It’s that time of year again. The golf media is engaged in inflating everyone’s hopes for a competitive PGA Tour by promoting the idea of “The Big Three.” Or the “Big Five”. Or whatever. Tiger, Phil, Vijay, Ernie, Sergio, Jim ...

The latest perpetrator of this fraud is ESPN’s Ron Sirak. In a recent column, he writes:

There have been four Big Threes in the history of men’s golf. The first consisted of Harry Vardon, James Braid and J.H. Taylor, and, being British, they had the much classier handle of “The Great Triumvirate.” From 1894 through 1914—when World War I got in the way—they combined to win 16 of 21 British Opens.

Next came Hogan, Snead and Byron Nelson, who were born within six months of each other in 1912 and combined to win a phenomenal 198 tour events, including 21 majors.

Nicklaus, Palmer and Gary Player combined to win 159 PGA Tour events and a startling 34 majors—18 by Jack.

Sirak wants to include Woods, Mickelson and Singh in that list. At first glance it looks good. Combined, the three have 124 victories and 19 majors. But Woods accounts for 61—nearly half those victories, and has twice as many majors as the other two combined. Player and Palmer at least combined to exceed Jack’s total.

That’s not a Big Three. That’s a Big One and Medium Two. Tiger so completely dominates the current field, that no one can legitimately claim to stand with him on the podium.

I don’t think it’s a lack of skill on the part of the Medium Two. Sirak correctly points out, however, that raw numbers alone would make Mickelson one of golf’s greatest:

But for the fact Woods was born in December 1975, we would be hailing Mickelson as one of the greatest ever to play the game. And, in fact, he is. It’s just that his accomplishments have been lost in an extremely large Tiger-shaped shadow. Look at the numbers: Mickelson has won 32 PGA Tour events, including three major championships, and has had 11 multiple-win seasons. He is tied for 13th place with Horton Smith on the career victory list and is only seven wins from catching Tom Watson and Gene Sarazen for 10th all-time.

But he’s playing in the Woods era, and will forever be measured by that standard.

I’m also not convinced that—in spite of the now-vintage television show—Nicklaus, Player and Palmer ever were really a Big Three. Palmer was a transitional figure, wedged between the Hogan-Snead-Nelson era and Nicklaus. In that, Palmer stands alone.

The third of the Big Three’s, if ever there was one, was Nicklaus, and an ever-changing cast: first Palmer and Player, then Johnny Miller, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, perhaps Curtis Strange. Jack always had a fresh set of challengers.

And that’s what’s lacking today. No one seems to have the mental fortitude to stand up to Tiger. Jack was no less fearsome, but there were players unwilling to concede, and with the game to back it up. Today’s pretenders to the throne have the game, but somehow seem content to let Tiger lead the way.

Last weekend’s Sony Open marked the debut of “Rule 78”, a new policy on the PGA Tour that affects who plays on the weekend.

Under the rule, whenever more than 78 players make the cut on a weekend, only those whose score is nearest 70 will actually play. The remainder get credit for making the cut, FedEx Cup Points and the last place share of the purse. But they don’t play.

The rule was precipitated by tournaments in which large numbers of players tied for the final spot on the weekend. Last year, for example, 89 players made the cut at Disney. There also were eleven other instances in which ties led to oversized weekend fields. The problem of scheduling (especially for tv) is obvious; this leads to threesomes, two-tee starts and slow play times—all sore spots with the PGA Tour.

So at the Sony, eighteen players were cut out of weekend play as Rule 78 went into effect. Among those: John Daly, who was playing in a sponsor’s exemption and who complained loudly. In fact, a lot of players are not happy, including such big names as Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Vijay Singh, Jerry Kelly, Paul Azinger, Carl Pettersson, Jay Williamson, Daniel Chopra and Patrick Sheehan. All have spoken out against the policy.

Their belief is that even if you make the cut on the numbers, you should have a chance to move up the leaderboard on the weekend, when pressure may cause others to collapse. They may have a point. At the Buick Invitational in 2002. Jose Maria Olazabal tied for the final spot in what turned out to be a weekend field of 85. He ended up winning the tournament.

More curious is that a good many players have said they weren’t aware of the policy. I wonder if any of these guys read their mail. This policy was adopted by the Player Advisory Council and was unanimously approved by the Policy Board. Notices about the change were sent to the players last November.

I can see where you might get overwhelmed by fan mail (although only a few guys surely are). But if a letter shows up with a PGA Tour postmark, you’d think they would read it. I know that I make absolutely certain to open any mail from my employer immediately.

As a fan, I like the policy. The potential for smaller weekends means stronger play on Thursday and Friday, a little bit of uncertainty about the actual cut line and tighter, quicker play on the weekend. I especially like the cut line uncertainty; a guy making the turn on Friday has to worry about whether making the cut on the numbers is going to be enough. That may result in some bold play ... and some spectacular crashes.

In fact, maybe the Tour should just lower the cut line in general. It probably would result in some more exciting golf.

USA Today calls The Bob Hope a “throwback event.”

Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Glen Campbell, Andy Williams, Sammy Davis Jr.

At one time, there were as many as 10 celebrities who had their names on a PGA Tour event. The only name that remains from the era of the 1960s and 1970s is Bob Hope. He was 100 when he died in 2003, but his tournament, the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, begins today with plans to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year.

“We’re unique,” said Mike Milthorpe, the tournament director. “We’re not the typical 72-hole event.”

It’s the only 90-hole event left on the Tour. The five days of competition are spread over four courses in a pro-am format that lasts for four days, with celebrities playing with the pros. The final round, featuring pros only, is played on the host course, The Classic Club in Palm Desert, Calif.

For some reason, I’ve liked this event more than the Pebble Beach over the past few years. Perhaps it’s because the Pebble has become a two day advertisement for whatever show the network is trying to pump.

It also has the added attraction of being an event that you will never, ever, see Tiger play.

Which probably means that it won’t last much longer.

The New York Times is reporting that the PGA Tour will move the Barclays from the Westchester Country Club to the Ridgewood Club in New Jersey. The move will leave Westchester without a PGA Tournament for the first time since 1967. It’s another in the list of tournaments—like the Western Open, the International and the BC Open that have been unjustly killed by the Tour.

I will NEVER forgive Finchem for killing the Western.

The Barclays is the first stop on the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs. And I suppose that as long as Tiger is playing, it really doesn’t matter where the tournaments are held, or what communities you screw. But the striped one won’t play forever (and I predict he won’t play as long as people think). When he retires, the Tour is going to have to fall back on its rock-ribbed golf fans and supporters—like those at the Western, the International, the BC and Westchester.

But those long-time supporters won’t be there.Instead, you’ll have the dubious support of the nouveau fans—those who have joined the Tiger bandwagon.  The new commissioner (Finchem won’t be around to take the blame for the mess) will need to scramble to keep the tournaments intact in the wake of the Tiger crash.

Imagine the new Commissioner—ten years from now—hat in hand, returning to Westchester. “I know that we took the tournament away because Tiger wouldn’t play there, but now that he’s gone will you take it back? The people at Ridgewood don’t want it anymore.”

What’s more interesting about this move is the implication that it was dictated by Tiger:

One club member who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the Barclays said pressure to move the event was coming from CBS, which was disappointed by mediocre television ratings for the 2007 event, won by Steve Stricker.

Tiger Woods did not play in the first leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs, and had played at Westchester only three times in the past 10 years, skipping the event even when it was sponsored by Buick, one of his sponsors. Woods has never cited the 6,839-yard course as a reason for his absence, but the shorter layout does not play to his strengths.

If so, add the Westchester to the International on the list of dead tournaments where the chief suspect is Tiger (note the posts here and here). In the economics of the new PGA Tour, if you’re not favored by the striped one, you’re out.

This is not to say that Tiger demanded the moves. It’s much more likely that fawning sycophants like Finchem, and the network executives made the move as a form of Tiger bait. “If we set everything up perfectly for him, maybe he’ll grace us with his presence.”

Now that he’s getting up in the years as a professional golfer, Ernie Els has decided to concentrate on joining fellow South African Gary Player in winning the Career Grand Slam.

“I think there were maybe times in the past when I’ve tried to please too many people. Not now,” Els told his website.

“I’m 38 and I need to think about me and how I can give myself the best chance to add to the three majors that I’ve already won.

“The biggest single goal that I have left in this game is to win the career grand slam - to win all four majors at least once - before I’m done. It’s important I do everything in my power to make that goal achievable.

“My schedule looks a little different to previous years. This reflects my desire to try to gear my game around the majors and the other big tournaments.”

I’m pulling for the Big Easy on this one.

GolfWorld’s Ron Sirak writes that he found the early returns from the Iowa Caucuses more compelling than the Mercedes Open:

With all due respect—actually with exactly the respect due—Nick Watney and Daniel Chopra lost in my house to Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama on Thursday night. The Iowa caucus was more compelling—and better played. Friday, I went out to dinner and a movie during prime time (and if you haven’t seen “Juno,” do it) and NFL football won the battle for the remote Saturday night. (I am, after all, from near Pittsburgh.) On Sunday, I watched because I have to write this and, well, there is always the danger that the final 18 holes could produce the greatest finish in the history of tournament golf.

Wow. Apparently I’m not the only one who thinks that it was way too early to start the season. Sirak and I also think along the same lines when he notes that while the PGA Tour moved the season ending championship to avoid the start of the NFL and College football seasons, they still start the season during the NFL Playoffs and the College Bowl season, which if anything, is worse.

He also notes that, thanks to the number of relatively unknown winners last year on tour (Daniel Chopra?), the field was full of no-name, while folk like Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia sat at home.

Read the whole thing. In between the sarcasm, he makes a lot of sense.

And in the meantime, I’m going lobby again for my number one idea: that the Tour Championship should be played in Hawaii, so that, with the time difference, it can be in prime time—or nearly so on the mainland.

Tiger who? The PGA Tour certainly got off to a good start this year at the Mercedes, as Daniel Chopra won a four hole playoff over Steve Stricker.

I love playoffs in golf. They reduce the game to its match play roots. No longer concerned with relationship to the field, or with cumulative scores, all that matters is beating or matching your opponent on each hole.