Steve Elling reports that changes are coming once again at Augusta National, but there is hope that they’ll prune the trees on 11 and 15 that have everyone howling like the Banshee of Tralee. (Hat tip: Mike Mosely and Chewbacca).
Next Tim Rosaforte has an excellent review of his sit down with Tim Finchem about the FedEx Flop.
But look, what’s more important is reading between the lines of Finchem’s response. His feverish insistence that everything is teddy bears and gumdrops and rainbows belies the firestorm of controversy form EVERY side. Some people want more volatility, some less. Everyone has a plan, but they all agree on one thing:
While a points race works for NASCAR, it doesn’t work for golf. In football, when a linebacker intercepts a pass, you don’t have to ask what it means and wait three minutes for someone to crunch the numbers.
Moreover, trying to blend it with the Tour Championship doesn’t work, one will always over shadow the other, one running in the background. To be honest, this was the most enjoyable Tour Championship in years because a) it was a hell of a golf tournament and b) there wasn’t the clutter of actuarial formulas every ten seconds because the Cup was decided. We could focus on the golf and relax and enjoy the shootout.
The problem is Tim Finchem; his ego and his insatiable greed dominates this entire issue. Deane Beman would never have acted this way. Money makes Tim Finchem’s voice rustle with the rasp of a crypt hinge opening…and that’s bad for golf and for the Tour in the long run. Grabbing the last dollar on the table now is so ’90s. The FedEx Flop is excessive, it’s contrived, it’s too complicated, it’s not a natural way to play competitive golf, it dilutes the sport and actually devalues the Tour’s brand.
I can sum it up in one Tim Finchem sentence: “if they are talking about the Cup, than it’s good.” Guess again. Let me dispel that myth in one sentence: if you wear a wife-beater and dirty pants to church, people are going to talk too. Do you think that’s good? Any press is most certainly not always a good thing, and their comes a time to do a painful and agonizing reappraisal of the situation. The entire golf world laughs at the FedEx Flop, but Tim takes solace in the money.
I ask you – is that good for golf?
