of the PGA Tour playoffs, I’ve been fortunate to have had some decent postseason success. It seems like late August and September have been times where my game has really come together. I’m not entirely sure why I tend to get stronger toward the end of the season, but it may be due in part to how I set my schedule. I usually try to take a short break in the offseason, and during the regular season, I make an effort to identify a few “off weeks” to rest, recover and spend time with family. This helps me prepare my body and mind for the final push. Additionally, I am always motivated by the high stakes in the playoffs and that extra bit of adrenaline helps during this busy stretch of tournaments.

Three years ago, a victory at the 2007 Barclays, the first-ever playoffs event, was a great start for me and led to me finishing second in the FedExCup points behind Tiger Woods. I felt like I was going to defend my title a year later when I held the 36-hole lead at the 2008 Barclays, but I couldn’t hold on. And then, of course, last year I broke through at the Deutsche Bank Championship and finished third in the FedExCup.

This year, I enter the playoffs in my best position yet, second place overall. But plenty of things can happen in the postseason.

The main reason for that is that the playoff points are different from the regular season. For one, the points awarded for each tournament are worth five times that of any regular season event and allow a player to make a big move in just one week. Last year, I remember Heath Slocum winning at the Barclays and moving from next-to-last in points to third overall.

Then, once the third playoff event, The BMW Championship, is concluded, all of the points reset. This reset allows the top 5 players in the standings to control their own destiny. If you enter The Tour Championship in the top 5 and win, you’re crowned the FedExCup champion.

I really enjoy the playoffs and their structure. Over the first couple years, the PGA Tour tinkered with the scoring system. Now I think we’ve found a system that really rewards those who play well and impacts those who do not. That’s really what the postseason is all about.

So bring on the playoffs. And may the best man win!

Until next week,
Steve

Steve Stricker is a 17-year veteran of the PGA Tour and defending champion of the Deutsche Bank Championship, a PGA Tour Playoff event at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass., over Labor Day weekend. The world’s top 100 golfers will compete for $7.5 million and a $1.35 million payout to the champion from August 31 through September 7. Since 2003, the Championship has raised nearly $17 million for local and national charities. Visit www.dbchampionship.com.

PGA Tour pro Steve Stricker, defending champion of the Deutsche Bank Championship, will share his thoughts on golf and life on the PGA Tour occasionally in Boston.com's golf blog.

Home sweet home!

I’m very excited to be playing the PGA Championship this week in my home state of Wisconsin. I will have lots of family and friends there to support me, which will hopefully inspire me to play my best. It's been a while since I've played so close to home, and it's a tournament I've been looking forward to for some time. I've already seen so many supporters during my practice rounds and I couldn't be more appreciative of all the well wishes.

I played a practice round at Whistling Straights on the Sunday before the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. It really has the feel of a links style course and feels very similar to being in Scotland or Ireland. That said, it does have some "American" characteristics – there aren't many opportunities to hit run-up shots like on a typical links course.

Whistling Straights is a Pete Dye design and he’s known for visually intimidating the player, particularly off the tee. There are a few long carries and supposedly over 900 bunkers on the course, so getting it in the fairway will be critical this week. Believe it or not, there is some room off the tee, but this is not always clearly visible from the tee box. As a result, my caddie, Jimmy, and I have spent a lot of time selecting our targets and calculating yardages during our practice rounds.

There really is a buzz this week with so many guys heading into the tournament playing great golf. We've seen some low scores lately and guys from all over the world have arrived here in good form. I would think that a guy like Rory McIlroy, who is accustomed to the look of this type of course, will play well. I would also watch for guys like Matt Kuchar and Jeff Overton, who have contended over the past few weeks on tour. I'd also be surprised if guys like Tiger, Phil and Padraig weren't right in the mix come Sunday.

The PGA Championship has been a mixed bag for me in the past. My best finish was in 1998 when I finished second at Sahalee Country Club. I haven't had much consistency in this tournament, but I’m hoping to turn it around this year. I've really tried to stick to my routine this week and treat it as much like any other week as possible. Of course, there is always more going on at major championships and the tension is elevated, even during the practice rounds. It will be good to finally get it started today and hopefully get into the groove on the course.

Steve Stricker is a 17-year veteran of the PGA Tour and defending champion of the Deutsche Bank Championship, a PGA Tour Playoff event at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass., over Labor Day weekend. The world’s top 100 golfers will compete for $7.5 million and a $1.35 million payout to the champion from August 31 through September 7. Since 2003, the Championship has raised nearly $17 million for local and national charities. Visit www.dbchampionship.com.

In this file photo, Steve Stricker watched the flight of his tee shot on the 18th hole during the third round of the PGA Deutsche Bank Championships at the TPC of Boston on September 6, 2009. (Matthew J. Lee / Globe staff)

Editor's note: PGA Tour pro Steve Stricker, defending champion of the Deutsche Bank Championship, shares his thoughts on golf and life on the PGA Tour.

Hello Boston.com readers! As the 2009 Deutsche Bank Championship winner, I was asked if I would write a blog for the next few weeks leading up to the event. I can officially say that this is the first time I’ve ever written a blog!

As defending champion, I just took part in the Deutsche Bank Championship media day. I answered a lot of questions about how it felt to win the event last year. The more I talk about and remember last year’s event, the more anxious I am to get up to Boston and get started on my defense of the title! It would be pretty amazing to win in Boston again this year. I successfully defended my title at the John Deere Classic in July. It’s not an easy task, but it is possible. As defending champion, you have more pressure that week and added media obligations, but you also have those memories from when you won and that is extremely important.

I really enjoy playing in Boston. TPC Boston is always in phenomenal shape, and I expect nothing less this year. This is a unique event on the PGA Tour since it’s a Monday finish. It’s quite a way to spend the Labor Day weekend! The fans in Boston really support the event, which is great to see.

We’re getting into a busy time of the golf season with lots of tournaments packed into the next few months. Even though it’s busy, it tends to bring out the best in my game. I feel well rested and ready to go!

Until next week…Steve Stricker

Steve Stricker is a 17-year veteran of the PGA Tour and defending champion of the Deutsche Bank Championship, a PGA Tour Playoff event at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass., over Labor Day weekend. The world’s top 100 golfers will compete for $7.5 million and a $1.35 million payout to the champion from August 31 through September 7. Since 2003, the Championship has raised nearly $17 million for local and national charities. Visit www.dbchampionship.com.