Henrik Stenson in good shape to win FedEx Cup without a single season title

In each of the last five seasons, the winner of the FedEx Cup has won the Tour Championship to do it, and in all eight prior seasons of the FedEx Cup, the winner has won at least one tournament in that season.

Henrik Stenson could be the player to end both of those streaks this week in Atlanta.

Stenson hasn’t won on the PGA Tour this season, but enters the 30-player season and playoff finale ranked fourth in the standings on the back of two runner-up finishes in the three playoff events contested so far. With the points standings reset heading into this week in East Lake, Stenson can conceivably win the FedEx Cup without winning the Tour Championship. He has to finish in at least a tie for third to have a mathematical chance of taking the FedEx Cup and its $ 10 million prize, but winning isn’t necessary.

Naturally, the 2013 FedEx Cup winner is fine with that scenario.

“If I finish second or third and win the overall,” said Stenson on Tuesday, “you won’t see me leaving here crying, not out of sadness anyway.”

Of course, Stenson could also do what he did two years ago and win the Tour Championship to lock up a second FedEx Cup title, joining Tiger Woods (2007, ’09) as the only multi-time winner of the season-long race.

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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