Let the FedEx Cup Playoffs Begin

THE FEDEX CUP PLAYOFFS get underway on Thursday with The Barclays at Plainfield Country Club in Edison, New Jersey. The four-event playoff series, which includes the Deutsche Bank Championship and BMW Championship, concludes in Atlanta with the Tour Championship.

After much criticism and formula tinkering, the FedEx Cup points race has slowly gained acceptance. No, it’s not the majors or the Ryder Cup. No, it can’t compete with football. But it’s far better than the days when everyone tuned out after the PGA Championship. With all that cash up for grabs, the top PGA Tour players surely welcome the playoffs and gladly play deep into the month of September. That’s good for core golf fans.

Above are PGATour.com’s top 10 shots from The Barclays. I remembered three of the shots. Four, actually. After seeing it again, I did recall Sergio Garcia’s putt in his 2008 playoff against Vijay Singh. Of course, I also remembered Vijay’s long one that he made on top of Sergio. And there was Matt Kuchar’s iron out of the rough to three feet. That was last year.

I think Heath Slocum got robbed, though. Slocum’s tournament-winning 20-footer in 2009—the biggest putt of his life and the one that beat Tiger Woods—is No. 6 on the list.

Really? Only No. 6?

That’s just wrong.

−The Armchair Golfer

Jim Furyk Snags PGA Player of the Year Award

CONGRATULATIONS TO JIM FURYK for winning the PGA Player of the Year, an award given by the PGA of America. Furyk earned 60 points under the PGA’s points system. Matt Kuchar and Steve Stricker each collected 50 points. Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson tallied 46 and 42 points, respectively.

Furyk ended a three-year drought when he won the Transitions Championship in March. That was just the beginning for the 40-year-old. He went on to capture the Verizon Heritage in April and the season-ending Tour Championship, making it his first three-win season in 18 years on the PGA Tour. He also won the FedEx Cup and its $10 million payoff. It was a career year for Furyk, and the player of the year award caps it off.

Kuchar won the Vardon Trophy, which is given to the player who has the lowest adjusted scoring average and has played a minimum of 60 rounds. Kuchar had a 69.61 scoring average. Stricker was a close second at 69.66.

In 2009, Tiger Woods won both the PGA Player of the Year Award and Vardon Trophy.

Ben Hogan won the inaugural PGA Player of the Year Award in 1948. Harry Cooper was the first recipient of the Vardon Trophy (named for British great Harry Vardon) in 1937.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: Keith Allison/Flickr)

It Rains Money in Atlanta for Jim Furyk

2010 Tour Championship Recap
Winner: Jim Furyk
Score: 8 under, 272 (67, 65, 70, 70)
Quote: “It’s my second biggest win.”
Fact: Won $11 million with used $39 putter.
Thought: Winning Ryder Cup would cap off best year of Furyk’s career.

I DON’T TALK TO the TV a lot. Certainly not as much as I used to. And usually not with my family around (not that they care). But I was talking to the TV late this afternoon as I tuned in to the final holes of the Tour Championship. I was talking Jim Furyk through those last few holes because I didn’t want to see him blow the tournament and FedEx Cup.

I don’t understand how the the FedEx Cup points work. I let the talking heads and graphics help me keep score. What I did understand was that if Furyk won the tournament, he’d also win the FedEx Cup (and $10 million). The same was true for Luke Donald and Retief Goosen as they played the closing holes.

I decided Furyk is my guy. Nothing against the others, but I’ve always liked Furyk’s grind-it-out style.

So then he bogeys 16. Me: “Um, Jim. C’mon, buddy.” Good drive at 17 and then a weak approach shot. (I thought he hit his second shot fat long before Johnny Miller asked him what happened in the post-round interview. Was it that hard for the TV guys to see?) Another bogey. Me: “JIM!”

Eighteenth tee, long par 3. It’s raining hard, sure. Tough conditions. I get it, TV guys. (Hey, I’ve played in lots of rain and with soaking wet grips, just not for the Gross Domestic Product of a small nation.) Me: “Just get it on the green, Jimmy. C’mon now.”

Bunker.

Some work to do here. Making it interesting, eh Jim? Nothing to say now. I’m just watching. The ball comes out clean, hops, spins and checks two or so feet from the cup. I could make that one. Well, maybe. At least the soaking rain might hide the soiled spot on my pants.

Jim turns his cap around so the rain won’t drip off the bill and taps it in. He later called the putt dummy proof.

It was a nice ending. The guy who missed The Barclays because of a faulty alarm ends up winning it all. And with that used putter he picked up at Joe & Leigh’s in the Boston area, which sounds something like the House of Putters.

“It was like 65 bucks,” Furyk said, “but they sold it to me for $39, I think. I didn’t ask for that, trust me. I didn’t barter.

“It was a used putter. It’s got a nick on the back flange. It’s got a little ding in the top line. I never loft and lied it which is rare for me because I’ve always got my putters on a loft-lie machine at home, and the way the grip is on it, it might be slightly off center but that’s kind of how I like it anyway.”

Next stop for Jim and his $39 putter is Wales for this week’s Ryder Cup.

So, with three wins and the FedEx Cup, Jim Furyk is player of the year, right? I can’t make a stronger case for anyone else.

−The Armchair Golfer

Strange Grass Patterns Detected at Tour Championship

MATT KUCHAR WAS THE FIRST to see them as he was walking to the 2nd hole, a 214-yard par 3. Then Martin Laird, Charley Hoffman and Paul Casey. By the end of the first round, nearly all 30 players in the field of the season-ending Tour Championship reported sightings of a bizarre grass pattern at East Lake Golf Club, sort of golf’s version of crop circles.

Oddly, no one besides the players noticed anything unusual about the East Lake turf, a combination of zoysiagrass fairways and bentgrass greens.

The grounds crew had no explanation.

“The course is certainly in pristine condition,” said a supervisor, “but otherwise everything is normal, including mowing patterns.”

(Image at left is simulated based on players’ descriptions.)

Aerial photography also failed to reveal any unusual phenomenon.

“If I had been staring at the ground since the Sony Open, I would probably be seeing things, too,” offered a spectator.

−The Armchair Golfer

VIDEO: Tom Lehman Wins 2010 Payne Stewart Award

TOM LEHMAN WAS PRESENTED the 2010 Payne Stewart Award on Tuesday at the East Lake Golf Club, site of this week’s Tour Championship. Payne died in a plane crash during the 1999 Tour Championship, which was played in late October at that time.

In the video, Lehman said he was humbled by the award, which is given annually to a player who exemplifies sportsmanship, gives back and honors the tradition of the game. Tom is a good pick.

One of the images I remember is Stewart, Lehman and others celebrating at Brookline after their miraculous comeback in the 1999 Ryder Cup. And, of course, I can still see Payne sinking that 15-foot putt on the final green at Pinehurst No. 2 to win the U.S. Open. He was gone soon after. There are few things I’m certain of, but I’m quite certain Payne would have been a Ryder Cup captain had he not gone down in that plane.

−The Armchair Golfer

Kevin Streelman Works the Playoff System

KEVIN STREELMAN WILL PLAY in the season-ending Tour Championship for the first time in his career. And that’s not all. Next year Streelman will make his first appearances at the Masters and British Open thanks to a FedEx Cup playoff run that has seen him rise 73 spots in the rankings.

The top 30 will play in the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta this week. A fat paycheck awaits. The 30 players will split a $7.5 million purse. Someone will also collect $10 million for winning the playoffs points race. At 29th, Streelman was the second-to-the-last man in the field, which also gets him into next year’s first three majors.

Streelman is an example of how the playoffs can work for someone who starts at the back of the pack. The Duke grad and mini-tour veteran who joined the PGA Tour in 2007 started the playoffs in 102nd out of 125 players. He made a big move with a T5 at The Barclays. Then he followed with a T45 and T43 at the Deutsche Bank and BMW Championship, respectively, to slip into the top 30.

Hello, East Lake. Hello, Augusta.

The only time Streelman has been to Augusta National Golf Club was to watch a practice round when he was a student at Duke. But Mike Christensen, Streelman’s caddie and Duke golf teammate, has played three rounds at the home of the Masters. That’s a start. They’ll just be thrilled to be there.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: The Gordons/Flickr)

Was This BMW a Clunker?

2010 BMW Championship Recap
Winner: Dustin Johnson
Score: 9 under, 275 (68, 70, 68, 69)
Quote: “To finally get it done, after all the things I’ve gone through this summer, it can’t feel any better.”
Fact: Was singing Usher song on last two holes.
Thought: Game and attitude make DJ attractive Ryder Cup partner.

WAS THIS BEAMER A CLUNKER? Certainly not for Dustin Johnson, who wheeled his way to the biggest win of his career after runner-up Paul Casey rode the bogey train for three consecutive holes after holding the lead on the final nine. Good for Dustin. I think everyone feels that way after the tough summer he’s had. It was the fourth PGA Tour title for the 26-year-old touted by many as the next big thing.

The reason I wonder if the BMW Championship was a clunker is because so much of what I read was negative and then some. (I admit I didn’t see a lot of the third leg of the FedExCup playoffs.)

Much of the negativity had to do with the course. The Cog Hill renovations by Rees Jones were ripped by the players. Jones lengthened the course to 7,600-plus yards, worked on the bunkering and rebuilt all the greens. Phil Mickelson said in his pretend diplomatic style the course was “interesting” and that there was a lot of talk in the locker room. The undiplomatic Paul Casey said there are two things you don’t want to hear as a player. One of them was “Rees Jones.” Ouch. Even Mr. Nice Guy, Stewart Cink, called the place a “wreck.” Whoa. I guess they really didn’t like the course?

Among other unhappy campers were Charlie Wi and J.B. Holmes. Wi bogeyed the last two holes to shoot 74, finish T8 and lose his spot in the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta in two weeks. Charlie was so upset he left Cog Hill without speaking to PGA Tour officials or the media.

Holmes talked, more or less calling the playoffs points system “absolutely ridiculous.” J.B., who started in 18th place and is now history, said people who have played well all year can have a couple of bad tournaments and be eliminated. (Isn’t that like other sports?) The 2008 Ryder Cup hero has yet to play in a Tour Championship.

So, is the FedExCup an unfair system? Sure. No matter what the PGA Tour brass tries, they’ll never devise a playoff system that everyone likes or thinks is fair. It just won’t happen. They’ve already tried and tried and tried. It’s a convoluted system to wring out every last bit of interest there might be in professional golf at the end of a long season.

Geoff Ogilvy agrees. “Look, there is no exact, perfect way to do it.” If guys are choking (and they are) while trying to advance and chase $10 million, then something must be working. That’s my overly simplistic observation.

Everyone should take a page from Dustin. When golf seems unfair and things don’t go your way, shrug it off. Go trim your sideburns and spend time on your boat. Another tournament is coming. Well, unless you’re outside of the top 30 in points. In that case, there’s the Fall Series. And next season.

−The Armchair Golfer

‘Ultimate Fan’ Will Attend and Cover THE TOUR Championship

Editor’s note: Following is an edited message from the folks in Ponte Vedra Beach about a special opportunity for a special fan.

By PGATOUR.COM

PGATOUR.COM IS LOOKING FOR the ultimate fan to help cover the finale of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Ga., on September 22-26.

Fans nationwide can upload a self-produced video or photo essay describing why they are a fan of the PGA TOUR. Contest entries will be posted to PGATOUR.COM/fancontest to be voted on by the public through September 6. The top 10 entries that receive the most votes will be judged by a PGA TOUR panel and a grand prize winner will be announced on September 10.

Winner’s Package and Role

The winner will receive air travel to and hotel accommodations in Atlanta for THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, as well as a media badge good for Wednesday and Thursday of tournament week, where he or she will work alongside a PGATOUR.COM staff member to cover events like the Wounded Warrior Clinic, The First Tee Clinic, practice rounds, player press conferences and first-round play. The winner will post to Twitter via a new fan account, @PGATOURfan, and contribute content to the Live Report on PGATOUR.COM, PGA TOUR Facebook page and YouTube channel during those two days.

The top 10 entries will be judged on the following criteria: evidence of being a PGA TOUR fan; experience working with digital media, including blogs, Twitter, social networking and/or video; and originality of entry.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a scratch golfer, high handicapper, an aspiring blogger or Steve Stricker’s No. 1 fan—this contest allows our fans to use their creativity and personalities to show their love of golf and the PGA TOUR,” said PGATOUR.COM Executive Producer Scott Gutterman.

“The winner will have a unique opportunity to ‘take the mic’ and get a one-of-a-kind, behind-the-scenes look at THE TOUR Championship.”