FAQ: Tiger's absence
Editor's note: Tiger Woods' absence will be felt around the world as he recovers from reconstructive surgery on the ACL in his left knee. He'll be missed most on the PGA TOUR, of course, and what happens over the next six to eight months raises some interesting questions that PGATOUR.com answers below.
Q. Can Tiger still be named the PGA TOUR Player of the Year?
A. Definitely. Woods has won the Jack Nicklaus Trophy in a vote of his peers eight of the last nine years and nine times overall. At this point, Phil Mickelson and Kenny Perry are the only other multiple winners of the season; both owning two titles to Woods' four. The two remaining major championships would certainly have some bearing -- particularly if Mickelson, perry or Masters champ Trevor Immelman wins one of them.
Q. Could Phil Mickelson overtake Tiger as the No. 1 player in the world?
A. It's a possibility, but Mickelson would probably need to win one of the two remaining majors, as well as the remaining World Golf Championships event, the Bridgestone Invitational, and another couple of tournaments to accumulate enough points by Dec. 31. That's a tall order. Official World Golf Ranking points are based on a two-year span and gradually reduced. Woods currently has an average of 21.14 -- roughly double that of Mickelson -- and would finish the year with an average of 11.968. Projections indicate that if Woods remains idle, his ranking average wouldn't approach Mickelson's current 10.214 until just before next year's Masters.
Q. Can Tiger win the FedExCup again this season?
A. No. Even if Woods can hold onto first in the regular season standings -- he currently leads Phil Mickelson by 6,953 points --- he will have no shot at remaining No. 1 at the end of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. When the players are reseeded entering the Playoffs, Woods would only be 500 points ahead of second place and just 7,930 ahead of No. 144. A win at The Barclays, the first Playoff event, is worth 11,000 points and second 7,400 so Woods is sure to be supplanted. Even with Woods out of the mix, though, the man who wins the FedExCup will have played stellar golf. Projections indicate the winner of the $10 million bonus will probably need a victory and a top-five finish or two in the Playoffs. And for the record, as was the case last year when Bernhard Langer elected not to participate, the starting field for The Barclays will be 143 players. The 145th will not gain entry just because Woods is not able to play.
Q. How will Woods' absence affect the Ryder Cup?
A. Not even a clairvoyant would be able to predict whether the Americans can wrest back the cup for the first time since 1999. No one knows how the U.S. will respond to losing the man many believe is the best player in the history of the game. Woods mathematically sewed up a spot on Paul Azinger's team with his U.S. Open victory. Now, though, the automatic qualifiers will be the players who rank Nos. 2-9 in the standings and Azinger will still have four Captain's Picks.
Q. Will Woods still remain a member of the PGA TOUR even though he doesn't play the required 15 events?
A. Absolutely. He is now exempt through 2013 after winning at Torrey Pines since the majors carry a five-year exemption. And there is a clause in the PGA TOUR bylaws that allows players who miss part of the season due to injury to retain their voting membership.
Q. Can Tiger win the Vardon Trophy?
A. No. He needs a minimum of 60 rounds to win the award that goes to the pro with the lowest adjusted scoring average. Woods, who has won the Vardon Trophy seven of the last nine years, has only played 20 rounds this year. And while we're at it, the Byron Nelson Award for low scoring average -- which is adjusted based on the average score of the field -- is out, too, since the winner needs to have played 50 rounds. Woods has won the Byron Nelson Award eight of the last nine years, including the last three straight.
Q. What about the money list?
A. That's anyone's guess. But three times in the last four years, the man who has earned the Arnold Palmer Award that goes to the leading money winner has made more than $10 million -- and Woods picked up the trophy in 2006 with $9.9 million. Woods currently leads the money list with $5.7 million while Mickelson is second with $3.9 and Stewart Cink third with $3.7. Woods has won the Arnold Palmer Award eight of the last 11 years, including the last three.
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