After a "slow start," the PGA Tour's FedExCup Playoffs have "become arguably the tour's greatest success," according to Jaime Diaz of GOLF WORLD MONDAY. Other than golf's four majors and The Players Championship "medal-play tournament golf is never as good as it is in the midst" of the playoffs. Former golfer Joe Ogilvie said, "I think all signs point to the FedEx Cup being the great triumph of Tim Finchem's commissionership. It's been a home run, and I believe it will only get better." Diaz wrote the success of the playoffs is a "credit to his leadership that once the Cup began in 2007, Finchem and his staff admitted some early mistakes and focused hard on ways to refine and fix." Ogilvie said, "We got a lot of things wrong the first couple of years. Everybody got criticized, but the criticism was good. It made us make a better product" (GOLF WORLD MONDAY, 9/8 issue). Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley both withdrew before the conclusion of last week's BMW Championship. In Palm Springs, Larry Bohannan wrote Mickelson "specifically referenced focusing on the Ryder Cup, at least a backhanded slam at the importance" of the FedExCup event. Whatever the "truth, whatever the reasoning, whatever the messages being sent," having two "high-profile players like Mickelson and Bradley withdraw from what the PGA Tour believes is an important event isn’t a good thing for the tour" (Palm Springs DESERT SUN, 9/7).
FATIGUE A FACTOR? GLOBAL GOLF POST's Ron Green Jr. wrote the '13-14 Tour schedule is "problematic because the four FedExCup events are stacked one after the other on the schedule with no off week in the middle as has been typical." That is why Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia "skipped the Deutsche Bank Championship last week and part of the reason" why Mickelson withdrew from the BMW. Webb Simpson, a member of the PGA Tour's Player Advisory Council, said, "You don't want guys taking $8 million playoff events off. I don't think we'll do this again." Green wrote there is an "accumulation that leads to fatigue, both mental and physical," as it has been a "long, steady grind" since the British Open in mid-July. Meanwhile, the PGA of America "asked the Tour to schedule an open week prior to the Ryder Cup because, well, it's the Ryder Cup." The '14-15 PGA Tour schedule, which "begins in four weeks, has an open week after the second playoff event next year and another open week before the Presidents Cup in South Korea" (GLOBAL GOLF POST, 9/8 issue). GOLF.com's weekly roundtable discussed whether the Tour is "asking for trouble by expecting too much from these guys at the end of a long season or do players just need to toughen up?" SI's Gary Van Sickle: "The schedule is challenging -- effectively seven weeks out of 11, which includes a trans-Atlantic flights and five in a row." SI's Alan Shipnuck added, "It's a lot of golf, but any of these guys can elect to take a week off if they need it." SI's Jeff Ritter: "The Tour could probably re-think the August-September schedule, but at the same time, no one is forcing the players to tee it up four events in a row." SI's Michael Bamberger added, "I agree with the players who say four is one too many. Three would be fine, and turn it into a real knock-out event" (GOLF.com, 9/8). GOLFCHANNEL.com's Ryan Lavner wrote multimillionaires "won’t get much sympathy for being forced to play four events in a row with tens of millions of dollars at stake, but it’s clear that the quality of play in these playoffs has been sacrificed with the nonstop schedule" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 9/7).
DRIVING LESSONS: In Denver, Tom Kensler noted Sunday's attendance for the BMW Championship "was announced as a sellout (capped at about 27,000 spectators)." Western Golf Association VP/Tournaments Vince Pellegrino, whose organization runs the tournament, said Saturday's third round "was close" to being a sellout. Kensler noted Cherry Hills Country Club execs "hoped the historic country club would impress golf organizations enough to be considered for future events." Castle Pines Golf Club, which hosted The Int'l on the PGA Tour from '86-06, and Colorado Golf Club, which has recently hosted the Senior PGA Championship and Solheim Cup matches, "also could be vying for future professional golf championships." BMW Championship General Chair George Solich said, "It's my personal opinion that the state of Colorado has to be looked at for the BMW Championship in the next 5-10 years. I know the PGA Tour wants to come back to Colorado." Pellegrino added, "The Western Golf Association would love to come back here in the future. This looks and feels like what the FedEx Cup playoffs should be all about" (DENVER POST, 9/8).
