The FedEx Cup used to be an extremely clunky playoff system that the media and fans treated with no reverance whatsoever. It didn't mean anything to win it other than the paycheck and the trophy. That's not how postseason sports are generally revered. It's not about the money - it's about the prestige, bragging rights and etching ones name into the archives as champion forever. 

Winning the FedEx Cup isn't like adding a major championship win to a golfer's resume, but after 5 years of tweaks that have brought a competitive balance and excitement to each of the four tournaments, it's a playoff system that golfers are starting to take very seriously - and want their name attached to as its champion.

The PGA Tour was very smart in creating this playoff system, but not becoming beholden to the original format. Tiger Woods won the first tournament by 12,578 points. He amassed 123,033 and had 30,574 going into the first tournament. Somwhere along the way he earned another 92.459 points, won the BMW Championship and TOUR Championship, while most fans and media sat around wondering what the point of all this was. No one wants to keep track of over 90,000 points and how each was earned over a months time. 

Vijay Singh followed Woods as champion, winning The Barclays and Deutsche Bank Championship in 2008. He edged Camilo Villegas by only 551 points. Problem is, he didn't even need to play in the TOUR Championship to win the Cup. 

Woods returned as champion in 2009 with a reformatted system designed to make the TOUR Championship be the most important tournament of the series because it became virtually impossible to win the FedEx Cup after only three tournaments had been played. The number of points awarded was scaled back to a manageable amount, which if nothing else simply just made sense to do. 

The FedEx Cup really started to heat up in 2010 when Jim Furyk went on a magnificent run and clinched the playoff win by winning the TOUR Championship. The 2011 playoffs were even better, with Bill Haas securing his victory due to a spectacular closing performance that gave him the narrowest margin of victory yet, a mere 15 points.

Which brings us to 2012. There has been a buzz around the playoffs this year that I haven't felt in the previous five years. Most of that centers around the newfound rivalry of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. Cut throat, it is not, but that doesn't have to be the basis of a rivalry. Woods has been seen playing great golf when he's paired with McIlroy and that's great for the game. What's better is the dominance McIlroy has shown throughout the playoffs and he's doing it with a youthful charm and attacking mentality that endears him to the fans and media. 

Like Woods and Singh before him, he's already won two tournaments: the Deutsche Bank Championship and BMW Championship. Woods won the last two tournaments in 2007, Singh the first two and now McIlroy has already won the middle two which means if he does take home the title, the surest route to victory is winning half the tournaments - which is obviously much easier said than done.

It's no surprise that McIlroy has been so dominant this year, we've always expected it. It's just much more on our radar because he's played more on the PGA Tour in 2012 and declared that he wanted to win this playoff series last year. 

It will be a longshot for any golfer to over take McIlroy to win the FedEx Cup, but here are the key players hoping to spoil his party:

Tiger Woods (-3,232) If he wins the TOUR Championship, he's the FedEx Cup champion. It's as simple as that. How epic would it be to have Woods and McIlroy battling down the stretch on the back 9 Sunday? Imagine the tension that will bring to the Ryder Cup. Imagine how much a win would vindicate Woods after he's struggled to find his form for so long and close out tournaments. Finally, imagine the TV ratings and instant classic status this scenario would create. Please?

Nick Watney (-3,713), Phil Mickelson (-3,879), Brandt Snedeker (-3,942)

If they win Sunday, they win it all. Each has a reasonable chance of winning if they don't win the tournament, but the margin for error in that case is very high. 

Twenty five other golfers have a chance to win the FedEx Cup if they win the TOUR Championship and a million other things go their way including: Dustin Johnson, Lee Westwood, Zach Johnson, Jason Dufner, and Bubba Watson. They are very long shots, but we have come to know that anything can happen through four rounds of golf. Anything. 

Picks

It has been a long time since I've struggled this much to make picks, but that's what happens when the future of golf and one of the best of all time go head-to-head, 1 vs. 2, in a winner take all contest. My mind is telling me McIlroy is the pick, while my heart really wants to see Tiger win a nail-biter that we won't soon forget. Yet, it's not as easy as picking one or the other. There are very strong golfers behind the top two and all they've got to do is win. The more I think about these picks, the worst I normally do, so let's just get on with it, shall we?

1. Rory McIlroy

2. Tiger Woods

3. Jason Dufner

4. Dustin Johnson

5. Phil Mickelson

Am I using reverse pyschology to try and will Woods to a victory? Not exactly, because I would be perfectly content watching McIlroy win this thing as well. However, and I wrote about it earlier this week, if we can just get Woods and McIlroy battling again I would be more than satisfied. And if the PGA Tour really wants to put this playoff series over with fans who are on the fence about it, there could be no better way. 

It's hard to believe we've already arrived at the fourth and final major championship of 2012. Not long ago, I used this blog to complain about how far away the Masters was and how there was a chance I wasn't going to make it long enough due to golf depression. Now, the major championship season is about to come to a close and I will probably just re-post the same thoughts I had last year during the lull period. At least it's a Ryder Cup year, right?

I have no intention of complaining my way through the PGA Championship just because there's a long layover until the next major once this is through, though. The PGA may not be the most heralded major on the calendar, but it's still prestigious and deserves a few extra lines in this blog post, without question. 

One thing we know for sure, the golfers will not be complaining since they are basically taking a paid vacation to go to a beautiful island of Hawaii to play golf. What's that? Kiawah Island Resort is stateside? In South Carolina? Get out of here! I won't even try to pretend like I didn't have that conversation with myself a week ago when I started doing some research for this tournament. Pathetic, yet understandable, isn't it?

Questions that will be answered in the next 5 days, but I attempt to answer now anyway:

- Can Keegan Bradley repeat?

Bradley was awesome on his way to winning the 2011 PGA in a playoff against Jason Dufner. He appears to be in even better form this year, coming off a win at the WGC-Bridgestone in Akron, OH and almost certainly locking up a roster spot for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. This question gets fully answered in my picks below.

- What of Tiger Woods?

Maybe it's a shocker, but I'm not taking Woods to win this week. I mean, I feel like he probably will, but that's the same feeling I get every week and find myself only being right about 1% of the time. Very savvy of me. He's played well enough to win a major this year, just not in the majors themselves which makes trying to pick how he'll do as impossible as landing a rover on Mars... see what I did there?

During Woods' press conference on Tuesday, he didn't say anything uncharacteristic by any means, but did go through his normal routine of "my game is progressing... I'm healthy... I can still catch Jack... I have a better chance this year." No shock there. 

- The weather has been an annoyance during practice rounds, will that continue during play?

It looks like there's a good chance of it, with mid 80's temperature projections and 30-40% chance of rain and thunderstorms from Thursday-Sunday. It's like that old saying goes, picking the weather is like trying to pick of Tiger will do in 2012... you might as well not even try. 

Groups to watch

Starting on the 1st tee:

Schwartzel, Fowler, Colsaerts

Mahan, Scott, Garcia

Watson, Simpson, Els

Starting on the 10th tee:

D. Johnson, McIlroy, Furyk

Bradley, Kaymer, Woods

Westwood, Haas, Cabrera

Something tells me Scott and Garcia will have a lot to talk about in terms of collapsing in big moments... same goes for Furyk lately, but I doubt McIlroy and Johnson will want to hear anything about that.. Watson/Simpson/Els could be a group that comes out on fire... on the flipside I don't expect much out of Schwartzel/Fowler/Colsaerts...

My picks

1. Keegan Bradley - He's on a serious hot streak right now and there's no reason he can't repeat, but we'll see.

2. Bill Haas - He's always quietly lurking and it's just a matter of time for him.

3. Jason Dufner - He's a popular pick that I don't see coming through.

4. Tiger Woods - Fourth in a major again? Well, at least I didn't pick him to win.

5. Adam Scott - Sure, he's had a string of bad golf coming down the stretch, but a Top 5 is absolutely in reach. 

Tee Times | The Field 

The 2012 season is well underway, but for me, it truly gets started today as the Accenture Match Play opens up at the Ritz Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain in Marana, AZ.

I’m a sucker for a bracket, and even though I failed to find an online league that lets you make picks and tracks the progress so I could open this up to a challenge, I’ll take the old school paper bracket anyway.

Instead of trying to take a few hours of really researching everything and making picks that will ultimately be horrible anyway, I decided to pick match ups I want to see as this tournament progresses. It’s probably better that way, as you all know my track record with picks is just about as good as every other expert out there.

Will Tiger triumph? Who will be the high-seed that makes a run? Is Sergio really playing up to his potential? Let’s get to it...

Round 1

Bobby Jones Division
Donald over Els; Dufner over Hanson; Choi over Stanley; Snedeker over Goosen; Scott over Rock; Wilson over Van Pelt; Furyk over Johnson (UPSET!); Molinari over Bjorn

Ben Hogan Division
Kaymer over Chalmers (Mario from the Heat??); Toms over Fowler; Kuchar over Byrd (struggled with this one); Watson over Crane; Stricker over Na; Baddeley over Oosthuizen; McDowel over Yang; Mahan over Johnson

Gary Player Division
McIlroy over Coetzee; Hansen over Kim; Garcia over Jiminez (really looking forward to this one); Bradley over Ogilvy; Day over Bello; Senden over Dyson; Schwartzel over Woodland; Poulter over Bae

Sam Snead Division
Westwood over Colsaerts; Jacobson over Karlsson; Clarke over Watney (UPSET!!); Woods over Fdez-Castano; Simpson over Manassero; Laird over Quiros; Haas over Ishikawa; Rose over Lawrie

Round 2

Bobby Jones Division
Donald over Dufner; Choi over Snedeker; Wilson over Scott; Furyk over Molinari

Ben Hogan Division
Kaymer over Toms; Watson over Kuchar; Stricker over Baddeley; Mahan over McDowell

Gary Player Division
McIlroy over Hansen; Garcia over Bradley; Day over Senden; Poulter over Schwartzel (say that 10x as fast as you can)

Sam Snead Division
Westwood over Jacobson; Woods over Clarke; Simpson over Laird; Haas over Rose

Round 3/Sweet 16

Bobby Jones Division
Choi over Donald; Furyk over Wilson

Ben Hogan Division
Watson over Kaymer; Mahan over Stricker

Gary Player Division
Garcia over McIlroy; Day over Poulter

San Snead Division
Woods over Westwood (am I really doing this again??); Haas over Simpson

Round 4/Elite 8

Bobby Jones Division
Choi over Furyk

Ben Hogan Division
Watson over Mahan

Gary Player Division
Garcia over Day

Sam Snead Division
Haas over Woods

Round 5/Final 4

Watson over Choi
For me, picking the Jones and Hogan divisions felt the toughest. A lot of the matchups seemed like the kind of decisions I would finally come to after hours of deliberation, but since I was just picking to get the matchups I hoped to see, I felt like I had to cut some really good golfers. Regardless, I like the way Watson is playing right now, but it’s difficult to ever pick against Choi because he always has something up his sleeve it seems.

Haas over Garcia
I wanted so badly to put Tiger in the Final Four so I could watch him square off against Garcia to see who could get more pissed off at themselves throughout the match if things were going poorly, but game recognize game and I had to put Haas in the Final Four and championship match. He won this past Sunday and is really coming into his own on the PGA Tour. 2012 is going to be a special year for him.

Championship

Haas over Watson
Like I said previously, I really think 2012 is the Year of Haas. He made huge strides in 2011 and so far it’s rolled over nicely for him in 2012. Watson’s game goes through crests and valleys and while I could see him winning this tournament, I just think Haas has a couple more birdies in him.

The field is loaded at the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai. Too bad very few golf fans will get a chance to watch them go at it.

A 12 hour time difference between Shanghai and the Eastern United States will force fans who don't live a nocturnal lifestyle to miss any live coverage on the Golf Channel. Obviously, it's even worse for people living in the Midwest or on the West Coast, but thats just piling on at this point.

Nothing can be done about the time zone differences around the world, and since golf is such a global game, these problems are going to come up on occasion. However, the knife only twists further into the golf lovers heart when you look at the notable groups listed on PGATour.com:

Rory McIlroy/Charl Schwartzel /Nick Watney

Darren Clarke/Bill Haas/K.J. Choi

Lee Westwood/Keegan Bradley/Adam Scott

Those three groups alone make a tournament worth watching. My guess is any highlights on the Golf Channel or Sportscenter are going to get a lot of eyes over the next few days. What I'll miss more than anything, though, is the Twitter interaction while watching such great groups play, especially since it's so late in the season and those opportunities are becoming scarce.

Video that you have to watch and be impressed with of the day....
The Old Wooden Stick by Bubba Watson

Bubba has a way of endearing himself to golf fans that very few of his colleagues could ever hope to. In the span of minute he manages to blend old school golf equipment with new age marketing and make it work exceptionally. Who wold have thought grabbing an old wooden golf club and hitting a ball that has been bounced to him into the distance could actually grab your attention?

Sounds pretty bland in theory, but if Bubba's involved, that's never the case.

PGA TOUR declares no Comeback Player of the Year for 2011
There will be no Comeback Player of the Year for the second time in the past three years. Instead of giving the award the Steve Stricker again - who has been battling neck ailments this year and has won twice - the Tour decided to simply nix it from the end-of-the-year award ballots.

I get the decision, partially. If there isn't truly a great comeback to award, then it shouldn't simply be handed out because it's there, but should Stricker finish up strong, the Tour should reconsider its decision. It's a tricky award to give out in any sport because there is more depth in the qualifications, it's harder to award than the Player of the Year, which more or less always stands out.

However, I think the PGA Tour is secretly holding on to it so it can be bestowed upon Tiger Woods if he learns how to play golf at a high level again. Now that's a trophy Woods never thought he'd get (have) to put in the trophy case. He may not even accept it if he's feeling surly enough.

Bill Haas didn’t just win the TOUR Championship and FedEx Cup on Sunday, he ignited a debate in the sports world that was running on all cylinders Monday.

The topic in questions wasn’t whether Haas was an unlikely double winner, but whether or not his shot on the par-4 17th in the second playoff hole was the Shot of the Year. Haas’ approach shot rolled into shallow water and was partially submerged near the left front of the green. He put his right foot in the water, swung, and watched as the ball rolled to about three feet. He and Hunter Mahan both made par on the hole.

When Mahan was unable to match Haas’ par on the third playoff hole, the son of golfer Jay Haas earned two trophies - the FedEx Cup and TOUR Championship - and stuffed $11.4 million into his pocket. Not a bad Sunday afternoon for a player who has been on the cusp of glory all year.

Whether you believe Haas’ shot was the best of the year or not, it was the best of the weekend. If you need proof of that, look no further than right here. Personally, I think it's the best of the year. Many have discounted it because it wasn't in a major, but when you make a clutch shot that's worth $11.4 million and 2 important trophies, the shot not being hit in a major really isn't a good reason to discredit it.

Haas said having his family there to watch, especially his father Jay, helped him to play a little better because he’s “trying to perform for him.” To say Jay Haas is a proud father today is more than likely a grave understatement. Bill didn’t win a major on Sunday, but he took home the next best thing on the PGA Tour.

Don’t be surprised if you see a lot more Haas in the headlines going forward.

I'm sure you're not surprised that I didn't pick Haas to win the FedEx Cup, for that kind of good decision has escaped my picks all year. I've picked him to win tournaments this year - none of which he actually won - and I'll pick him again in the future, with more confidence that's for sure. Let's see how my picks turned out (all were made before the first tournament of the FedEx Cup)...

1. Stricker, 18th - Injuries killed his chances.
2. Mickelson, 15th - Never had a special tournament.
3. Donald, 3rd - NAILED IT!
4. Watney, 9th - Close enough?
5. Choi, 11th - Closer enough?

In review, I got one right and missed the rest by an average of 10.25 spots... which means I made pretty decent picks, but only on was worth bragging about. It's like that old saying, even a blind squirrel finds a nut. Cliche? Yes. True? Very.

Stallings wins Greenbrier Classic

Who knew the Greenbrier Classic could be compelling on a day in which very few big-time golfers were in the mix on Sunday.

We were treated to a playoff between Scott Stallings, Bob Estes and Bill Haas Sunday afternoon, but it wasn't a long one. Stallings sunk a 7-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to beat Estes and Haas.

If you're counting, that's two weeks in a row we've gone to a sudden death playoff to crown a winner and the sixth rookie to win in 2011.

Safe to say I got one thing right in my Greenbrier predictions, and that was stating that Bill Haas is on his way to becoming a household name on the PGA Tour. Haas battled all day Sunday toward the top of the leaderboard, holding the lead and co-leading at different times.

But, Stallings was just too much at the end and you only need a one-shot lead to win a tournament. That's what Stallings did and will now play this weekend at Firestone in Akron, OH.

Full Leaderboard

Call it a comeback... again

Tiger Woods announced that he will make his comeback to the PGA Tour this week at the WGC-Bridgestone Invivational in Akron, OH. Obviously, this increases the build up to the tournament in which Woods has won seven times and will be the talking point all week - brace yourself.

Woods also announced that he will be playing in the final major of this year, the PGA Championship, which starts August 11. Questions still linger about how healthy Woods is going into Bridgestone and not much has been confirmed as to how much golf he has actually played since withdrawing from THE PLAYERS in May.

My guess is not very much, but that's a good thing for Woods. Tiger finally took the advice of his doctor and shut it down for awhile. I don't think the fire to play the game was really burning in him anyway due to the effect his injuries had on his ability to play the game.

That's not to say Woods wasn't itching to get on the golf course, but if you can only play at 50%, there's not much fun in the game. Returning at Bridgestone is a great move by Woods, for the simple fact that there isn't a cut at this tournament. Regardless of where his golf game is at, he's going to get four rounds of competitive play under his belt before he tries his hand at winning another major next week.

So get ready for an all Tiger, all the time media blitz over the next two weeks. I'm not going to promise you that we won't be covering it, but I can promise we won't shove it down your throats like many other in the golf media will.

Should you get fed up with all the Tiger coverage, soothe your soul by grabbing one of our great deals on this very web site. There's nothing like new golf gear to cure your ailing brain.

One of these days, I'm going to go back through my record of making picks for PGA Tour events and see just how bad the crime scene actually is. For now, I'm moving forward and picking from my gut to decide who's going to win the Greenbrier Classic at The Old White TPC in West Virginia.

I have mostly fond memories of West Virginia, other than the fact I dislike (or hate) WVU athletics. I've enjoyed driving through it, spending time with friends who live near the state (but on the Ohio side fortunately), and I think the Greenbrier is a great golf tournament. I'm hoping the good thought karma I have for WV trumps whatever distaste I have for it and rewards me with a good week of making picks. We know how that usually turns out, but let's do this anyway. I tweeted this out last night, but thought I'd expand a little bit this morning. Call it a teaser, if you will.

Top 5 Picks

1. Jonathan Byrd - Byrd has had a strong year and I feel like - if this were pro wrestling - he's been getting a big push from the Tour (management) and a lot of exposure. Aside from that, he's playing good golf and doesn't go very long without making sure we talk about him. Plus, he did a sweet behind-the-scenes tour of his Man Cave - and that's something I can get behind. It may not be sound logic, but it will have to do for this week.

2. John Daly - Daly is coming off his first Top 10 finish in what seems like a decade. He was T9 at the RBC Canadian Open and from all the evidence I could collect, he seems to have his swing - and emotions - in check. We all know he's got talent, it's just mostly been wasted with off-the-course issues. I'd be happy to see Daly regain some prominence (in golf stature) on the Tour. I think he continues to build to that this week.

3. Phil Mickelson - If you pick Phil to finish high enough times, you'll eventually be right. That's not completely the case with this pick... but it's part of it. There's nothing I can say about Phil's game that you don't already know or probably wouldn't agree with. I think he has a good week and it's as simple as that.

4. Sergio Garcia - Kind of the same deal with Phil, except not really. Sergio rarely - if ever - comes through. That may seem harsh, but it's true. He has yet to claim a major, but if he can build up his confidence in time for the PGA, he could have a chance. I think he starts that process here.

5. Bill Haas - He's above-average in nearly every statistic kept on PGATour.com. He's finished Top 5 on five different occasions this year. He'll do that again this week and I think we should start to get used to seeing his name in the Top 10. I feel like management is going to give him a push like they're doing with Byrd (take that however you want).

Leaderboard  |  Tee Times  |  The Field  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Deal of the Week

This week, we travel to Aronomink Golf Club in Newton Square, PA for the AT&T National, a tournament hosted by Tiger Woods... in which he won't be playing. No surprise here, as Woods is still rehabbing injuries to his left knee and achilles issues.

Regardless, Tiger still remains the big headline at the tournament. Whether it's him announcing he has no idea when he will be back, only stating it won't be until he is 100%, to the press release stating he is now the proud endorser of some Japanese healing rub.

With all the sponsors Tiger has lost over the last year (Gillette, Gatorade, etc.) it's not surprising to hear that he is picking up new ones. But, a Japanese healing rub seems a little strange. It's been my understanding that that market has been cornered and perfected by Icy Hot and Tiger Balm. Wait... you're telling me Tiger had to hook on with Antiphlogistic Analgetic Vantelin Kowa series and couldn't even get Tiger Balm to sponsor him? The golf world truly is a strange place right now. Especially when we're talking about Eldrick.

No matter how many headlines Tiger manages to grab up without even playing golf, the tournament will go on and Justin Rose has a win to defend starting tomorrow. It won't be an easy task as this field is filled with some heavy hitters on the PGA Tour, including Hunter Mahan, Jim Furyk, Nick Watney, Adam Scott, KJ Choi and others. Maybe those names don't exactly move the needle, but if they play well, this Fourth of July weekend is going to provide plenty of good golf. 

Do yourself a favor and put Tiger out of your mind, no matter how much the announcers and media try to brain wash you with it. Yes, Woods is a big deal and he is hosting this tournament, but if you get caught up in the drama, you'll miss out on what is going to be a really good tournament. Besides, it's a 3-day weekend, what more could you ask for than hours of golf on TV?

Tee Times  |  Notable Groups

My Picks

1. Bill Haas
2. Adam Scott
3. Erik Compton
4. Patrick Cantaly
5. Jhonnatan Vegas

Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club Round 1 Recap:

Top 10
1. Bill Haas, -8
T2. Jonathan Byrd, -6
T2. David Toms, -6
T4. Lucas Glover, -5
T4. Pat Perez, -5
T6. Stuart Appleby, -4
T6. Carl Pettersson, -4
T6. Rickie Fowler, -4
T6. Vijay Singh, -4
T6. Jim Herman, -4

Full Leaderboard  |  Round 2 Tee Times

My pick: Jim Furyk (T53, E). Thankfully, Furyk still has Round 2 to make me look a little better and get back in this tournament. He won in 2006, so it's not out of the question by any mean.

All in the family

Bill Haas shot a 64 in the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship, claiming a two-shot lead after the first round.

Jay Haas, father of Bill, is currently 6th at the Regions Tradition on the Champions Tour at -3.

Jay and Bill played in the Wells Fargo Championship three times together, with Jay Jr. and uncle Jerry, also joining them in 2006 and 2004 respectively (Thank you, Tour Report).

To say winning the Wells Fargo would be the biggest win in Bill's career is an understatement. It's not quite a major championship, but the sentimental value puts it right up there for Haas. Well, all of the Haas' probably.

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