September 23 — It’s finally time! Kids, gather ‘round the Live@, because the Tour Championship golf playoff finale — dare we say, the World Series of golf! — is under way at East Lake Golf Club. Golf fans, if not exactly all goose-pimply about the race for the FedEx Cup — the last of four PGA Tour “playoff” events — may display mild interest in who walks off with the $10.5 million jackpot.
Why the palpable ennui for the “season-ending” tourney featuring Kevin Streelman and the other top 30 FedEx Cup points leaders? Seems crazy, given all the faux drama surrounding this week’s event, the Big Fake at East Lake. You got your:
- Phil Mickelson trying to overtake Tiger Woods as the world’s top golfer. Yeah, it may seem like the millionth opportunity Lefty’s had this year, but, hey, the 12th time’s the charm, right? (“When pigs fly” might be your safest bet.)
- Player of the Year race among Mickelson, Matt Kuchar, Dustin Johnson, Steve Stricker, Justin Rose, and Whoever Wins at East Lake
- Paul Casey giving European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie the one-finger salute after capturing the cup. (Take that, Monty, for leaving Casey off your team.)
More to the point are the reasons why golfers may not be glued to their HDTVs for the FedEx Cup final fireworks:
- No Tiger Woods. Still the world’s top-ranked golfer, Woods failed to earn enough points to defend his FedEx Cup title. Somewhere, PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, Golf Channel, and NBC are feverishly trying to reset the points to get Tiger to Atlanta.
- Football. ‘Nuff said.
- Ryder Cup. The biennial U.S.-Euro tilt begins next week, overshadowing the Tour Championship goings-on.
- Where’s Tiger? (See above.)
- Kevin Streelman. The poster boy for all that’s suspect about the FedEx Cup model, Streelman soared from 102 in the standings to the top 30 after a T3 at The Barclays.
- Two-week hiatus. After building some momentum after Dustin Johnson won the BMW Championship, the tour took a two-week break. Ah, guys — even rabid NFL fans could do without the 14 days of hype between the final playoff game and the Super Bowl. For sure, the golfers would rather skip a week after the Labor Day Monday finish of Boston’s Deutsche Bank Championship.
Marquee pairings. With Golf Channel beginning coverage Friday between 1 p.m.-6 p.m. EDT, you’ll have the chance to watch the key twosomes. Mickelson began the defense of his Tour Championship title when he teed off with Martin Laird at 1:15. Ernie Els and Luke Donald had a 1:25 tee time, with Deutsche Bank champ Charley Hoffman and Steve Stricker at 1:45, and Kuchar and Johnson at 1:55.
Els is in. Els made it into the World Golf Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. No argument with the Big Easy’s induction, but ex-president George H.W. Bush? Gag me with a 9-iron.
The tour wants to make it as easy for you as possible to keep tabs on the all-important FedEx Cup points. Click here for up-to-date projected points.
(Emily Kay is a regular contributor to New England Golf Monthly. Check her out at the Boston Golf Examiner and National Golf Examiner websites.)
Related posts:
- Tiger Woods makes FedEx Cup playoffs after Atwal wins Wyndham Championship
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- Tiger Woods needs top-5 finish to advance to FedEx Cup finals
- Tiger Woods off to sluggish start as golfers go low at rain-delayed Deutsche Bank Championship
- On-the-job training has Tiger Woods scuffling for overtime in FedEx Cup playoffs
