| I suppose that after Bart Bryant's three wins in | | | | it comes closer to the last major and finishes up |
| 15 months, capped by the Tour Championship | | | | the season before the NFL really gets going. |
| romp last week, I'll have to start paying more | | | | There's a potential problem with the FedEx Cup, |
| attention to the soft-spoken Texan with the | | | | at least as it stands now (Tiger has said he's met |
| groovy mustache. But what a fitting way to end | | | | with Finchem several times about the proposed |
| the 2005 golf season. With Tiger Woods, Vijay | | | | changes and each time has gotten a different |
| Singh and Retief Goosen in the field, along with | | | | answer, so much is still in the air---you can bet |
| most of the rest of the top thirty players in the | | | | Tiger is in mind by Finchem, et al, down there in |
| world, it was Bryant who walked away with the | | | | Ponte Vedra as they try to put this together), |
| season-ending win in Atlanta, a tournament that | | | | which is that three tournaments leading up to the |
| has more and more prestige and will have even | | | | Tour Championship will comprise the bulk of the |
| more by 2007 when it becomes a sort of Super | | | | Cup, or the bulk of the points earned toward |
| Bowl of golf.So here's to you, Bart Bryant. Here's | | | | winning the Cup, even though points will |
| to you, Ted Purdy. Here's to you, Wes Short, Jr. | | | | supposedly be accrued from the start of the |
| Here's to you, Jason Bohn. Here's to you, Olin | | | | season. This means that a player could win the |
| Browne. Somewhere,someone saw something in | | | | FedEx Cup without actually winning the |
| you that not many others did. Somewhere, | | | | season-ending Tour Championship, which is meant |
| someone won big on you guys.For all my focus | | | | to be golf's Super Bowl. The Super Bowl has one |
| on wins by unknowns this year, plenty of lead | | | | winner, not an accrued winner. Who wants to be |
| horses won as well. Woods and Singh won | | | | doing math on Sunday during the Tour |
| early---Singh in the second week of the season, | | | | Championship: "Let's see, Tiger's eight back of |
| Woods the third. Phil Mickelson won in the fifth | | | | leader Jason Gore, but Tiger had more points |
| and sixth weeks. By the end of April, all three | | | | coming in because he won one of the three |
| would win at least one more time, including Tiger's | | | | playoff events and finished in the top-10 in two |
| dramatic win at The Masters in April. Woods | | | | others, so if he can finish in the top 25 of the |
| would also win the British Open and he contended | | | | Tour Championship, where he is now, even if |
| in all four majors in 2005. This was his best | | | | Gore wins by eight strokes, Tiger'll win the Cup...all |
| season since 2000.Mickelson won the PGA | | | | he needs is to par out in his last six holes |
| Championship later in the year. Also winning in | | | | assuming Gore doesn't go any lower." That's no |
| 2005 were Goosen, Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott | | | | good. It's like stages in the Tour de France. Who |
| (an unofficial, rain-shortened win in February at the | | | | wants to see that? Not I.None of these changes |
| Nissan Open), Jim Furyk, Stuart Appleby (who | | | | will go into effect until 2007 anyway. I'm sure we'll |
| repeated in Kapalua to start the year off), David | | | | be a hearing a lot more about it as we move into |
| Toms and Padraig Harrington, who won twice (the | | | | 2006.I'm already looking forward to Kapalua for all |
| first in March, his first Tour victory).Rain again was | | | | the usual reasons: it's nice to vicariously visit |
| a frustrating theme for the first few months of | | | | Hawaii in the dead of winter, to see sun and |
| the season. It took until the summer to dry out. | | | | sea,cutaways of surf, and to watch a small, |
| And by mid-August, the majors in the books, the | | | | competitive field. Kapalua also yields prodigious |
| season limped to its close with unexciting | | | | drives and after watching Tiger average well over |
| tournament after unexciting tournament, fielded | | | | 300 yards with his drives last week, hitting one |
| by fewer and fewer stars. Wednesday of last | | | | 378 on Sunday, I'm wondering if he might just |
| week, before the Tour Championship, Tour | | | | drive the mainland from the top of Kapalua. He's |
| commish Tim Finchem unveiled plans to address | | | | going to be exciting to watch in 2006, as is |
| the issue of flagging interest after the PGA | | | | Mickelson in the majors. It'll interesting to follow |
| Championship because many top players don't | | | | Singh, to see if he can fix his putting woes of |
| play in late season tournaments together. I | | | | 2005. Will Ben Crane stop shimmying and shaking, |
| bitched about these lame events just about | | | | speed up his play? Whether he does or doesn't, |
| every week down the stretch, so I'm glad to see | | | | his skill with the putter is worth watching in 2006. |
| the issue is being addressed. What little we know | | | | Gore's worth watching, too. And O'Hair. Will |
| of the plan for 2007, though, raises questions.The | | | | Charles Howell III go from competitive golfer, |
| idea is to move the Tour Championship to | | | | always in the mix, to winner? Chris DiMarco? His |
| September as the culminating event in a kind of | | | | grit at Augusta was impressive and may portend |
| playoff series called the FedEx Cup. The lame | | | | a win in one of 2006's majors. I've written him |
| post-PGA-Championship events I referred to will | | | | off many times, after many second place finishes, |
| still be played, under the rubric of "Quest for the | | | | but he may have turned a corner. And who of |
| Card." Virtually none of the game's top players will | | | | the unknowns---who of the mini-tour set, who of |
| play in these events, as few do now, because | | | | the multiple Q School set---will emerge in |
| they're not aiming for #125 or better in the world | | | | 2006?We have two months to figure it |
| to retain their Tour cards. This will, in effect, | | | | out.Jeremy Church is a documented member of |
| become a silly season without star power.Moving | | | | the Professional Handicappers League. |
| the Tour Championship up is a great idea because | | | | |