This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Daniel Summerhays thrived in last year's FedEx Cup Playoffs, and now he's hoping to play in this year's full series of postseason tournaments.
The former Davis High School and BYU golfer tees off Thursday in The Barclays, the first playoff event, in New Jersey. Summerhays stands 49th on the FedEx Cup points list. He's in good position to qualify for at least the two next two events, as the fields are reduced from 125 players this week to 100 for the Deutsche Bank Championship in Massachusetts and 70 for the BMW Championship in Colorado.
But he'll have to play well in all three events to make the 30-player field for the Tour Championship.
Starting from a lower position last year, Summerhays finished in the top 30 in each of the first three playoff events, but not did move up enough to qualify for the Tour Championship. Point values are quadrupled for the playoff events, creating some volatility while not harshly affecting most golfers who have performed well throughout the season.
Summerhays has earned $1.4 million during the 2013-14 season, which began in October under the PGA Tour's new format. He has made 19 cuts in 24 starts, posting eight top-25 finishes and two top-10s, highlighted by a tie for second in the Texas Open in March.
Former BYU golfer Mike Weir, of Sandy, failed to make the playoffs by finishing 139th on the points list. Weir, however, is exempt for the 2014-15 tour schedule because he's 104th on the money list with $854,413.
On the Web.com Tour, West High graduate Tony Finau and former BYU golfer Zac Blair will compete in the four-event final series that starts next week in Indiana.