Mackenzie Hughes has been here before. As the FedEx Cup playoffs get set to start the three-week ending to the PGA Tour’s season, he is once again a Bubble Boy.

Hughes sits in 59th spot for the first leg, the FedEx St. Jude Championship, which gets underway Thursday morning. The top 70 are here but only the top 50 after this week will move on to the second leg, the BMW Championship.

“It’s the final push,” said Hughes of the playoffs. “I have the chance to win a FedEx Cup. Everyone here, all 70 guys, have a chance to win a FedEx Cup. Obviously I'm on the outside looking in, but I go and have a great week and win a tournament, and I’m right there. So, it's exciting to have the volatility that it presents and I’m excited to lay it all on the line this week.”

Getting inside the top 50 comes with a big bonus: entry into all eight of next year’s Signature events which have $20 million purses. It’s what every player in this field wants as it comes with huge paydays and the ability to set a schedule, knowing which tournaments they are in. The final event, the Tour Championship, is for the top 30 players after the BMW. The winner of that takes home $10 million.

For Hughes, this week hasn’t been that kind in the past. Two years ago, he started the playoffs in........

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