News

Out of the Rough

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Did the FedEx Cup work?

What a complex and interesting question. Good thing I have plenty of space to address it.

By and large, I think the FedEx Cup worked. Who was the best golfer of this year? No doubt it was Tiger Woods, and he won the FedEx Cup. Isn't that what the intent of this thing was?

Also there was that pesky chore of trying to compete with the NFL. While ratings were decent for the four playoff events, one tournament lost to the Little League World Series. That was The Barclays, and guess who didn't play in that one? Lucky guess.

Certainly crowning the FedEx Cup champion worked since Woods won it, but the system had flaws. However, those flaws you have heard all year, and especially since the playoffs, are not as big as most think.

Was it unfair that Woods or Mickelson could win the FedEx Cup since they skipped an event? Not even a little. They each won a playoff event and Woods won two. That was the name of the game with the points weighted so heavily for the last four events. Winning leads to winning the FedEx Cup. The other players had every chance to win one of those four events and did not. Play better and Woods and Mickelson will be forced to stick around for all four tournaments.

The FedEx Cup took one year's worth of play and gave the players points for said performances. Why is it unrealistic to think that the two best players could put themselves in the position where they could afford to skip events and not lose ground?

If you have some sanctions against a player who skips an event, especially Woods, here is how it plays out. That golfer tells Commissioner Finchem to go pound sand. These guys are independent contractors and to penalize them for not participating in an event to which they are not contractually obligated leads to a headache Finchem doesn't have a prescription to fill.

The payout thing is overplayed, although I sided with the argument in the early stages. Woods gets a $10 million annuity once he reaches the age of 45, and thank God, since we are all very worried that Elin will have to go to work when the $1 billion Woods enterprise dries up.

What a lot of players complained about was how to pay their caddies. How about you open the checkbook because everyone will get their share of the pot in a few years.

The griping by the tour players was idiotic as well. Stewart Cink is a member of the Player Advisory Committee and told the press point blank that all information about the FedEx Cup was available to the players. Ignorance or indifference to reading is not an excuse for not knowing what this thing was all about.

When K.J. Choi said weeks ago he would donate the $10 million to charity if he won, he made a noble albeit impossible gesture. You know who came into the media center and said he couldn't do it? Tiger Woods. He sure knew how the system worked.

Golf is still a game that revolves around four events. Woods made a good point at the 2004 Ryder Cup. He asked those in the media center how many majors Jack Nicklaus won? Easy enough - 18. Then questioned if anyone knew Nicklaus' Ryder Cup record. Point taken.

The FedEx Cup is all well and good, but the game's elite care about the elite tournaments. Would Woods rather win the FedEx Cup than not? Of course, and being the first is cool, but he couldn't care less if he wins more FedEx Cups than anyone else.

The PGA Tour and Finchem always said that this would be a work in progress. However, for all the bad-mouthing the FedEx Cup took, it served its purpose. Whether that is a good thing remains to be seen, but season one of the FedEx was a success.

QUESTIONS - SOLHEIM CUP EDITION

1.) How predictable was that outcome?

Even when the Europeans took a one-point lead into the singles, I knew this was still going home with the Americans. I remember Colin Montgomerie and Jesper Parnevik saying on Sunday of the 1999 Ryder Cup they just didn't see where the points were going to come from, and Sunday at the Solheim Cup was the same thing. I gave Annika Sorenstam, Laura Davies and Suzann Pettersen their matches, but didn't see three more points on the board. Turned out that Annika and Pettersen lost, but the U.S. depth was too much.

2.) How boring was the Solheim Cup?

Good God. In admittedly horrible conditions on Saturday, there were two, and I counted, two putts holed from over 20 feet. Those were both by Maria Hjorth. There were some nice moments like Davies' amazing par on the 16th hole Friday afternoon, but this was a snooze and at 2:00 a.m. (et) sleep was on most people's minds.

3.) Talk about Dottie Pepper.

Not a question, but okay. After Sherri Steinhauer missed a five-foot putt that could have halved the 18th and gave the U.S. a full point, Pepper was heard saying "choking freaking dogs." She thought they were off live air and owned up to saying it. Choking is not a word uttered often in golf circles. The U.S. side was reportedly very fired up, as well they should have been. Mark this down, this costs her a shot at being captain. With Beth Daniel, Meg Mallon, Rosie Jones, Juli Inkster and Pepper all available, someone wasn't getting the gig. It will now be Pepper.

4.) Who was the MVP of the American team?

Have to like Paula Creamer here. She won 3 1/2 points and has become the main force for the U.S. However, I thought Stacy Prammanasudh played every bit as well. She carried Angela Stanford Friday afternoon, outplayed Inkster on their team and bested Pettersen late in a crucial singles match. Morgan Pressel, despite beating a completely uninterested Sorenstam on Sunday, did not look good. Pressel looked overpumped and missed a lot of putts. No worries, since they won, and Pressel will get better with age. Although Creamer was dominant at the same age in 2005.

5.) Who are the next captains?

I'd be stunned if Beth Daniel didn't get the job for the U.S. and for Europe I have no idea. I will go with Pepper, who said Sunday she thought it would be Alison Nicholas.

RANKINGS

1.) Tiger Woods - he hates birdie-fest tournaments, but man was he awesome this week.

2.) Phil Mickelson

3.) Rory Sabbatini

4.) Steve Stricker - starting to like the idea of Woods/Stricker pairing at the Presidents Cup.

5.) Jim Furyk

6.) Ernie Els - check it out, he is really playing well.

7.) K.J. Choi

8.) Vijay Singh

9.) Zach Johnson - anytime you flirt with 59, you make my list.

10.) Padraig Harrington

CHAMPIONS

1.) Jay Haas

2.) Loren Roberts

3.) Tom Watson

4.) Eduardo Romero

5.) R.W. Eaks - loved this dude when he played the Nationwide Tour before coming to the Champions Tour.

6.) Brad Bryant

7.) Gil Morgan

8.) Tom Purtzer

9.) Fred Funk

10.) D.A. Weibring

LPGA

1.) Lorena Ochoa

2.) Annika Sorenstam - told Kay Cockerill of the Golf Channel that she wasn't sure how many Solheim Cups she has left. Hello motherhood.

3.) Suzann Pettersen

4.) Cristie Kerr

5.) Morgan Pressel

6.) Karrie Webb

7.) Paula Creamer

8.) Stacy Prammanasudh

9.) Jee Young Lee

10.) Brittany Lincicome

RANDOM THOUGHTS

- Not feeling too random, folks. It was a long week with the Solheim Cup and Tour Championship. I need the rest.

About 724Sports.com

724Sports.com is an online gambling site with sports betting, online poker, online casino and horse racebook. At our online sportsbook you can bet on NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, Football, Soccer, Golf, Tennis, Baseball and Horse Racing.