PGA Tour Confidential: Does Fred Couples deserve to be in Hall of Fame?

Chris Condon / Getty Images

Fred Couples was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame's class of 2013.

The SI Golf Group conducted a special edition of its weekly e-mail roundtable to discuss Fred Couples's induction to the World Golf Hall of Fame. Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors and join the conversation in the comments section below.

Charlie Hanger, executive editor, Golf.com: Ok, Confidentialists, pop quiz: Did Fred Couples deserve to get into the Hall of Fame? Also, if you're a voter, did you give him the nod?

David Dusek, deputy editor, Golf.com: Fred Couples did NOT deserve to be voted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. That building should be reserved for the game's all-time greats, and with 15 PGA Tour wins and one major title to his credit, Couples doesn't qualify. I have to believe his popularity, successful Presidents Cup captaincies, two Players Championships wins, and eight Champions Tour wins put him over the top. Freddie never dominated the game, even during his three-win season of 1992, and while being a member of five Presidents Cup and five Ryder Cup teams is impressive, he only appeared on 51% of the Hall of Fame ballots. Mark O'Meara has two majors and 16 PGA Tour wins. What's he thinking about now?

Alan Shipnuck, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: I agree with Deuce. The vote should be on merit, not popularity. Fred deserves a place in a Hall dedicated to potential or natural talent, but not one based on achievement. I'm a voter, and he didn't get the nod from me.

Jeff Ritter, senior producer, Golf.com: O'Meara got 36 percent of the vote, so I'd say he should be thinking about his induction speech for 2015 or '16. Can't remember where I read it, but I recall a voter for the MLB Hall once saying that when he considered his ballot, he'd ask himself, "Can I tell the story of the sport without mentioning this player?" If the answer was no, that player got his vote. In the case of Freddy and golf, you can probably still tell the story, but it'd be a much less interesting tale.

Michael Bamberger, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: The vote came before his Senior British win in July. Even after that, however, I feel like he needs at least one more real -- there are three -- senior major win. I did not vote for him even though I loved the way he fished the ball out of the creek on 12 at Augusta 20 years ago.

Charlie Hanger, executive editor, Golf.com: At this point, I think the Hall will be inducting a lot of people who have marginal victory totals but have impacted the game in other ways. Fred's been one of the most marketable and popular golfers on the planet for more than 30 years, and he's also established himself as an elder statesman with his Presidents Cup captaincy. If "merit" is only a matter of wins, then he's not quite there. If "merit" can encompass a larger impact on the game, then I think he's worthy.

Jim Herre, managing editor, SI Golf Group: Fred's like the cool guy in high school -- everything comes easy. That's the way he plays golf, effortlessly. He has a big game but his swing graceful and unique, kind of like Vijay's is. Kind of like Snead's was. The one thing that didn't come easily was putting, and Couples left a lot of titles on the table because of it. I still enjoy watching him play but didn't vote for him because the numbers could have been so much better.

Ryan Reiterman, senior producer, Golf.com: Freddie is like Joe Namath -- he didn't accomplish as much as some other hall of famers, but it would be really weird to not see him enshrined.

Cameron Morfit, senior writer, Golf Magazine: Does seem like the criteria is pretty much whatever it needs to be that day. If he had the exact same record but was not an icon of cool, he isn't in.

Stephanie Wei, contributor, SI Golf+: Yes, Freddie deserved to get in. Sure, he "only" has one major, and with his talent he could have won more in general, but his impact on golf goes far beyond that. When I was a kid, Freddie was my hero, and I know many golfing children of the 90s would say the same. He made golf look cool. I'm a little biased being from Seattle, but I took my first lessons at Jefferson Park, where Freddie played growing up. I remember the pro showing me the plaques and pictures they had on a wall honoring Freddie, which was very inspiring for my 10-year-old self -- and motivated me to take up the game.

Jim Gorant, senior editor, Sports Illustrated: Not a fan. Few have done less with more talentwise.

Mike Walker, senior editor, Golf Magazine: Let's stop pretending the World Golf Hall of Fame is Cooperstown. Without a change in the unofficial criteria -- 20 wins plus 1 major, 15 wins plus 2 majors, or multiple majors -- soon we won't be able to induct anyone, as Michael Bamberger warned earlier this year. Couples is part of the story of golf over the last 25 years. He belongs in the Hall. His resume might look marginal now, but it won't during Luke Donald's Hall of Fame weekend.

jritter 20 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/pga-tour-confidential-does-fred-couples-deserve-be-hall-fame
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'Golf's Greatest Rivalry: The Five Most Memorable Ryder Cups'

Published: Monday, September 17, 2012 | 11:45:59 AM

'Golf's Greatest Rivalry' is available now.

In this new E-book, the writers and editors of the Sports Illustrated Golf Group select the five most memorable Ryder Cups since Europe joined the fray in 1979.

The book features reprints from the pages of Sports Illustrated along with photos and an introduction from Michael Bamberger, who explains why the Cup is the most compelling rivalry in the game.

- Buy for $1.99 for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch

- Buy for $2.99 for Kindle and Kindle Fire

- Buy for $2.99 for Nook Tablet, Color and Simpletouch

jritter 17 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://www.golf.com/rydercupbook
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PGA Tour Confidential: Does Fred Couples deserve to be in Hall of Fame?

Chris Condon / Getty Images

Fred Couples was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame's class of 2013.

The SI Golf Group conducted a special edition of its weekly e-mail roundtable to discuss Fred Couples's induction to the World Golf Hall of Fame. Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors and join the conversation in the comments section below.

Charlie Hanger, executive editor, Golf.com: Ok, Confidentialists, pop quiz: Did Fred Couples deserve to get into the Hall of Fame? Also, if you're a voter, did you give him the nod?

David Dusek, deputy editor, Golf.com: Fred Couples did NOT deserve to be voted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. That building should be reserved for the game's all-time greats, and with 15 PGA Tour wins and one major title to his credit, Couples doesn't qualify. I have to believe his popularity, successful Presidents Cup captaincies, two Players Championships wins, and eight Champions Tour wins put him over the top. Freddie never dominated the game, even during his three-win season of 1992, and while being a member of five Presidents Cup and five Ryder Cup teams is impressive, he only appeared on 51% of the Hall of Fame ballots. Mark O'Meara has two majors and 16 PGA Tour wins. What's he thinking about now?

Alan Shipnuck, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: I agree with Deuce. The vote should be on merit, not popularity. Fred deserves a place in a Hall dedicated to potential or natural talent, but not one based on achievement. I'm a voter, and he didn't get the nod from me.

Jeff Ritter, senior producer, Golf.com: O'Meara got 36 percent of the vote, so I'd say he should be thinking about his induction speech for 2015 or '16. Can't remember where I read it, but I recall a voter for the MLB Hall once saying that when he considered his ballot, he'd ask himself, "Can I tell the story of the sport without mentioning this player?" If the answer was no, that player got his vote. In the case of Freddy and golf, you can probably still tell the story, but it'd be a much less interesting tale.

Michael Bamberger, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: The vote came before his Senior British win in July. Even after that, however, I feel like he needs at least one more real -- there are three -- senior major win. I did not vote for him even though I loved the way he fished the ball out of the creek on 12 at Augusta 20 years ago.

Charlie Hanger, executive editor, Golf.com: At this point, I think the Hall will be inducting a lot of people who have marginal victory totals but have impacted the game in other ways. Fred's been one of the most marketable and popular golfers on the planet for more than 30 years, and he's also established himself as an elder statesman with his Presidents Cup captaincy. If "merit" is only a matter of wins, then he's not quite there. If "merit" can encompass a larger impact on the game, then I think he's worthy.

Jim Herre, managing editor, SI Golf Group: Fred's like the cool guy in high school -- everything comes easy. That's the way he plays golf, effortlessly. He has a big game but his swing graceful and unique, kind of like Vijay's is. Kind of like Snead's was. The one thing that didn't come easily was putting, and Couples left a lot of titles on the table because of it. I still enjoy watching him play but didn't vote for him because the numbers could have been so much better.

Ryan Reiterman, senior producer, Golf.com: Freddie is like Joe Namath -- he didn't accomplish as much as some other hall of famers, but it would be really weird to not see him enshrined.

Cameron Morfit, senior writer, Golf Magazine: Does seem like the criteria is pretty much whatever it needs to be that day. If he had the exact same record but was not an icon of cool, he isn't in.

Jim Gorant, senior editor, Sports Illustrated: Not a fan. Few have done less with more talentwise.

Mike Walker, senior editor, Golf Magazine: Let's stop pretending the World Golf Hall of Fame is Cooperstown. Without a change in the unofficial criteria -- 20 wins plus 1 major, 15 wins plus 2 majors, or multiple majors -- soon we won't be able to induct anyone, as Michael Bamberger warned earlier this year. Couples is part of the story of golf over the last 25 years. He belongs in the Hall. His resume might look marginal now, but it won't during Luke Donald's Hall of Fame weekend.

kcunningham 20 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://rss.golf.com/tour-and-news/pga-tour-confidential-does-fred-couples-deserve-be-hall-fame
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McIlroy, Woods, Mickelson lead chase for $10 million prize at East Lake

Scott Halleran / Getty Images

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will play together again during the first two rounds at East Lake.

Until a month ago, the 2012 PGA Tour season had been a long year with a few nice stories but no real overriding theme. Now, though, with players getting ready for this week's 30-man Tour Championship at East Lake outside Atlanta and next week's Ryder Cup at Medinah outside Chicago, it's a sprint to the finish that will decide who goes home with $10 million, which side gets bragging rights for the next two years, and just how big Rory McIlroy-mania can get.

"I like the fact that they're back to back," said Jim Furyk, who won the 2010 FedEx Cup and comes into this week 18th on the points list, meaning he will need to win and get help from the top five players in the standings to win it again. "I think that I've always kind of played my best golf when I can play my way into shape."

If a player is ever going to peak, now's the time, and no man is hotter than McIlroy, who has won the PGA Championship, the Deutsche Bank Championship and the BMW Championship in his last four starts. He leads the FedEx standings, which have been reset for this fourth playoff event. Like the four players behind him -- Tiger Woods, Nick Watney, Phil Mickelson and Brandt Snedeker -- McIlroy controls his own destiny. He will win the Cup no matter what if he wins the Tour Championship at East Lake. That means the players are competing for $11.44 million -- $10 million for the Cup plus $1.44 million for the tournament -- which is a lot even for them. "If I win, I win; that's the mindset I'm coming in with," McIlroy said Wednesday. "I feel like I'm playing well enough to win, obviously. I've been playing well. I know if I do that, everything else takes care of itself."

(Related Photos: Previous FedEx Cup champions)

But you can pretty safely narrow this Tour Championship down even further, to just three of the aforementioned five: McIlroy, Woods and Mickelson. All three are playing well, and two of the three, Mickelson and Woods, have tamed East Lake. Mickelson won in 2000 and again in 2009, when Woods finished second and captured the $10 million for winning the FedEx Cup. Mickelson, whose game disappeared for much of the summer, has used a new claw putting grip to finish T4 at the Deutsche Bank and T2 at the BMW, and he could make up for a lost summer in the majors when he tees off with Watney at 1:45 p.m. ET Thursday. (All tee times.)

Woods didn't qualify for the Tour Championship when he was rebuilding in 2010 and '11, and he elected not to play in '06, but he won it in '07 and also finished second in '04 and '05. He, too, could use a big win to make up for lost weekends at the U.S. Open, British Open and PGA. As Furyk put it, the Tour Championship is "an opportunity to turn a good year into a great year." Woods and McIlroy, Thursday's final twosome, go off at 1:55.

"It really would top it off," Woods said Wednesday. "I've had a really good season, and to win the Tour Championship, the FedEx Cup, and then have my fourth win -- all of those are positive things. These are the 30 of the hottest players this year, so you're beating a really good field. The guys are all playing well. I've done it twice, and hopefully I can do it again."

McIlroy not only hasn't won the Tour Championship, he's never played in it. As a non-PGA Tour member he wasn't eligible for the playoffs in 2011 and '09, and his FedEx run fizzled after the BMW in 2010. But based on his late-summer surge, there's little doubt the 23-year-old can win at the 7,154-yard, par-70 East Lake. He's 62 under par with three wins, a T5 and a T24 in his last five tournaments.

"It's hard to compare this to a major championship because it's a year-long thing, and it's about being consistent," McIlroy said. "It would be nice to have something to recognize that you have played the best golf the whole way throughout the year."

Others have already granted McIlroy that recognition, including Furyk, who said of McIlroy: "No matter how he plays here at the Tour Championship, he's right now the present day Tiger Woods, where everyone's eyes are on him."

Woods had eight victories at age 23, Jack Nicklaus five. McIlroy has six, and this week tries to close the gap with Woods in both tournament victories and FedEx Cups. Woods has won the FedEx Cup twice, Vijay Singh once, Furyk once, and Bill Haas once. Amazingly, no FedEx Cup champion has so much as made it back to the Tour Championship at East Lake the following year, although '07 champ Woods didn't play because he was injured for the latter half of 2008.

The 2011 edition of the Tour Championship was the least predictable, with a handful of players in contention to win the $10 million bonus until Haas saved par from the water and went on to beat Hunter Mahan on the third hole of their sudden-death playoff. At 25th on the FedEx points table to start the week, Haas was the biggest long shot winner of the Cup, followed by Furyk (11th in 2010), who says he has no idea what has to happen for him to take home the bonus this week.

It's just as well. With McIlroy, Mickelson and Woods fighting it out at East Lake, it may be a bad year for long shots, and a great year to be a fan.

kcunningham 20 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://rss.golf.com/tour-and-news/tiger-woods-rory-mcilroy-phil-mickelson-headline-tour-championship
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Hot this week? Shin, Stricks, 'Bromance.' Not? Jungle Bird, Oosty and the Shark

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's budding "bromance" was in high gear at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

HOT
1. Jiyai Shin. Her win at the Women's British will go down as one of the greatest ball-striking performances in LPGA history. Period.

2. The Tour Championship. I'm already feeling a little wistful that the end of the PGA Tour season is nigh. At least this finale promises a proper send-off to what's been a very interesting year.

3. The Tiger and Rory Show. "Bromance" is being tossed around so much you'd think these two were starring in a Judd Apatow movie, not a golf tournament. But watching these two mega-talents tangle never gets old.

4. The Ryder Cup. The hype is beginning to crest, including Tuesday night's re-airing of the final day of the War By The Shore. If watching that bloodletting doesn't get you in the mood for the Ryder Cup, nothing will.

5. Steve Stricker. Great player, great guy, but his emotional acceptance of the Payne Stewart Award was the latest reminder that nobody in golf can ugly-cry like Stricks.

NOT
1. Jungle Bird. Once was funny. But after his latest civil disobedience, at the Women's British Open, it's clear this fowl-lidded interloper has jumped the shark. Note to would-be hecklers: If you get tossed around by mild-mannered Mike Davis, it's time to find another hobby.

2. Greg Norman. In one interview, golf's most famous nearly man claimed to be channeling Tiger's thoughts and called himself the heir to Jack Nicklaus's throne. Note to Shark: ever hear of Tom Freaking Watson?

3. Louis Oosthuizen. Winless all season, King Louis can still take the FedEx Cup with a runner-up finish, provided the five guys ahead of him on the points list don't play particularly well at East Lake. This would be such a disastrous scenario for the Tour that I'm actively rooting for it to happen.

4. Yani Tseng. The struggling world No. 1 made a 9 en route to finishing tied for 26th at the Women's British, ensuring she'd get skunked at the majors this season. Life at the top isn't easy. Tiger knows that. Rory will find out in due time.

5. Bill Glasson. Winless on the Senior tour, he took a four-stroke lead into the final round of the Pacific Links Hawaii Challenge but coughed it up with five bogeys on the final eight holes. On the plus side, he's still the biggest bad-ass in golf. (Which is like being the world's tallest midget, but still ...)

kcunningham 19 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://rss.golf.com/tour-and-news/hot-list-tiger-woods-rory-mcilroy-jiyai-shin-steve-stricker
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McIlroy is FedEx favorite, but anyone can win $10 million this week

This week's Tour Championship at Atlanta's East Lake Country Club will decide who wins the FedEx Cup title and the $10 million bonus.

So who's going to win it all? The simple answer is, most likely the player who wins the Tour Championship.

The more complicated answer is, the big prize is still theoretically up for grabs. You can take theoretical as far as you'd like thanks to the confusing and, some would say, pointless FedEx Cup points system. For example, according to pgatour.com, Scott Piercy, who enters the Tour Championship in 30th place, can win the Cup if he wins the Tour Championship; McIlroy finishes 29th or worse; Woods finishes in a three-way tie for sixth or worse; Watney finishes in a four-way tie for third or worse; Mickelson ties for third or worse; Snedeker finishes in a three-way tie for second or worse; and Louis Oosthuizen ties for second or worse. It's the longest of long shots, but it's remotely possible.

(Related photos: Previous FedEx Cup champions)

Some other things you should know about the FedEx finale:

- You know those FedEx Cup point totals that Golf Channel and CBS insisted on jamming down your throat on every telecast all season? Your reward for keeping track of that stuff, if you did, is that those totals were reset for the Tour Championship. Everyone is starting over, but it's a staggered start. McIlroy resets to 2,500, Tiger goes to 2,250, Barclays winner Nick Watney to 2,000, Phil Mickelson to 1,800 and so on. First place in the Tour Championship is worth 2,500, but the points fall off dramatically after that, to just 550 for fifth. So the emphasis is truly on winning.

- It's the equivalent of a 400-mile NASCAR race stopping after 350 miles so the racers can start over on the same lap and still have a chance to win. While that undermines the importance of the results so far in the playoffs, it makes for a closer, potentially more exciting finish. McIlroy has won two of the three FedEx Cup events so far. He's utterly dominating it. But guess what? Even if he'd won all three tournaments by a dozen shots each, he'd have the same 250-point lead he has now. No one is allowed to dominate the playoffs.

- Really, almost anyone can win. For proof of that, just look to last year's Tour Championship. Bill Haas came out of nowhere to win the tournament and the $10 million bonus despite starting  25th on the points list, the lowest any FedEx Cup winner has ever ranked. Going into the final hour of play at East Lake, eight players still had a shot at the $10 million because Webb Simpson, who was first in points, tanked and finished 22nd at East Lake.

Crunch the numbers. Here are some pertinent details, minus the math, for your consideration:

-- The top five players (McIlroy, Woods, Watney, Mickelson, Brandt Snedeker) control their own fate. If they win the Tour Championship, they win the FedEx Cup.
-- With a top-5 finish, McIlroy would beat almost everyone but his top four pursuers.
-- Woods can finish as low as a five-way tie for fifth and still have a mathematical chance to win.
-- Mickelson needs to finish third or better.
-- Snedeker must finish no worse than tied for second to have a chance to win.

Meet the favorites: Here are the five players most likely to snag the $10 million bonus:

Rory McIlroy. What's not to like? The 23-year-old has won his last two starts in the U.S., he romped to victory in the PGA Championship and is already slightly ahead of the major-winning pace of a young Tiger Woods. He's a lock for Player of the Year, he's the clear-cut best player in the world and his future, as old-time cliché-mashing announcer Curt Gowdy used to often say, is still ahead of him. McIlroy excels on long, soft courses in the American style of target golf. Rain was forecast for Tuesday in Atlanta, so that might soften the greens to his liking.

Tiger Woods. Sure, he's had difficulty playing his best golf on the weekend, but he's getting himself into contention just about every week. He has won before at East Lake, in 2007 at the inaugural FedEx Cup, in a rain-drenched week. Plus, Tiger doesn't have to win the Tour Championship to win the FedEx Cup. A second, third or fourth just might be good enough.

Phil Mickelson. It's been the usual roller-coaster, feast-or-famine year for Mickelson. He seems to be back on a roll now, wielding his putter with a claw grip and tuning up his game for next week's Ryder Cup. He, too, has history on his side at East Lake. He won the Tour Championship there twice, in 2000 and 2009.

Louis Oosthuizen. He's turning into quite the Nearly Man. He nearly won the Masters, the Bridgestone Invitational, the Barclays and the Deutsche Bank Championship. His swing is textbook, his tempo is sweet and the man can putt. He's already got a British Open on his resume. He can play, now he just needs to learn how to close.

Brandt Snedeker. Snedeker has had a great second half to his season. In addition to his game run at the British Open, where he finished third, he was second at the Barclays, sixth at the Deutsche Bank Championship and in the process played his way onto the Ryder Cup team as a wild-card selection. He ranks No. 1 in the PGA Tour's strokes-gained putting category, which should come in handy on East Lake's devious greens.

Five other notable contenders:

Dustin Johnson. He hasn't finished in the top 20 in three appearances at East Lake. This course may just not be his style.

Nick Watney. He had something of an off-year for a player of his talent, then came out of nowhere to win the Barclays. Then he cooled off again, finishing 20th and 45th in the last two playoff events, and got passed over for the Ryder Cup.

Luke Donald. It's seems to be his lot in life to be continually overlooked, even when he was the No. 1 player in the world. Now that he's not, it's easy to forget he plays East Lake pretty well. He was third last year, second in 2010. He ranks 15th on the reset points list.

Matt Kuchar. It's got to feel good to be home. Kuchar, who won The Players, played his college golf at Georgia Tech. He's 16th on the points list but not exactly on his game. His last top-10 finish was T8 at the Bridgestone Invitational. After that, he missed the cut at the PGA, then finished T38, T35 and T54 in the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Steve Stricker. Good iron play and great putting work well almost anywhere, but he's only been in contention once in the last five years at East Lake. He was 15th last year, 25th in 2010 and sixth, 24th and 17th in the three years before that. It's that time of year when he's looking ahead to bow-hunting back home in Wisconsin, but with the Ryder Cup next week, he'll want to have his game sharp. Stricker is 13th on the reset points list.

jritter 19 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/tiger-woods-rory-mcilroy-phil-mickelson-among-favorites-win-fedex-cup
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McIlroy is FedEx favorite, but anyone can win $10 million this week

This week's Tour Championship at Atlanta's East Lake Country Club will decide who wins the FedEx Cup title and the $10 million bonus.

So who's going to win it all? The simple answer is, most likely the player who wins the Tour Championship.

The more complicated answer is, the big prize is still theoretically up for grabs. You can take theoretical as far as you'd like thanks to the confusing and, some would say, pointless FedEx Cup points system. For example, Scott Piercy, who enters the Tour Championship in 30th place, can finish five points ahead of Rory McIlroy, who is currently first, if Piercy wins the Tour Championship and McIlroy finishes dead last, according to pgatour.com. Even then, Piercy would need Tiger Woods and the other top contenders to finish poorly to have a chance to win the $10 million. It's the longest of long shots, but it's remotely possible.

(Related photos: Previous FedEx Cup champions)

Some other things you should know about the FedEx finale:

- You know those FedEx Cup point totals that Golf Channel and CBS insisted on jamming down your throat on every telecast all season? Your reward for keeping track of that stuff, if you did, is that those totals were reset for the Tour Championship. Everyone is starting over, but it's a staggered start. McIlroy resets to 2,500, Tiger goes to 2,250, Barclays winner Nick Watney to 2,000, Phil Mickelson to 1,800 and so on. First place in the Tour Championship is worth 2,500, but the points fall off dramatically after that, to just 550 for fifth. So the emphasis is truly on winning.

- It's the equivalent of a 400-mile NASCAR race stopping after 350 miles so the racers can start over on the same lap and still have a chance to win. While that undermines the importance of the results so far in the playoffs, it makes for a closer, potentially more exciting finish. McIlroy has won two of the three FedEx Cup events so far. He's utterly dominating it. But guess what? Even if he'd won all three tournaments by a dozen shots each, he'd have the same 250-point lead he has now. No one is allowed to dominate the playoffs.

- Really, almost anyone can win. For proof of that, just look to last year's Tour Championship. Bill Haas came out of nowhere to win the tournament and the $10 million bonus despite starting  25th on the points list, the lowest any FedEx Cup winner has ever ranked. Going into the final hour of play at East Lake, eight players still had a shot at the $10 million because Webb Simpson, who was first in points, tanked and finished 22nd at East Lake.

Crunch the numbers. Here are some pertinent details, minus the math, for your consideration:

-- The top five players (McIlroy, Woods, Watney, Mickelson, Brandt Snedeker) control their own fate. If they win the Tour Championship, they win the FedEx Cup.
-- With a top-5 finish, McIlroy would beat almost everyone but his top four pursuers.
-- Woods can finish as low as a five-way tie for fifth and still have a mathematical chance to win.
-- Mickelson needs to finish third or better.
-- Snedeker must finish no worse than tied for second to have a chance to win.

And, just for fun, here are the details on how No. 30 Piercy could win the Cup: He wins the Tour Championship, McIlroy finishes 29th or worse; Woods finishes in a three-way tie for sixth or worse; Watney finishes in a four-way tie for third or worse; Mickelson ties for third or worse; Snedeker finishes in a three-way tie for second or worse; and Louis Oosthuizen ties for second or worse.

Actually, the path to Piercy's victory sounds reasonably plausible except for McIlroy's finishing 29th or 30th.

Meet the favorites: Here are the five players most likely to snag the $10 million bonus:

Rory McIlroy. What's not to like? The 23-year-old has won his last two starts in the U.S., he romped to victory in the PGA Championship and is already slightly ahead of the major-winning pace of a young Tiger Woods. He's a lock for Player of the Year, he's the clear-cut best player in the world and his future, as old-time cliché-mashing announcer Curt Gowdy used to often say, is still ahead of him. McIlroy excels on long, soft courses in the American style of target golf. Rain was forecast for Tuesday in Atlanta, so that might soften the greens to his liking.

Tiger Woods. Sure, he's had difficulty playing his best golf on the weekend, but he's getting himself into contention just about every week. He has won before at East Lake, in 2007 at the inaugural FedEx Cup, in a rain-drenched week. Plus, Tiger doesn't have to win the Tour Championship to win the FedEx Cup. A second, third or fourth just might be good enough.

Phil Mickelson. It's been the usual roller-coaster, feast-or-famine year for Mickelson. He seems to be back on a roll now, wielding his putter with a claw grip and tuning up his game for next week's Ryder Cup. He, too, has history on his side at East Lake. He won the Tour Championship there twice, in 2000 and 2009.

Louis Oosthuizen. He's turning into quite the Nearly Man. He nearly won the Masters, the Bridgestone Invitational, the Barclays and the Deutsche Bank Championship. His swing is textbook, his tempo is sweet and the man can putt. He's already got a British Open on his resume. He can play, now he just needs to learn how to close.

Brandt Snedeker. Snedeker has had a great second half to his season. In addition to his game run at the British Open, where he finished third, he was second at the Barclays, sixth at the Deutsche Bank Championship and in the process played his way onto the Ryder Cup team as a wild-card selection. He ranks No. 1 in the PGA Tour's strokes-gained putting category, which should come in handy on East Lake's devious greens.

Five other notable contenders:

Dustin Johnson. He hasn't finished in the top 20 in three appearances at East Lake. This course may just not be his style.

Nick Watney. He had something of an off-year for a player of his talent, then came out of nowhere to win the Barclays. Then he cooled off again, finishing 20th and 45th in the last two playoff events, and got passed over for the Ryder Cup.

Luke Donald. It's seems to be his lot in life to be continually overlooked, even when he was the No. 1 player in the world. Now that he's not, it's easy to forget he plays East Lake pretty well. He was third last year, second in 2010. He ranks 15th on the reset points list.

Matt Kuchar. It's got to feel good to be home. Kuchar, who won The Players, played his college golf at Georgia Tech. He's 16th on the points list but not exactly on his game. His last top-10 finish was T8 at the Bridgestone Invitational. After that, he missed the cut at the PGA, then finished T38, T35 and T54 in the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Steve Stricker. Good iron play and great putting work well almost anywhere, but he's only been in contention once in the last five years at East Lake. He was 15th last year, 25th in 2010 and sixth, 24th and 17th in the three years before that. It's that time of year when he's looking ahead to bow-hunting back home in Wisconsin, but with the Ryder Cup next week, he'll want to have his game sharp. Stricker is 13th on the reset points list.

jritter 19 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://rss.golf.com/tour-and-news/tiger-woods-rory-mcilroy-phil-mickelson-among-favorites-win-fedex-cup
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'Golf's Greatest Rivalry: The Five Most Memorable Ryder Cups'

Published: Monday, September 17, 2012 | 11:45:59 AM

'Golf's Greatest Rivalry' is available now.

In this new E-book, the writers and editors of the Sports Illustrated Golf Group select the five most memorable Ryder Cups since Europe joined the fray in 1979.

The book features reprints from the pages of Sports Illustrated along with photos and an introduction from Michael Bamberger, who explains why the Cup is the most compelling rivalry in the game.

- Download for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch

- Download for Kindle and Kindle Fire

- Download for Nook Tablet, Color and Simpletouch

changer 17 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://rss.golf.com/rydercupbook
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In my scoring system, McIlroy has big FedEx Cup lead at -51

Warren Little / Getty Images

Rory McIlroy has won two of the three events in the FedEx playoffs.

Rory McIlroy would be running away with the FedEx Cup title if the race were based on cumulative score relative to par instead of the complicated points system actually being used.

My suggested system jibes with reality because McIlroy has a big lead in the actual Cup points race. No surprise for someone who's won two of three playoff events heading into the Tour Championship.

McIlroy leads Dustin Johnson by 15 shots; Tiger Woods and Louis Oosthuizen by 17; Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood by 20. Sound like an insurmountable lead? Not at all. Don't forget, McIlroy was 14 strokes behind Barclay's champion Nick Watney after the first leg of the FedEx Cup series. He gained 41 strokes on Watney the next two events.

Below are the current FedEx Cup standings under my cumulative-score system.

(Two caveats: 1. Playoff event winners received a five-stroke bonus, which means 10 extra shots for McIlroy, and 2. only those who played all four rounds in all three events are eligible. That eliminated players such as Jason Dufner and Sergio Garcia, who opted to rest a week, and others such as U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson, who missed a cut.)

-51 Rory McIlroy
-36 Dustin Johnson
-34 Tiger Woods
-34 Louis Oosthuizen
-31 Phil Mickelson
-31 Lee Westwood
-25 Brandt Snedeker
-25 Adam Scott
-24 Nick Watney
-24 Ryan Moore
-19 Bo Van Pelt
-18 Tom Gillis
-18 Vijay Singh
-17 Steve Stricker
-17 Greg Chalmers
-16 Kevin Stadler
-15 Luke Donald
-14 Chris Kirk
-13 Ian Poulter
-13 Seung-yung Noh
-12 Zach Johnson
-11 John Senden
-11 J.B. Holmes
-11 Robert Garrigus
-10 Bob Estes
-10 Ernie Els
-10 Padraig Harrington
-10 Troy Matteson
-10 John Huh

rreiterman 10 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://rss.golf.com/tour-and-news/rory-mcilroy-running-away-fedex-cup-under-any-scoring-system
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'King of Clubs' book might be the best golf story you've never heard

Courtesy

King of Clubs by Jim Ducibella.

In honor of King of Clubs, a book about the Great Golf Marathon of 1938 and the amazing man who earned that sobriquet, you should speed-read it. The man's feat practically demands it.

I buzzed through this fun 139-pager on a flight from Pittsburgh to Charlotte, mainly because I couldn't put it down. It's about a golfing marathon, yes, but thanks to author Jim Ducibella, this unlikely tale of Depression-era America sprints all the way to the finish.

Speed golf may have been invented by J. Smith "Smitty" Ferebee, the unlikely hero of King of Clubs (Potomac Books, $24.95). Smitty didn't earn that nickname by being a champion golfer. He was perhaps only slightly better than the average country club hack of the 1930s.

But his stamina, endurance, speed and sheer power made him golf's ultimate marathon man.

What started as a semi-friendly bet between two members at Chicago's Olympia Fields Country Club ended with Ferebee earning national acclaim for playing (hustling, jogging, running) 144 holes of golf in one day, on foot -- two rounds each on the four courses at Olympia Fields, including the course that later hosted the 2003 U.S. Open. Ferebee also won the title to a piece of Virginia land -- worth $20,000, a fortune in 1938 -- with his remarkable performance.

That, it turned out, was just the beginning. After news of Ferebee's feat spread across the astonished (and naïve) pre-World War II American landscape, stories of other men and even women and teenagers matching or surpassing his marathon feat began to arise.

One thing led to another and ultimately, the man who lost the land to Ferebee wanted a rematch. Eventually, Ferebee was goaded into boasting that he could repeat his Olympia Fields feat -- four days in a row!

That wasn't good enough for his so-called friend. That would be 576 holes over four days, the man said. Why not just round up to a nice even number like 600? Ferebee agreed.

But not just in Chicago on his home course. In eight different cities, starting in Los Angeles and ending in New York, over four days. Just traveling on an eight-city tour in those days was difficult enough, let alone squeezing in eight rounds of golf each day. The stops included Phoenix (Encanto Golf Course); Kansas City (Blue Hills); St. Louis (Norwood Hills); Milwaukee (the original Tuckaway CC); and Chicago (Olympia Fields).

It sounded unlikely, if not impossible, but Ferebee agreed. Thus the wager snowballed into a stunt of national proportions that the media pounced on and sensationalized.

This is where the story gets complicated and Ducibella dug up all kinds of Hollywood script-like pieces. Trane, a company that was just getting started in the newfangled air-conditioning business, signed on as a kind of sponsor. It finagled a new American Airlines Skysleeper liner, a plane that had sleeping accommodations and was ceremoniously dubbed "The TRANE of the Air." The event took on a circus-like atmosphere, mixed with commercialism.

The complications included a closed airport; an airport whose runway was too short to handle the big skyliner; a lost dog; a stowaway; fog; darkness; blisters; a fall and a badly sprained ankle; illicit wagering; and drugs, as a syndicate of gamblers who'd bet heavily against Ferebee tried to sabotage his attempt. If it sounds like a Disney movie, I can only wonder why it isn't already?

The Great Golf Marathon ended in New York at the Salisbury Golf Links, now known as the Eisenhower Park Red Course. Think of the final scene in "The Spirit of St. Louis," with Jimmy Stewart playing aviator Charles Lindbergh and the Paris airport lined with torches so Lindy could see to land. Ferebee finished his last round at 10:30 at night, thanks to fans lining the fairway with lit flares, a helper holding a light near his ball so he could have enough depth perception to hit it, and a brilliant shining spotlight on a fire truck.

The final numbers seem preposterous. Ferebee played 32 rounds in 96 hours in eight cities. He needed 2,858 shots and averaged 85.7 per round. He covered 182 miles on foot. He lost 21 pounds and weighed a mere 139 pounds by the time he returned to Chicago. One New York paper dubbed him "the Hercules of golf." The most remarkable stat? Ferebee didn't lose a ball in 600 holes.

He was something of a celebrity for years after. He took golf seriously and got better at it. Ferebee said he broke par only twice at Olympia Fields, shooting 68 and 67 on the same Sunday -- Dec. 7, 1941. The Pearl Harbor attack inspired Ferebee, then 35, to enlist in the Navy, and even though he was nine years too old to be a Navy pilot, he became one, anyway, and was called to active duty in 1942. He served on an aircraft carrier in 1945 at the end of the war, and was badly injured when a plane he co-piloted crashed. Ferebee died in 1988 from cancer.

The King of Clubs is part Seabiscuit and part Around the World in 80 Days and part The Match. You have to read his story to believe it. Thanks to Mr. Ducibella's inspired research, you can.

rreiterman 11 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://rss.golf.com/tour-and-news/king-clubs-book-might-be-best-golf-story-you-never-heard-0
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