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DEL.ICIO.USFedEx Cup headed for more tweaking
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Blimey, how do you make sense of all this? While the Tour Championship was still in play at East Lake Sunday afternoon, and the winner wouldn’t be decided for nearly a couple of hours later, the man who finished 22nd was hauled before a television camera and presented the FedEx Trophy, and if not the FedEx champion’s check, it would soon be in the mail. And no one was more confused than the champion himself, Vijay Singh, a long way from his Fiji Island homeland.
This was the final round of the Tour Championship, where the FedEx Cup champion was supposed to be determined, based on points earned here and in an extended playoff system. Yet, Singh arrived at the Tour Championship with enough points already in hand to take the prize.
“When they started the FedEx Cup last year, I had no idea what the system was going to be,” Singh said. “I was reminded a thousand times before I started this week — make sure you finish 72 holes, sign your card, count your clubs and everything else.”
That’s all he had to do with the collection of points he had built up winning the Barclay’s and Deutsche Bank, the first two playoff tournaments. “We still, really, don’t understand what’s going on with the points system,” he said. “I had no idea what the system was going to be. It’s hard to tweak it to a point where the last tournament (Tour Championship) is as exciting as everyone wants it to be.
“I mean, no matter how much you tweak it, if somebody goes out there and wins two or three events, it’s all over.”
But, the recipient of the $10 million first prize was glad it was over with no mistakes, but to him, it was weird, “really weird. You make a bogey, you get congratulated, you make a double, you get congratulated. It really didn’t make any difference.” Nor a lot of sense.
On his way to the $10 million, Singh posted rounds of 73-74-72-70, and a final score of 289, which ordinarily would have earned him about $123,500 from the Tour Championship alone - or The Playoff Finale, the name the PGA Tour bestowed upon it in this muddled situation, which bore heavily on PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem.
Oh, it should be pointed out that the winner of the tournament was the young, lithe and tremendously popular — with the opposite sex — Colombian, Camilo Villegas, from the city of Medellin. In addition to his developing game, Villegas has developed a peculiar sprawling crouch to read the line of his putts. He is fitted out with skin-tight jeans, a kind of boxer’s cap, caters to the excessively long stringy hairstyle, and has been publicized by one magazine as America’s “Hottest Bachelor,” interpret it as you will.
He is University of Florida educated who had yet to win on the U.S. Tour until the third leg of this playoff series, the BMW Tournament in St. Louis. Though he has won two of the playoff series, including the one intended to be the “World Series of the Tour,” Singh had built up a commanding number of points in advance, however that might settle out. It should be pointed out that there were 28 other players in the field, that Villegas overcame Sergio Garcia’s five-stroke margin, and won on the first playoff hole, in this case the par-3 18th.
Sunday was the young Colombian’s day, for while Garcia, Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim dawdled about, Villegas put up a round of 66, covering Garcia’s five-stroke edge and in the process banked $1,260,000 that goes to the winner. So, the series is done for this year, and it’s back to another round of tweaking.
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Comments
By MP
September 29, 2008 9:45 AM | Link to this
This is what you get when big ad money takes over a sport. I love FedEx and all but what they are trying to do it stupid. Most fans cannot understand the points system and the system is very flawed (obviously). What we wanted to see was a final two or maybe four on Sunday playing for the $10 million. Once the final 30 (32 would be better) get to the Tour Championship, any one of those 30 should have a shot at the FedEx cup. There should be a cut to 16 after Friday, and a cut to 4-8 for Sunday. Simple.
That would make it exciting!
By Oneiron
September 29, 2008 10:39 AM | Link to this
Villegas is gay - not that there’s anything wrong with that.
By Bill Tuller
September 29, 2008 1:10 PM | Link to this
Right now its boring. Here’s how to kick it up: 1. The top 64 point/players simply get in to the tournament. 2. Thursday-32 match play events-32 survive. 3. Friday-16 match play events-16 survive. 4. Saturday and Sunday medal play between the surviving 16 for the full Monty.
By Ej
September 29, 2008 4:23 PM | Link to this
Latino golfers won every golf title available this past weekend!!!!!!
Tour championship - Villegas LPGA - Ochoa, loreno Seniors/Champions tour - Romero, eduardo European tour - Fdez-Castaņo, Gonzalo
By David Oakley
September 29, 2008 5:23 PM | Link to this
Good on you Vijay….we are proud of u back in Fiji…
By Carl
September 30, 2008 12:13 PM | Link to this
There should be a negative point system implemented somewhere in the closing tournaments. If you finish 30th or below you have a point reduction.
By RW
September 30, 2008 1:39 PM | Link to this
I agree that the points system is flawed and know that the Finchem and the PGA are working to make it better. I also know that FedEx has not and does NOT develop the point system. All of those decisions have been and will be made by the PGA.
By Jason Head
September 30, 2008 11:03 PM | Link to this
Damn, Furman, I thought you were dead. At least you had the dignity this time, after all these years, to keep your libelous mouth shut about Alabama beating the hell out of Georgia the other night. Perhaps you have wised up in your sunset years.
Many happy returns, you burned out ol’ gasbag.
Jason Head
By ChattHills Jacket
October 2, 2008 8:33 AM | Link to this
Do like NASCAR and the top Eight Place finishers play the last tourny against each other the 4 days and whatever order they finish in the Last Event is their Standing in the FEDEX CUP. So, #8 could win if he plays better and if 3 guys tie then a Hole by hole playoff until there is a winner.