Several players on verge of first Tour Championship

• By Randall Mell
• Sep 8, 2012 12:58 PM ET

CARMEL, Ind. – The line is all backed up here at the BMW Championship with players eager to break down the door to their first Tour Championship appearance.

The top 30 players in FedEx Cup points at the conclusion of play Sunday will advance to the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta Sept. 20-23.

Going into Saturday’s start of the BMW’s third round, Rory McIlroy (1), Louis Oosthuizen (6), Lee Westwood (18), Rickie Fowler (28) and John Huh (29) are the only players projected among the top 30 in FedEx Cup points who have never played in the Tour Championship.

But, every player from Nos. 31-39 in the projection is vying for their first Tour Championship appearance. It’s meaningful because a berth in the Tour Championship is potentially career changing for players who aren’t already among the game’s elite ranks. Making it to the Tour Championship earns a player a spot in next year’s Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, The Players Championship and the WGC-Cadillac Championship.

Here are the players who sit just outside the top 30 projections going into the BMW's third round who are looking to play in their first Tour Championship:

31 – Robert Garrigus

32 – Seung-Yul Noh

33 – Kyle Stanley

34 – Scott Piercy

35 – Graeme McDowell

36 – Bud Cauley

37 – Johnson Wagner

38 – Kevin Stadler

39 – Graham DeLaet