"It doesn't help that the FedEx Cup has become an easy target of ridicule, mostly because of the way the tour went about promoting it."

A few more interesting FedEx Cup observations and anecdotes, this time from AP's writers and a Golf World scribe.

Tim Dahlberg notes:

This week in New York City there is a giant 12-story billboard advertising the start of the playoffs, and actors walking around in golf clothes to remind people about how important it all is. All year long, anyone who has been near a golf broadcast has been bombarded with the message that this is the biggest thing to happen to golf since Gene Sarazen holed his second shot on the 15th hole at Augusta National so many years ago.

Never mind that the whole thing is hard to understand, players don't like much about it except the money, and that it makes every tournament after it this year irrelevant. And forget for a moment that it pays the $10 million first prize in, of all things, an annuity that can't be cashed until long after Woods loses his hair.

I would agree with this, in part. Though the flaws in the system have something to do with the ridicule too:

It doesn't help that the FedEx Cup has become an easy target of ridicule, mostly because of the way the tour went about promoting it. It could have just announced the events and watched to see how it played out, but instead golf fans were bombarded with commercials touting the greatness of an event that had never been played, while golf announcers were forced to drink the Kool-Aid and play along.

Doug Ferguson notes that talk about next year's schedule is already a major issue.

The Ryder Cup will be played immediately after the four-week playoffs, leading to some speculation that Woods won’t be the only player who takes a week off during the playoffs.

“I’m disappointed in the schedule,” Jim Furyk said.

Someone asked Padraig Harrington if golf was less of a grind when he doesn’t have to think about the Ryder Cup, and he immediately thought about next year.

“That’s five in a row. That will be tough,” he said. “That will be a big ask, a big take from any player who plays in all five events. The Presidents Cup this year ... is such a big event, or the Ryder Cup is such a big event. It does require effort. Coming in off something as big as this, it’s a tough bit of work.”

And over at GolfDigest.com John Hawkins blogs this note about Tiger:

Bottom line? A guy who can find motivation in a kernel of popcorn seems to be suffering from a lack of incentive when it comes to the postseason. "We can't promise that everybody's going to play unless we have regulations," Pernice added, referring to everyone who might have been counting on Woods' unconditional commitment. "At some point, Tim has to sit down with Tiger and Phil [Mickelson] and find out what they want to do, because this thing won't work without them."

Comments

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The thing that sticks in mind mind about the over-the-top promotions was the way the Tour had players signing their golf balls and placing them in the "FedEx Cup" for shipment to the World Golf Hall of Fame (!) during the first tournament. That was just insulting to viewers of the Golf Channel, who presumably know enough about golf history to realize that this little four tournament playoff is not Hall-worthy.

[NRH]

"Drinking the Kool-Aid"
"Threw him under the bus"
"At the end of the day"
Ugh.