Woods To Sit

In what has to be a major blow to the PGA Tour, Tiger Woods has decided to sit out the first round of the FedEx Cup.

Woods, the No. 1 seed when the PGA TOUR Playoffs begin at The Barclays next week, said Friday he was tired from back-to-back victories in the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone and the PGA Championship at Southern Hills, which he won in 100-degree heat for his 13th major.

Woods’ people undoubtedly have figured out that he can take the week off and still have a fair chance of winning. But it sure doesn’t do the Tour any good.

It also doesn’t surprise me. I never thought that Woods would be a full participant. My thought was that he would play this year, become the first FedEx Cup winner and then not defend the title. Its interesting, too, that he will sit out the Barclays-sponsored tournament and make his first appearance in the Deutsche Bank tournament. Deutsche Bank is one of Tiger’s many sponsors. He has no affiliation with Barclays.

I’ve also never believed that other superstars—notably Mickelson—would participate more than a couple of years. Mickelson has said that he’s excited to play this time, but we’ll see how far that enthusiasm goes. Phil has never had much of a playing schedule after the PGA.

In the very near future, I see the Fedex Cup as the province of second tier stars and journeymen.