Majors are over, but plenty up for grabs for Woods, Mickelson and others

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The end of the major championships is not the end of the world for Tiger Woods.

And there's still plenty up for grabs for Phil Mickelson, who has an outside shot at winning his first Player of the Year. Or even for Rory McIlroy, who feels as if he is coming off a six-month vacation and is trying to win for the first time this year.

The Barclays starts Thursday across the Hudson River from Manhattan. It's the first of four FedEx Cup playoff events that feature some of the strongest fields of the year.

He only played nine holes of the pro-am because of stiffness in his back and neck from a soft hotel bed. But Woods says that was just a precaution.