Dustin Johnson has won the BMW Championship after shooting a final round 2-under 69 to edge out Englishman Paul Casey by 1 shot. Johnson, who is affectionately known as DJ by his friends said that the victory will go a long way in removing the bitter taste of being sensationally disqualified from last months US PGA Championship, "To finally get it done, especially after all the things I've gone through this summer … it can't feel any better," said Johnson.

Johnson now moves into 2nd place on the FedEx Cup standings, giving him the power to control his own destiny, a win in next weeks Tour Championship will give him a guaranteed win of the FedEx Cup. All of the players in the top 5 will win the FedEx Cup should they win next week, the other 25 can still win it, but it will depend on the make-up of the final leaderboard. The other players in the top 5 are Matt Kuchar (1), Charlie Hoffman (3),  Steve Stricker (4) and Paul Casey (5).

Out of the Aussies, Jason Day has a very realistic chance of victory, ranking 6th going into the Tour Championship, Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy are both in the top-15, and Robert Allenby snuck into the top-30 ranking 27th.

The most noticeable absentee next week will be defending FedEx Cup Champion and World number 1 Tiger Woods. Tiger did not do enough to crack the top-30 and it is the first time in his career he has not been eligible for a tournament. "That's just the way it is, I didn't play well early in the year, and I didn't play well in the middle of the year" commented Woods, who will now have time to continue improving before the Ryder Cup which gets under way in 2 weeks. In a worrying sign for Corey Pavin, his other 2 captains picks, Stewart Cink and Ricky Fowler also failed to qualify for next weeks Tour Championship.

Matt Kuchar defeated Martin Laird in a playoff to win The Barclays and move himself to the number 1 position in the chase for the Fed-Ex Cup.

Kuchar carded a final round 5-under 66, but it did not look like he had done quite enough to win the event. Martin Laird had a one-shot lead going down 18 and when he hit the green in regulation, a victory looked like a mere formality. All he needed was to two putt from just inside 25 feet for the victory, unfortunately for him he blazed his first putt and missed the return, resulting in a 3-putt taking him into a play off with Kuchar.

Kuchar hit a miracle shot out of the rough that rolled toward the back of the 18th green and stopped 30 inches away from the hole for a tap-in birdie, ultimately giving him the win in a stunning conclusion to the first FedEx Cup playoff event.

Australians Jason Day and Adam Scott finished 5th and 9th respectfully, a great result for both men, putting them right in the mix to take out the Fed-Ex cup and a cool USD$10,000,000 pay day.

This week at the Barclays, the top 125 players on the Fed-Ex Cup point list will start their journey to become the 2010 Fed-Ex Cup Champion and take home over USD$10,000,000 in prize money.

After this weeks event, the field will be cut to the top 100 players for the Deutsche Bank Championship in week two of the playoffs. Week 3 will feature the top 70 players at the BMW Championship, and then finally the top 30 will advance to the Tour Championship to decide who will take home the $10,000,000 bonus prize pool.

Official Name: The Barclays

Where: Ridgewood Country Club, Paramus, New Jersey , U.S.A

When: August 26-29, 2010

Defending Champion: Heath Slocum (U.S.A)

Lind Golfs prediction Barclays Winner: Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods is playing for a lot this week, and is doing so for the 1st time in a long time as a single man. With the worst of the scandal behind him, Tiger can now focus all his attention on golf and given he just snuck into the top 125 qualifiers, he has a lot of work to do to progress in the playoffs. He has a lot of other things to play for as well, not only is he trying to impress Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin for a Captain's pick, he's also fighting for his world number 1 ranking. The word is that Tiger has been practicing hard for this week and observers have reported his game is starting to look really good again. Although picking Tiger to win seems a little cliche, I think that this week Tiger will remind us why he is really the best player of all time. With so much to play for and the weight that has been lifted off his shoulders last week, Tiger is going to be very hard to beat!

Next best: Dustin Johnson

Dustin is one of the of the hottest players coming into the Barclays and comes in with a great chance of winning the Fed-Ex Cup. He is on fire right now and with the disappointment of Whistling Straits fresh in his mind, he will be looking to rebound in a big way and show the golfing world that he is here to stay. I think the saga on the 72nd hole at the PGA Championship will only drive him harder to succeed and if he can stay composed and play anywhere close to how he has been playing in recent times, he is in with a huge chance.

Best Aussie Chance: Michael Sim

After an injury ravished season, Michael is finally starting to produce the goods and he is very close to winning his first PGA Tour title. Sim's final-round 62 at the Wyndham propelled the young Aussie 35 spots in the FedExCup standings and he is coming into the playoff series in great form, with two top three finishes in his last three starts, the young Aussie is hitting his straps at the right time of the Fed-Ex Cup season.

Broadcast information

The Barclays will be shown Live on Fox Sports.

1st, 2nd & 3rd round – Friday, Saturday & Sunday: 5.00am – 8.00 am Fox Sports 3

4th round  – Monday: 4.00am  –  8.00 am Fox Sports 1

Next Week: Barclays Classic review, Fed-Ex Cup playoff update and the Deutsche Bank Championship Preview.

In a controversial finish to the final major of 2010, Martin Kaymer has won his first major by finishing 1 shot ahead of Bubba Watson in a 3 hole aggregate play-off.

Dustin Johnson was not part of the play-off after being penalised 2 shots after seemingly finishing tied for first with Kaymer and Johnson. Johnson had a 1 shot lead going up 18, but after hitting right and ending up in a bunker, Johnson assumed it was not in play and grounded his club when addressing the ball, ultimately costing him a chance at winning his first major.

Watson and Kaymer played out a 3 hole play off, Watson birdied the 1st, Kaymer the 2nd and after Watson found the water on the 3rd and ended up with a double-bogey, allowing Kaymer to win the plaoff by 1 shot and be crowned Germany's first major winner since Bernhard Langer.  Overnight leader Nick Watney who was 3 shots ahead starting the final round faded badly, shooting a final round 81.

Out of the Aussies Steve Elkington fell just short of the playoff, bogeying his last 2 holes to finish 2 shots off the playoff in a tie for 5th. Jason Day also finished in the top 10 finishing 4 shots back of the winner at -7, a great finish for the young Aussie.

Official Name: The PGA Championship

Where: Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wisconsin, U.S.A

When: August 12-15, 2010

Defending Champion: Y.E Yang (South Korea)

For the second time this decade, the best golfers in the world are coming to play the PGA Championship on the challenging Straits Course at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin. The PGA Championship is the 4th and final major championship of 2010 and although it is often considered the lesser of the 4 majors, the top-quality field and their desire to win a major championship is sure to be enough to produce enthralling viewing.

On the top of everyones mind is whether or not Tiger Woods can turn around his abismal recent form to tie Walter Hagen's and Jack Nicklaus's record and win his fifth Wannamaker Trophy. The trophy was named for Rodman Wannamaker who in 1916 met with 35 golf professionals to help form The Professional Golfer’s Association (PGA). It is the first time in recent memory that Tiger Woods is not starting a Major he is participating in as Favourite, this honour has been given to Phil 'Lefty' Mickelson.

Lind Golf’s Prediction for 2010 Championship: Sean O'Hair

Although this prediction seems a little bit out of left field, I have a strong feeling that Sean O'Hair will finally become a household golfing name by taking out this week's PGA Championship. Sean is a 2-time winner on the PGA Tour and although the 28 year old Texan hasn't had the best of years so far, the form he has shown in the last few weeks has been remarkable. He has finished top 10 in his last 3 tournaments, including the SBS Championship, The British Open and the WGC Bridgestone invitational, and it is no suprise it has come from improved putting averages. If Sean can continue his fine putting from and putt anywhere near the way he did during last years Presidents Cup when he was holing everything within 20ft, I think this week will be his week and he will join the exclusive list of major champions.

The Other Main Contenders:

Rory McIlroy

Its only a matter of time before this young superstar wins his first major. He is having a great year with a win in the Wells Fargo Championship and a 3rd place finish in last months British Open and It is obvious to all that the best is yet to come. The British style links course of Whistling Straits is similar to the courses Rory was brought up on and will suit him down to a tee. If Rory can keep his emotions in check come the weekend, he will be in with a huge shot of winning his first major.

Nick Watney

Again this pick may seem a little bit strange, especially considering we are giving him favouritism over some of the better known and indeed better ranked golfers, however this guy can play. Nick is ultra consistent with 6 top 10's and 11 top 25's this year, including a T7 at last months British Open. He always seems to perform well at the British Open and this style of course is sure to suit him well. Nick is in the top 10 on the PGA Tour for greens in regulation, if he can sustain this statistic and putt well, Nick Watney will be fighting out the finish on Sunday.

Steve Stricker

Steve is probably the most consistent performer on the PGA Tour. In 2010 Steve has 2 U.S PGA titles, 6 top 10's and is yet to miss a cut. Steve's only issue is that he never seems to contend in major's. This week the Championship is being held in his home state and it just could be his time to enter the history books as a major winner.

Tiger Woods

Tiger is coming off his worst finish in a golf tournament, finishing with a disgraceful final score of 18-over par. Nobody will be more disappointed in that performance than himself and I find it comical that everyone seems to be writing him off, this is Tiger Woods we are talking about. He was coming off some ordinary play when he finished 4th in both the Masters and the U.S Open and I think last week will give him the wake up call he needed to make him realise its time he showed everyone why he really is the best golfer of all time.

Retief Goosen

The 'Goose' has had more top 10 finishes on the PGA Tour in 2010 than any other player though he is yet to register a win. He performs well on U.S Open and British Open courses and the Whistling Straits course is essentially a hybrid of the two style of courses. Retief's biggest issue is his performance on par 3's, averaging over par, if he can average par or better on par 3's this week, he will be there contending on Sunday.

The Aussies…..

Lind Golf’s Prediction for top Australian…… Adam Scott

Adam is having a great year resurrecting his career from oblivion, having already recorded a win in 2010 on the PGA Tour. He is coming off a top 10 last week in the Bridgestone Invitational and as ever with Adam, if he can putt well he will finish well. I even strongly believe that he will be in contention to win the Championship if he can get along with his putter all week.

Michael Sim

Michael is in my opinion the future of Australian Golf and is sure to win a major at some point in his career. He broke all the records on the Nationwide Tour last year and his Stats are unbelievable, he just hasn't put all the pieces together in a tournament in order to win one. His putting, G.I.R and Driving accuracy stats are amongst the best on tour and it is a matter of time before he starts winning some big events. He has had an injury plagued season but last weeks 3rd placed finish shows he is almost back to full fitness, I would not be suprised at all if he is there abouts come the business end of the Championship.

Stuart Appleby

Stuart is another Aussie starting to pump life back into his golfing career. His amazing 59 in the final round to win the Greenbier Classic has certainly given him confidence to re-establish himself as one of the worlds top golfer. His putting and scrambling stats are right up there amongst the best of them, however his ball striking hasn't been as consistent as he would expect. If he can get the G.I.R and fairway percentages up from his season averages, he will contend for top Australian, but I don't think he can win the championship although I'd love to be wrong.

Broadcast information

The PGA Championship will be shown Live on Fox Sports.

1st & 2nd round – Friday & Saturday: 4.00am – 10.00 am Fox Sports 3

3rd round  – Sunday: 4.30am  –  9.00 am Fox Sports 1

4th round  – Monday: 4.30am  –  9.00 am Fox Sports 3