Chris Lewis's Golf Blog

(B)logging Out, At Least for a While

Due to the happy, happy circumstance of my first bona fide vacation in over two years, I won't be posting for the next few weeks. Hope you'll be able to enjoy the FedEx Cup without me! Correspondent Eric Cartman has informed the home office he may file a report or two from Atlanta (flying in between rounds at the National, where he's of course a member-- what, you didn't know?), but otherwise, well, talk to y'all during the Fall Chase Quest Finish for the Card!

Lefty Takes Tour to School

The semi-official word from Medinah Country Club, site of Phil Mickelson's corporate outing today, is that Chicago won't be his sweet home this week. (The Golf World exclusive (!) is unsigned, but has Bob Verdi's fingerprints all over it; he's a member at Medinah. On the linked page are further links to nice and extremely quickly web-published pieces by Diaz, Hawkins, and Rosaforte.)

UPDATE: Here's the official-official word from the PM website.

UPDATE: Steve Elling has Ernie Els explain why so many are playing FedEx event hopscotch.

Awaiting Word from Phil

I can vividly imagine Lefty strolling around at his outing today thinking to himself, "So, who's the most powerful guy in golf now, huh, guys?" And he's right. Between now and Thursday, there will only be one golf story worth mentioning: whether or not he's going to play Chicago.

But you know, Phil would be the most important guy in golf right now even if it weren't for the Finchem-BMW drama.

Not only did he brighten golf's long-term landscape by making it look more competitive, but he also single-handedly saved the FedEx Cup.

Think about it. Before these alleged playoffs started, they seemed utterly pointless because (a) if they identified Tiger as the season's best player, they irrelevantly told us something we already knew; (b) if they didn't identify Tiger as the season's best player, they irrelevantly contradicted what we knew to be true.

The only thing that could disrupt that fearful symmetry was Lefty coming up big in this series. I didn't realize this until last night, but he's suddenly reintroduced the idea that there's still something to prove this season. No matter what happens from here on in Tiger (five wins; one WGC, one major) gets the Player of the Year nod over Lefty (three wins; one FedEx, one mini-major (Players)). But if Lefty wins one or more FedEx events, and therefore the series, you could make the case that if it weren't for his injury, he would have been the year's best player. It wouldn't change the fact that Tiger was the year's best player, but it would validate the argument for an asterisk. Maybe that's not earth-shaking relevance, but no other player, including Tiger, could have given the FedEx Cup any relevance at all.

That makes even more delicious the present irony: having saved the FedEx Cup, he can now pretty much destroy it with a wave of his princely hand. Maybe having people recognize that is the point of all this I-may-not-play business, and it's really all a big charade. Wouldn't put it past him.

Tiger, Vincible; Lefty Throws a Wrench

The long view: today was the best day golf as a spectator sport has had in a long while. For someone to beat Tiger down the stretch, and to have it be his principal rival, is something even Tiger-rooters should be happy about. The coming years look far more interesting right now than they did even a few days ago.

At the same time, though, it may have been the worst of all possible days for the PGA Tour and Tim Finchem. I'm sure Mickelson will be more expansive in his formal press conference later, but here's a transcription of what he said post-round when Jimmy Roberts asked him whether or not he'd play next week in Chicago.

MICKELSON: I'm not sure yet, Jimmy. I'm really torn because I feel like there's an obligation for me to play. I'd be paired with Tiger again. I think it would be really great for the game and the Tour and the FedEx Cup. Another part of me is really frustrated because for the past year I've been asking the commissioner to do a couple of things, and I told him I would play the last four events, and he has not done that [them]. So I'm kind of torn right in between.

ROBERTS: Is there anything specific you can tell us about that's at issue?

MICKELSON: I'd rather not. It's just that I've got a lot going on. I've got the kids' first day of school on Wednesday, their first soccer games, things I'd like to be there at. But on the other hand I feel obligated to support the Tour. There's got to be a balance. I'm undecided. I've got an outing scheduled in Chicago tomorrow, so I'm going to be there, but I may-- I'm not sure how the rest of the week's going to go yet.

(Incidentally, if Van Sickle wanted to be the first one to talk to Phil, he probably shouldn't have worn a red shirt.)

I can't recall that I've ever heard a commissioner of any sport hung out to dry like that. But it may backfire if the truth comes out, and the circumstances turn out to be unflattering to Lefty. My guess is that it would be something relating to pro-am obligations-- which, of course, has already been "at issue" once this year for Mickelson (his hall pass at the Nelson). Could it be that he wanted another pass for the Chicago pro-am this week, or perhaps just a tee time accomodation (afternoon instead of morning)? We may never know. But the way he dissed Finchem today just longs for an explanation.

Bet those Tiger-rooters will come off the mat criticizing Phil's carping as being unseemly. If Mickelson skips, though, that'll only last three seconds, and they'll quickly move on to how Lefty's scared of a quick rematch with The Man.

Oh, the malice! The animosity! The boiling blood! See? Wasn't today great for golf?

UPDATE, 9:15 PM: Here's Lefty from the formal presser.

      Q.  Based on some comments on TV, is your rival now Tiger or Tim?

      PHIL MICKELSON:  Oh, no, no.  I don't have a problem, it's just that I'm a little conflicted on some things because I'm trying to -- I want to have a balance in my life, and I certainly feel the obligation to play and support the FedExCup and to support the PGA TOUR, support the game of golf.

      And I also want to have balance in my family life, and my family has sacrificed a lot this year because it's been a very difficult schedule.  It's not the four FedExCup tournaments; it's the PGA, Akron right before that, only four days off after the British Open before we had to travel and playing two weeks before that, so it's been the last three months having no more than two days off at a time and working to do corporate outings in between.  So our time together has struggled, and I want to have a balance there.  They start school next week, so I have that conflict -- or obligation and desire to be there. My frustration from this past year came from asking for a couple of things in the FedExCup that weren't done and not really feeling all that bad now if I happen to miss.  So I'm not really sure how it's going to play out….

      Q.  You said a couple discussion points with Tim that you were looking for vis-á-vis the design of the Playoff structure.

      PHIL MICKELSON:  I don't want to go into it.  Just I want to support it and I certainly feel the obligation to, but I also have to have a balance both ways.

      Q.  Did you talk about it this week?

      PHIL MICKELSON:  Every time I see him this year I bring it up.

Mad as Hell, Can't Take It Anymore

A few years ago, when the PGA Tour bought and co-opted GolfWeb, I asked SI golf editor Jim Herre how he thought it would affect GolfWeb's Tour coverage. He wasn't optimistic. "You can't cover your partner," he said.

Those words have been ringing in my ears during the past 24 hours or so. Yesterday, I tuned into the Golf Channel's broadcast at about 3:20 p.m. I was greeted by Kelly Tilghman talking for (no exaggeration) three straight minutes about the FedEx Cup-- current standings, projected standings, bubble boys, whatever. By 3:24 (no exaggeration) I had turned the TV off.

Same thing today. I tuned into NBC's telecast at 3 sharp, wondering what Johnny Miller would make of all the FedEx hubbub. I can't tell you what he said verbatim, but it included a weirdly Finchemian remark to the effect that "everybody's talking about it"-- that is, a selective forgetting that most if not all of the talking has been negative. I kept the TV on for about forty-five minutes longer, but lost my patience when the boys started discussing the graphic on the left. I mean, are you serious? A week-by-week recap of who led when, going all the way back to January, is worth an entire minute of my life?

My point here-- and my reason for recalling the Herreism-- is that the golf coverage on both TGC and NBC is lost somewhere between compromised journalistic integrity and payola. I mean, I don't really expect them to engage the FedEx Cup debate (or even mention it), but I at least expect them to realize it's only Week 2, Round 3, and I don't (for chrissakes) need to know Aaron Baddeley's projected FedEx Cup rank as he finishes his ninth hole.

What's happening here (finally, my principal point:) is that the relentless shilling of the FedEx stuff is ruining the coverage of the individual tournaments. There is no doubt in my mind anymore that whatever else is wrong with this concept, the ceaseless hype is more than anything else what's turning people off. I bet I'm not the only one switching off my TV far earlier than I otherwise would. Ironic, isn't it? If I'm any barometer, the FedEx Cup isn't gaining attention for the Tour, but losing it. And that's during a week when Tiger's in contention.