Roundtable
On Our Minds
GolfDigest.com assembles a collection of writers and editors to talk about a murky player-of-the-year picture, the FedEx Cup system and the upcoming Ryder Cup
Matt Kuchar is very much in the race for PGA Tour Player of the Year.
Sam Weinman, Senior Editor, Golf Digest Digital: Lots to talk about: the Tour Championship, Ryder Cup, the rest of the fall schedule. Let's start by looking to the season finale this week in Atlanta. In our last session, we went to great lengths debating whether Matt Kuchar's string of high finishes constituted a great season. Thanks to a win in the Barclays and strong finishes in Boston and Chicago, Kuchar is leading the FedEx Cup Playoffs Points standings, and he's on the cover of the Sept. 20th issue of Golf World. Does anyone care to revise their assessment of Mr. Kuchar, or is he still the face of a very underwhelming PGA Tour season?
E. Michael Johnson, Senior Editor, Golf World: I believe the word Craig used to describe Kuchar was "also-ran."
Craig Bestrom, Senior Editor, Golf Digest: Kuchar has played in 24 events. One win, 23 also-rans. Very nice season, but surely we all agree it's a bit unspectacular.
Tim Rosaforte, Senior Writer, Golf Digest and Golf World: In reporting and writing my Golf World story about Kuchar, I came to realize that he's a tougher competitor than we realize with his smile and nice-guy persona. Would I have picked him out of a list of 50 Player-of-the-Year candidates? No. Would I say he's going to stick around for a while? Yes.
Jaime Diaz, Senior Writer, Golf Digest and Golf World: Kuchar has had a great season in terms of consistency and his own improvement. But he's basically been a poor man's Jim Furyk. Really good player, not yet among the elite. Even when Wayne Levi got Player of the Year, at least he won four times. Right now, Dustin Johnson has the inside track.
Johnson: Johnson is logical. Two wins matches the most of anyone, and although he was an idiot for not knowing he was standing in a bunker at the PGA, if I were voting right now, he's Player of the Year.
Weinman: Not sure I agree. For all of Johnson's progress this year, his major season was defined by two spectacular collapses.
How will Woods fare at Celtic Manor?
Diaz: In this kind of year, where no one has stood out, getting to a Sunday lead in two majors counts for something. Plus, Johnson has shown a lot by being resilient, to say nothing of his huge game. Physically, he reminds me of a young Tiger. If he can become better mentally, look out.
Craig Bestrom: Last I checked, PGA Tour Player of the Year is determined by a vote of the players. Who gets their vote?
Johnson: Barring any of the favorites winning at East Lake, they'll vote for Mickelson. Misguided as it may be.
Diaz: If Phil wins at East Lake, I think he earns it because of winning the Masters and probably the FedEx Cup. Otherwise, it shouldn't be him. Way too inconsistent.
Rosaforte: Some columnists have written that there shouldn't be a Player of the Year. Give it one more week. If Dustin wins in Atlanta, he'll have three victories, and the fact he came back from what could have been two career-changing faux pas will dictate voting. Kuch would otherwise be deserving, and since he's almost 30 under par in the playoffs, I expect him to have a big week at East Lake.
Weinman: Meanwhile, this FedEx Cup playoffs system has been criticized from the day it was conceived. Yet, here we are two weeks into the NFL season and a lot of important questions about the golf season are still hanging in the balance. However contrived, is this system really so bad?
John Huggan, European Correspondent, Golf World: Bottom line regarding the FedEx Cup: It's hard to care even a little about something that makes so little sense.
Johnson: It's not that the system is so bad, it's how it is presented that makes it bad. It's not a playoff. Get rid of that word and we're fine. It's a four-week money grab where you get the best players all playing at the same time to wrap up the year. That's OK by me. I'll watch. But this idea that it crowns a season-long champion is ludicrous and puts the tour in a no-win situation. If the best player wins, it's rigged. If some schmoe comes out of nowhere, it's not right. Just take it for what it is.
Diaz: I am a fan of the FedEx Cup, imperfect as it may be. The whole concept of "playoffs" simply doesn't work in golf, which has always been and will always be ruled by week-to week, even day-to-day variables. However, I like that it gets a lot of the best players together at the end of the year, which used to be called the Dead Zone. I like that it matters to them, and you can see them feeling the pressure. I'd be in favor of adjusting back to "stability" versus "volatility." In golf, body of work should generally count for more than getting hot in a short period of time. But overall, the FedEx is so much better than what it used to be that it should be accepted.
Ratings
Comments
Post a Comment