Pampling on playoff bubble

15 Aug 2012, 12:59 pm   -   Source: AAP
Rod Pampling leads eight Australians making a last-ditch effort to make the US PGA Tour playoffs. (AAP)

Rod Pampling leads eight Australians making a last-ditch effort to make the US PGA Tour playoffs. (AAP)

Rod Pampling leads eight Australians making a last-ditch effort to make the US PGA Tour playoffs.

Australian golfer Rod Pampling sits precariously on the play-off bubble heading into the final week of the US PGA regular season, but is confident he'll survive to compete for the lucrative FedEx Cup.

The top 125 golfers over the regular season survive for the four-event playoff series where golfers are progressively eliminated until a year-long cumulative winner is found at the Tour Championship.

The golfer standing above all at the end banks an incredible $US10 million ($A9.57 million) bonus.

This week's Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in North Carolina represents the last chance to move into or solidify a place in the top 125 and Pampling has the biggest target on his back of all as he enters the week right on the number.

With just one top-10 finish this season, with four-top 25s, Pampling sits at 125th on the points list with plenty of players looking to usurp him.

But the Queenslander is trying not to let the building pressure get to him.

"I am on the right side of the bubble, which is good because people have to go past me," Pampling said.

"But obviously all I can do is go out and play golf and what will be will be.

"I know I'll be passed if I miss the cut so sure if I need to go for something I will.

"Step one is to get the cut mark out of the way but I don't really look at that. I go in trying to win a tournament.

"There are too many variables to worry about it because I could go out and get my job done with a top 20 but then three guys behind me top 10 and go past me.

"So I just can take care of myself and hope it's good enough for a spot in the playoffs."

The good news for Pampling is the man directly on the bubble in the last three seasons has gone on to make the playoffs.

American Brendan Steele is Pampling's nearest rival, just 26 points behind the Australian.

Should Pampling miss the cut, Steele would need roughly a top-40 finish to leap ahead.

Robert Allenby is the only other Australian in the field already inside the playoff zone at 106th.

He is safe for at least the first round but is looking to improve his seeding.

Stuart Appleby (142nd), Nathan Green (150th), Nick O'Hern (155th), Gavin Coles (168th), Matt Jones (182nd), Mathew Goggin (191st) and Steven Bowditch (203rd) are hoping for a Hail Mary finish to move into the finals.

The bad news for the seven Aussies is since the current point system was in place over the last three years, no one entering the final week outside 140th has made the playoffs.

Marc Leishman (28th), Adam Scott (32nd), John Senden (35th), Aaron Baddeley (60th), Geoff Ogilvy (64th), Greg Chalmers (75th) and Jason Day (107th) have already done enough to make the finals starting in New York next week.

Meanwhile, four of nine Australians have advanced to the match play portion of the US Amateur Championship at Cherry Hills Country Club, with another facing a playoff to move on.

After two days of stroke play with 310 starters, Oliver Goss (T7), Brett Drewitt (T19), Matthew Stieger (T25) and Todd Sinnott (T39) pushed through to the top 64, knockout stage, while Cameron Smith (T51) will join a 16-man play-off for 13 spots on Wednesday (Thursday AEST).

Daniel Nisbet (T100), Ryan McCarthy (T100), Jake Higginbottom (T120) and Rory Bourke (T120) missed the cut.

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