Even the lure of a massive $10-million prize hasn't stopped the world's top golfers from feeling the effects of US PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoff pace.

And when the BMW Championship - the third event in three weeks in the big-money series - tees off on Thursday, it'll be just three days after the end of the Deutsche Bank Championship, which concluded on the US Labor Day holiday on Monday.

Steve Stricker, who won the Deutsche Bank to seize the lead from Tiger Woods in the playoff series standings, played just nine holes on Tuesday before his pro-am round on Wednesday.

But at least Stricker, who finished runner-up to Heath Slocum in the series-opener at The Barclays before his triumph in Boston, is energized by his success so far.

"It would really be nice to have the lead going into the Tour Championship," Stricker said. "That means going out this week and playing well to maintain that lead.

"I have every belief that Tiger is going to play great, so that means that I'm going to have to play good.

"The pressure is getting bigger every week we play."

Ireland's Padraig Harrington is downright happy to have the problem of fatigue.

Without a win since the PGA Championship last year, he didn't secure his place in the playoff series until a second-place finish in the Bridgestone Invitational in August.

He has been in the hunt in his next three starts and he's now seventh in the FedEx Cup standings.

"On one hand, I'm losing a little bit in terms of fatigue," Harrington said. "But I'm still motivated because I haven't won. If I had won over the last couple of weeks, I'd have a big dropoff. What's keeping me going is the fact that I haven't won.

"I'm pushing hard and I'm focused to do that, and in many ways, I'm on the edge in that sense. I could definitely see a win making me totally drop back off."

A win this week would leave less of a hangover, Harrington said, with the 10 million-dollar bonus on offer to the series winner after the series-concluding Tour Championship.

"Ten million reasons to win that one."

"If you've got a chance of winning it, there's enough motivation there," he said. "Ten million reasons to win that one."

The top 30 in the standings after this week qualify for the Tour Championship and the top five will be in position to win the 10 million-dollar prize with a victory, regardless of what anyone else does.

Harrington said the recently renovated Dubsdread course at Cog Hill will offer a rugged challenge.

"It's a big, tough golf course," Harrington said. "It looks like it's going to put plenty of pressure on all the players out there this week. I hope it suits my game. I hope I play well on it."

Woods hasn't packed his tournament schedule so tightly since 2006, when he had a spell of six events in seven weeks.

"I'm just playing a lot right now," said the US star, who appearance at The Barclays was his first in six years.

However, he promised fatigue wouldn't be a problem come Thursday.

"Thursday through Sunday is all good," Woods said. "That's not a problem. Your adrenaline is up playing an event. You definitely get fired up for that, not a problem.

"It's getting out here and having long practice sessions and things like that. You start cutting back on that and just have a short burst, and make sure you get your rest."