FedEx Cup could end up as overhyped flop

2007-09-04

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By Andrew Both PA SportsTicker Golf Writer

LEMONT, Illinois (Ticker) Padraig Harrington's withdrawal from this week's BMW Championship is further evidence that the U.S. PGA Tour was overly optimistic when it concocted the FedEx Cup.

The new so-called playoff series comprises four events, and the tour was hopeful that with each event offering a $7 million purse - as well as a $10 million annuity to the overall winner - the world's top players would front up four successive weeks.

But even before the series started two weeks ago, this hope was shot down by Tiger Woods, who decided to skip the first event in New York, along with a handful of less celebrated players.

South African Ernie Els and American Scott Verplank were notable absentees from the second event in Boston, won by Phil Mickelson on Sunday.

Harrington will be a no-show this week in Chicago, with Mickelson also a possible absentee.

Mickelson's absence, though, may have more to do with sending a message to the tour commissioner about an undisclosed set of complaints, than with just not wanting to play four in a row.

"I'm a little conflicted on some things because I want to have a balance in my life, and I certainly feel the obligation to play and support the FedEx Cup and to support the PGA Tour, support the game of golf," Mickelson said.

"I also want to have balance in my family life, and my family has sacrificed a lot this year because it's been a very difficult schedule. My frustration from this past year came from asking for a couple of things in the FedEx Cup that weren't done and not really feeling all that bad now if I happen to miss. So I'm not really sure how it's going to play out."

If you think the FedEx Cup will not become even more problematic next year, just consider that the Ryder Cup will be held immediately after the playoff series.

It is unthinkable that Woods and Mickelson, not to mention the top Europeans, will even contemplate playing five weeks in a row.

That means once again the playoff series will be missing a few stars here and there.

Of course, you can argue that getting Woods, Mickelson and Els to compete three times in four weeks after the year's majors are done and dusted constitutes a successful roll-out of a new product.

But that wasn't what the tour had in mind when it announced the series.

In reality, the playoffs are little more than regular tour events with slightly bigger purses, but not big enough to get the attention of the game's mega-rich stars.

Sure, the $10 million prize to the overall winner will be a nice bonus, but only a handful of players will still be in the running going into the final event, next week's Tour Championship.

If the playoff series turns out to be an overhyped flop in the coming years, that might be good news for the European Tour, which is in the midst of a run of events with relatively thin fields, as most of the continent's top players focus on the U.S.

Just three British players are in this week's field at Cog Hill 23rd-ranked Justin Rose, 28th-ranked Luke Donald and 63rd-ranked Ian Poulter.

Only the top 30 players on the points list advance to next week's Tour Championship.

Rose should be safe, but Donald requires a big performance in his adopted hometown to ensure he will stay alive, and Poulter needs a minor miracle.