Imagine if the Red Sox won the AL East but chose to sit out the playoffs. Or if the Colts decided they had better things to do than contend for a second straight Super Bowl. What if Tim Duncan and the Spurs announced they'd be resting in lieu of the playoffs?The respective leagues and their fan bases would be devastated.
Tiger Woods has dealt a similar blow to the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup, a brand new, playoff-like competition to wrap up the golf season. Though Woods is still eligible to win the Cup and claim the $10 million prize, he won't be participating in the first of four events.
The playoff, which is loosely based on NASCAR's Nextel Cup, features the top 144 point-earners from the 2007 golf season. Four events, the first of which is next weekend at the Barclays in Harrison, NY, determine a Cup champion.
I admire the PGA Tour for attempting to stage a playoff-like environment, and they obviously believe that the idea has both money-making and a sport-changing possibilities.
It's certainly a good enough concept, if everyone buys in.
But by choosing to abstain from the first event, the world's top golfer is proving where his priorities lie. It's hard to imagine anything keeping Woods away from a major, but it appears that he can do with or without the FedEx Cup.
2 comments:
I see it more as a shameless money-making exercise than a noble attempt to have an end of season tournament. They already have a major, a ranking system, and the money list. Why do they need a playoff?
The PGA needs Tiger more than Tiger needs the PGA. He was exhausted by having to play in their major in 100+ degree weather. I don't blame him for wanting some time off.
what does he have to prove? everyone knows he's the best golfer in the world with or without this playoff system
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