The new Fedex Cup points championship was more popular than you would be led to believe by some, but a brewing battle between two of golf's most popular made it better.
Ten years, one year for each million the Fedex Champion will eventually receive, have been added to PGA commissioner Tim Finchem's life. He even looks younger since Monday's final round duel between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Mickelson was the eventual, two-shot victor.
Now the Fedex points leader, Mickelson is two slots ahead of third-place Woods. With the Fedex Cup top-10 points leaders full of fan favorites, the remaining two tournaments in the Fedex Playoffs can't help but be interesting at worst. Completely awesome, at best.
I don't know what Commissioner Finchem was worried about beforehand. It couldn't be due to comments made by a few disgruntled, tormented souls. The Fedex Cup was off to a good, albeit slower start, due to Tiger's absence the first week. Fan interest was there even without him. To be sure, it has skyrocketed with his return and Mickelson's ability to hang in for the win.
Much like Michigan's Lloyd Carr, Finchem would still have his job if the Fedex had flopped. The Cup has now rocketed out of our solar system, this year. In the long run, it'll be just like every other points race. If it's close at the end, it'll be popular. If not, fans will tune out until January.
Here's to hoping one of the guys down around the 25th or 30th spot comes out of nowhere to defeat the odds and everyone else. They're the ones that deserve $10 million.
