ESPN Golf

It's playoff time.

Act 1 of 4 is this week at the Barclays with the top 144 players in the FedEx Cup standings in action at a new course -- Ridgewood Country Club.

Many players might not be too familiar with the classic Tillinghast-designed layout, but they all know they need to play well to keep the dream of the $10 million bonus alive.

So who will make the first big move this week? Our experts break down their predictions into four categories.

Want a different viewpoint on who might win? Try the ESPN.com FOREcaster.

The Barclays predictions
	Bob Harig ESPN.com golf writer	Jason Sobel ESPN.com golf writer	John Antonini Golf World senior editor	Ron Sirak Golf World exec. editor
Horse for the Course	Phil Mickelson. Ridge- wood Country Club is a new venue, and the course being used for the tournament is a hybrid of the three nines used for the membership. But at least Lefty has played there and spoken favorably of the layout.	Phil Mickelson loves the New York crowds, and the New York crowds love him right back. On a track most players have never seen before, it will look -- and sound -- like a home-course advantage for Lefty.	There isn't one. West- chester hosted this tourna- ment for 30 years before it moved to New Jersey's Ridgewood CC this year, so I'll take Johnson Wagner, who played well in the Met GA there as an amateur.	Jim Furyk. Ridge- wood Country Club is a classic old Northeast Tillinghast course, where driving the ball straight matters. A former U.S. Open champ will do well here.
Birdie Buster	Padraig Harring- ton. The British Open and PGA Championship winner has been getting it done when it counts, and as long as a letdown does not set in, there is no reason he won't continue to do so.	Three par-5s of longer than 600 yards should level the playing field, as neither big hitters nor the short guys will reach them in two. That should be good news for defending champ Steve Stricker, who still can make birdies on three-shot holes.	If Padraig Harring- ton wants to win the tour player of the year award over Tiger Woods, another win against a strong field is likely necessary.	Sergio Garcia. The Spaniard is playing well right now and, more importantly, putting well. That will carry over into the playoffs.
Super Sleeper	Angel Cabrera. The 2007 U.S. Open champion has not done much this year, but this is a bomber's course, and he needs a good tournament to advance to the Deutsche Bank Championship.	With a torrid weekend in Greens- boro, Rich Beem got himself into the playoffs. With increased volatility, don't be surprised to see him make a little run here, too.	Hunter Mahan needs a big week to salvage any hope of being selected to the Ryder Cup team.	Chad Campbell. This is a ball-strikers' course, and Campbell is one of those. He either will contend or miss the cut.
Winner	Vijay Singh. No way he misses three cuts in a row. You know he's going to want to atone for missed cuts at the PGA and the Wyndham Championship. And it was just three weeks ago that he won the Bridgestone.	There aren't too many top players with ties to New Jersey, but Stuart Appleby has card-carrying Garden State native Joe Damiano on the bag. About time for Appleby to claim his annual victory, isn't it?	Phil Mickelson says Ridge- wood reminds him of Winged Foot or Baltusrol, and despite the U.S. Open meltdown, he did well on those two courses.	Adam Scott. He's No. 24 in the FedEx Cup standings reshuffle, but a victory will get him right back in the mix.