"Five charts that prove PGA Tour players are driving it into the stratosphere in 2015"

As the sun sets on Peter Dawson's R&A tenure lowlighted by changing the Old Course (just so he wouldn't have to push his organization toward a messy marriage with the equally money-hoarding obsessed USGA against a ball manufacturer), we must remember that Mr. Dawson has told us things have hit a "plateau" on the distance front.

However, with the end to the PGA Tour season upon us, Joel Beall has already started crunching some numbers and you will be shocked--shocked!--to learn that there are more players than ever averaging over 300 yards, more greens hit in regulation than ever, and more par-5s rendered meaningless.

But, whereas these rockets used to be a feat that garnered "Can you believe that?!?!" elbows to your friends, they've now become routine. If anything, it's eyebrow-raising when someone doesn't cross the 300-yard barrier with their drive.

And just to spare you newer readers the trouble of posting: I know that the players are more athletic than ever. I know they are armed with the best-ever equipment, instruction and fitting tools in the history of the game. Which is all fine. But just remember, there are rules governing distance in place. All I'm asking is that they be shifted a bit to keep the courses we have relevant.

If the need for maintaining relevance and reasonable-amount-of-acreage part still perplexes you, that part I can't help you with.

Jason Day: Under Par In 31 Of Last 33

Watching Jason Day stumble around Conway Farms in 69 today was arguably more impressive than his opening 61-63. After all, the real sign of playing on another stratosphere in this goofy game is not necessarily how low you go, but how well you manage the not so great days.

While I'm still not sold on this becoming the year of Day after Jordan Spieth's historic major run, he's making things interesting.

Ryan Lavner, in his GolfChannel.com third round story from the BMW Championship, offered this:

Day has played 33 rounds since early June. He has signed for an over-par score in only two of them. In other words, it’ll take a super-low round to even challenge him.

“It’s almost playing golf darn near perfect,” Fowler said.

Though Day has a suspect record with a 54-hole lead – 3-for-9 – he has closed out his last two victories, including at the PGA. Coughing up a six-shot advantage would tie a Tour record.

"Like a Labor Day party guest who lingers a few weeks too long, the playoffs are still here."

As golf's playoffs re-appear with a thud after a week off, playoff supporter Jason Sobel says at ESPN.com that one last major tweak is needed: a Labor Day ending.

Unfortunately, if Tim Finchem stays on as Commissioner past next year, such a revision seems unlikely merely because unlike his peers at the NFL, Finchem is about what's best for his image and bonuses, not the common sense fan perspective.

Sobel with the backstory:

It all dates back to a rare miscalculation from PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, who theorized nearly a decade ago that the playoffs would coexist in football's domain without any real issues.

"This is not just an event that's scheduled out there as an island into football," he said at the time. "This is a series of events that starts before football, runs two weeks pre-NFL, runs two weeks into NFL, is all tied together. ... I think it's like a growing tide during the course of the year; it will carry us in and have really solid ratings. We'll get nicked if it's a huge football game, but ... I feel very bullish about it."

The real head-scratcher is there is a fairly simple solution to this problem.

Think about it: With minimal tweaking, the playoffs could finish on Labor Day, perhaps on the West Coast, offering so many fans a primetime finale not just to the season, but the summer. If the hushed hum of golf telecasts resonates as one of the season's traditional sounds, then the last one should signify a conclusion to this time period, a gentle whisper that it's time to go back to school, back to work and, yes, back to the fantasy football draft room.

Forward Press: Looking Ahead To Golf's Light Labor Day Week

We do a lot of looking back on the web, so with that in mind check out my column at GolfDigest.com looking ahead to the week.

Granted, it doesn't seem like the best week to preview tournaments and other goings on, but as you'll see the lack of Thursday PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, Web.com or Champions Tour golf means some fun Golf Channel programming.

And how to find Patriot Golf Day-friendly golf. That, and more in the Forward press.

(BTW this is the first of hopefully many, so the themes and content will vary, but I'm open to suggestions and tips for this early week table-setting-minded column.)