The PGA Tour Commissioner has many reasons to thank Tiger Woods. If it wasn’t for his presence this week at the TOUR Championship, the final event of the FedEx Cup, would anyone care?
Recommended Stories
Played in September, when many sports fans are focused on football, the FedEx Cup faces tough competition, especially on Sunday afternoons, when the NFL rules. Even the location of the TOUR Championship, in football-obsessed Georgia, seems incongruous.
But Tiger makes everything right. Assuming he’s in contention Sunday, NBC will be able to compete with football networks FOX and CBS.
Not to use a football cliché, but this week in Atlanta, Woods is one of five players who “controls his own destiny.” The others who can claim the Cup with a victory at East Lake are Steve Stricker, Heath Slocum, Zach Johnson and, amazingly, Jim Furyk, even though his last PGA Tour victory came 26 months ago.
At least Commissioner Tim Finchem‘s formula has turned out better than last year, when Camilo Villegas won the last two events and still didn’t receive the Cup.
Another intriguing angle is simple enough — the money. The winner of the Cup gets $10 million. If it comes down to a putt on the 72nd hole, isn’t that interesting, even if it’s not Tiger pulling the trigger on his Scotty Cameron putter?
“It’s unbelievable that we’re playing for this type of money, especially during these times,” said Stricker. “I think there’s a lot of anticipation and excitement just for that reason, that somebody could come down to the last few holes to be playing for that sort of money.”
