Dan O'Neill

The grumbling is over, the finger pointing is finished, the “suggestions” box has been collected and cleaned out. Suffice to say, now that it is over, the FedEx Cup and its playoff series made a controversial debut in 2007.

Certainly, the package accomplished at least one goal. It had people talking and if you buy the principals of Hollywood public relations, any publicity is good publicity.

For the immediate future, it’s difficult to see where the PGA Tour’s grand finale goes from here. Something has to give, or take, or adapt one way or the other.

The four-week playoff series that concluded with the Tour Championship presented by Coca-Cola on Sunday in Atlanta has inherent problems. After months of competition, after four major championships, with some type of Cup - President’s or Ryder - annually waiting on the horizon, players are more burned out in September than the greens at East Lake.

No one wants to travel four consecutive weeks to decide the FedEx Cup championship, not for a $10 million annuity, not for all the tainted tea in China. Those who are young, those who are still making a name, those who need the annuity and need to play to get in all four events, will do so. As has been clearly demonstrated, others will not.

With its tight schedule, contracts and commitments, the PGA Tour will be challenged to adapt. But it is apparent the Tour will have to flinch, not the players.

Coming up with some schematic alteration that attempts to guarantee players to participate in the present format would be ill fated. Dropping a playoff event, or spacing them out in some manner, would seem more palatable. One thing is certain – the laborers must be involved in the decision-making process.

The days are long since past when the PGA Tour can dictate to its biggest stars. Ernie Els might listen to Phil Simms and bang his head on a locker for the sake of promoting these playoffs. But come Week Three, when the kids are starting school and he needs a break, he’s going to bang the playoffs and stay home, like it or not.

So, we shall see what concessions are made and what tweaks are announced that can make the playoffs more compelling.

In the meantime, we can thank Tiger Woods for bringing credibility and some sense of symmetry to this fragmented format. S’true, the lawns at East Lake Golf Club were softer than the defenses in Cleveland on Sunday. Yes, it is hard to take an elite field “championship” serious when the numbers under par look like Ivy League ACT scores.

No reason to hammer on it. The summer drought compromised an otherwise proud property at East Lake Golf Club. It lost its greens at the worst possible time, stuff happens. The Tour got stuck between a rock and soft place.

Take 30 of the best players in the world, give them spongy greens and promiscuous hole locations, and you’ve got yourself a fireworks show. Cue the music: Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I shoot 64?

“I can’t remember too many golf courses that have been easier than this one,” said Woods, who toured the place in 23-under.

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