The Idea Blog

The enthralling competition that has been Sundays during the PGA Tour Playoff Series - nee, the FedEx Cup, BMW Championship, et al. - has come because of two major elements.

1. The field. Tiger out during week 1, Ernie in week 2, Phil and KJ in week 3 … none of that really matters. The fields have been especially strong, just short of “majors” worthy, and the quality of play has been very good. Look at the leader boards; they even look like a “major.”

2. The sustained competition is even more captivating. The almost certain reality of having Tiger in the top 5 for three consecutive weeks - assuming he performs well in Atlanta this week - has everyone from Johnny Miller and Mark Rolfing to millions of TV fans hyperventilating. And the prospect of a Phil vs. Tiger duel coming down the stretch on Sunday … well, the President’s Cup can wait a few weeks.

I don’t know if the same sort of competition and excitement can grow from year to year, but for this first year, for all the confusion and lack of comprehension of points earnings and all that stuff, this has been an interesting series, week-by-week.

Oh, yes, there’s a third thing that’s made the FedEx a joy to watch:

3. Steve Stricker. What a great story, what sustained, consistent and quality golf he’s playing.