BMW Championship

Playoffs?

Date Written: September 14, 2009

Jim Mora had it right... "Playoffs? What playoffs?" Playoffs are for baseball, pro football and basketball. GOLF HAS MAJORS! I will be happy only when Mr. Finchem and the Tour Policy Board dump this ridiculous playoff format. We are told once again to believe in the one-time, points reset feature for the last event in the series. Now ANY of the thirty "others" that have qualified to be in the field of the Tour Championship can win a $10 million dollar prize for winning ONE tournament.

I don't know of a prize ANYWHERE that discounts and/or disregards an entire years worth of work. First off, there ISN'T any more dominant player in any sport than Tiger...PERIOD! He's earned whatever huge bonus might be available by his performance. I say, just give him the money, period. The most glaring example of the inequity of the Schmed-Ex format can be illustrated by the fact that His Majesty's won six tournaments this year and nearly $10 million dollars in legitimate prize money...way more than anyone else. Hardly-knowns, Mark Leischman and Jason (What's in a Name?) Dufner, have won NOTHING, yet could theoretically win the Fed-Ex Cup and 10 mil. So what does Tiger get for his efforts all year....a number one seed? Give me a break! Have the commercial interests who run the stupid BCS, cross-pollinated to the PGA Tour Board? Finally, as long as I'm on my annual rant on this subject; listening to The Tour's lackeys on TV, trying to hype the system is downright nauseating. "Show Me The Money" is what it's about. The obvious theory is put up a big pot of dough and the players will show up. Duh? In my youth, the "$64,000 Question" was big time entertainment. Now it's, "Who Wants to be A Millionaire." Our popular culture's romance with big bucks borders on sickness. Given that The Tour likes to represent itself as a charity sponsor, I say give all the proceeds to the teachers of the world...they are way more important to society than pro golfers.

Last week there were rumblings from the mainstream press that His Majesty had lost his putting stroke. Last year, the same folks thought HE was washed-up because of his knee surgeries. What do you think all the "experts" thought on Saturday at Grog Hill? His Eminence starts with a bogey on the first hole and then proceeds to break the course record? The other lowly serf's that play this game for a living...Leischman, Dufner, Kucher, Snedeker, Harrington to name a few...know who's best. They know they are playing for second place when HE'S in the field. Golf statistics (like GIR) can be terribly misleading but try this astounding stat on for size...His Holiness made something like 40 of 45 putts inside 15 feet in the first three rounds.

I played like a dog in the local Bigwood tournament this past weekend but felt much better about my "yips" after watching Brandt Snedeker four-whack from 14 feet on eighteen to cost himself a spot in the Tour Championship and a small fortune in prize money. I loved Snedeker's candor when confronted by reporters as he was trying to leave the premises. Bob Harig of ESPN.com described Snedeker's meltdown best:

http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/columns/story?columnist=harig_bob&id=4470699

In our funky pool, our three top leaders have NO-SHOWS for the final event two weeks hence. The "Boise Boys" (Moloney & Winegar) along with The Muffins must be licking their chops. This could be a wild finish. I can't remember it ever being this close. Enjoy!