The Loop

Cheat Sheet: What you need to know for Sunday in golf

September 14, 2013

Tiger wrapping up POY one week early?

There will be a lot of debate for Player Of The Year if Adam Scott or (maybe) Phil Mickelson wins the FedEx Cup, but even with a penalty-induced quadruple bogey on Friday, Tiger Woods seems poised to earn the title outright. If the tournament ended today, Tiger would once again be No. 1, while Scott is barely holding onto the fifth spot following a Friday 73 and a Saturday 75, and Phil would be out of the top five altogether and need a lot of help to capture the Cup. In fact, of the top five point leaders entering the BMW Championship not named Tiger Woods, none are in the top 10 and only two (Henrik Stenson and Matt Kuchar) are in the top 20. It's still too early to call, but as the field shrinks, one man is separating himself from the pack.

The youngest major winner ever?

Before the LPGA finishes up their 2013 major season tomorrow at the Evian, let's take a moment and give the ladies circuit a round of applause. We have one pro, Inbee Park, who has won three back-to-back-to-back majors this year, and now we have 16-year-old Lydia Ko chasing her own piece of history, looking to become the youngest major winner ever -- man or woman. Following a second round 67 in the rain-shortened 54-hole tilt, Ko is only one stroke behind leader Mika Miyazato heading into tomorrow's final round. I guess we should be surprised, but with four wins already under her belt, it's just another day in the life of the world's best amateur golfer.

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Lydia Ko tees off the 15th hole during the second round of The Evian Championship. Photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Where's the beef?

We're not talking about Angel Cabrera, we're talking about championship caliber golf courses. A day after Jim Furyk fired the PGA Tour's sixth 59, Matt Kuchar followed suit with 10-under 61 on the first-time host Conway Farms GC. This comes on the heels of Henrik Stenson winning the Deutsche Bank Championship at 22-under. With the FedEx Cup becoming one of the premier events on Tour -- not to mention it's biggest purse -- the question begs to be asked, should the courses be tougher? We hear a lot of complaints from the pros when they're set up too difficult, but with so much on the line, including player of the year implications, it might be time to consider at least one or two major-type set-ups in these playoffs.