Golf has the longest season of any sport, starting in Hawaii in January, continuing after the Tour Championship with the Fall Series and finishing in December with Q school. As if that wasn't enough, they cram in made for TV events like the PGA Grand Slam, and the Wendy's 3 Tour Challenge, Skins games, Merrill Lynch Shootout, the Target World Challenge,etc etc.
That's just the PGA Tour... The European Tour is so long they play some 2011 events in 2010. If players want they can start in South Africa move to Australia before working their way back to the middle east, before even starting in 'Europe'...
You get the point. I don't think there are any of us who follow this Fed Ex points thing all year. So why not just scrap it ?? One reason is that the PGA Tour doesn't own any of the majors and they really want a championship, and a money maker of their own, and this is it.
I would just take the top 100 money makers for one make or break weekend where the Barclay's is now in the 3rd week of August ( 18-24 this year).. Make it a 5 rounder, with 100 being cut to 50 after 36 holes, 25 after 54 and the top 12 survive after 72... They then play the final18 for all the marbles.
It would get the "championship" decided before the NFL starts, it would focus all the attention on one weekend for some drama. I would scrap this $10m bonus prize, in my opinion all it does is alienate the fans. It's like telling us all that Donald Trump has just made another $10m with his latest project ! Who cares, he is so rich it's just sickening...
Also the guys are playing a lot of golf from the Open Championship right through the PGA and on into the playoffs so they are saying no to at least one week of the playoffs anyhow. Remember the fuss we had for our Canadian Open at Angus Glen a few years ago when Davis Love didn't show up after been given a couple of mil' to re-design the north course. He was playing too many weeks in a row...
Why waste perfectly good sponsors like Barclay's, the DeutscheBank and BMW you say. Well let's not. Times have been tough for the world's economy, the States are no exception and I would examine other sponsors who would gladly be bailed out of binding agreements with the tour if help were at hand. Or how about throwing their sponsorship into the Players Championship or heaven knows, one of the majors ??
One thing I do know is the Fed Ex points race is a non event, and the playoffs don't feel like playoffs, and the Tour Championship has no edge to it... None of that is good !!
Speaking of the Tour Championship, Jimmy Furyk and Luke Donald are tied for the lead at -8.
Top 5 are in bold
Furyk 67,65 -8
Donald 66, 66 -8
Ogilvy 66,67 -7
Choi 68,68 -4
Goosen 71,66 -4
Na 69,68 -3
Casey 66,71 -3
Hoffman 71,67 -3
Day 69,69 -2
Crane, Streelman,Mahan E
Mickelson 69,72 +1
Stricker 74, 69 +2
Kuchar 72,70 +2
Els 71,71 +2
Johnson 73,71+4
Listen to Fairways at 7.25 this morning for a live preview with Gordon Simpson from Celtic Manor in Wales..
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
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