Rob Brown / AP

Rich Beem acknowledges the crowd after finishing the the final round of the Wyndham Championship on Sunday. Beem finished in third place, four shots behind winner Carl Pettersson.

But at least there’s hope, giving these “playoffs” a chance to look like other postseasons.

“The tour said they wanted more volatility, but are they setting themselves up for a guy like me?” Beem said. “Have I had a better year than Kenny Perry or Padraig Harrington? No. But the playoffs aren’t all about who had the best year, it’s who is playing well in the playoffs. The New York Giants certainly were not the best team in the league, but they won the Super Bowl.”

The Giants first had to win road games against Tampa Bay, the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers. That might be easier than Beem, Janzen or anyone else outside the top 70 suddenly finding their game and sustaining it for the next month.

And it makes it harder for those who don’t play.

Woods, who played only six times this year and still earned the No. 1 seed, isn’t the only player on injured reserve. Luke Donald (44) is done for the season after wrist surgery, joined by Alex Cejka (91), Jason Bohn (96) and Roland Thatcher (140). Bob Estes (124) is getting married this weekend, Justin Rose (78) is playing in Holland to bolster his Ryder Cup bid and Lee Westwood (50) is on holiday.

Only 136 players will tee it up Thursday at Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey.

That Beem is among them is still hard for him to fathom.

“I seem to be the biggest procrastinator in the world when it means something,” Beem said. “It’s a wonder I ever got married and had kids. But you know, they give you 42 weeks. Just because I waited until the last week doesn’t bother me. I’m elated to be where I’m at.”

Instead of going home to Austin, Texas, for the next month, Beem had to rearrange his travel schedule. He found a hotel for The Barclays, and was thinking about making hotel reservations in the Boston area for next week.

Then he changed his mind.

“Maybe I should wait until Sunday,” he said.