Happy New Golf Year!

Hello. Well, I thought I'd be focused on curling by now, but the weather has been so warm that golf courses are open in Ontario. Unbelievable!
As the new year starts, there are many questions surrounding the PGA Tour. The first of 3 big ones I'll tackle today is "Will the Fedex Cup be a success?".
Here's my answer - no, not like it is now.
Tiger and Phil are not playing this week in the Mercedes. They didn't in 2006 either. Obviously they're not worried about qualifying for the Fedex Cup. That's because 144 guys will make the first tournament. Not much effort is required for the elite to get in.
Here's what I would suggest:

1. Reduce the # of season-ending tournaments from 4 to 3 or even 2. There's no way the top players will play 4 weeks in a row at a high level. With the PGA Championship and the American Express Championship back-to-back just before that stretch, it means playing 6 out of 7 weeks. Not going to happen when the first two tournaments are more important to a player's career than the last 4.
2. For the one or two tournaments that are left out, have them as a way for the players who haven't qualified for the Fedex Cup to get in. It would be like a Q-school.
3. Give more points to the top events. There looks like there is not much of a spread between majors and non-majors.
4. Give byes to the final tournament for the top 30 finishers. This will keep everyone happy. The elite will get some rest, the sponsors will know they've made it, and the players will have an objective to chase for the whole season.

If some changes are made, the Fedex Cup may work. But if I were a betting man, I wouldn't like the odds of 2007 working.

Regards,

Steve