Take two: PGA TOUR Playoffs for FedExCup return

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Throughout a four-week period in late 2007, the Cinderfella Steve Stricker experienced a gamut of emotions, seemingly in the bat of an eye. He was in the midst of the steadiest run of his career. He shunned post-round practice sessions to save energy and slept in for later tee times as he pursued golf's newest Holy Grail, the FedExCup.

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After four exciting weeks, Tiger Woods raised the FedExCup for the first time ever.

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Week one: Paramus
Week two: Boston
Week three: St. Louis
Week four: Atlanta

He was rubbing competitive elbows with longtime friend, and the world's best golfer, Tiger Woods. The Wisconsin native was earning a new appreciation for his precise golf game.

This was Stricker during the inaugural PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, finishing in the top-10 in three consecutive tournaments, including an emotional victory at The Barclays, his first TOUR win in six years. He was an example of how the Playoffs made a distinct impact on the end of the golf season. Suddenly, he was famous and on the way to placing second in the FedExCup and taking an unprecedented second consecutive PGA TOUR Comeback Player of the Year honor.

"This stretch of four right here has been a little bit of a whirlwind, but it's been so much fun," Stricker said at the 2007 TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. "I've enjoyed it. I feel like I've grown as a player and I've learned a lot again. It's been great."

What more could the golf world ask for as the conclusion to a first season of Playoffs: a Cinderella winning and contending for the title, a battle between titans (Phil Mickelson vs. Woods at the Deutsche Bank Championship) and the top-ranked player catching fire at the end to win two tournaments and the first FedExCup?

The second season of the PGA TOUR Playoffs is here again, with the Regular Season standings giving a slight advantage to the leaders. Some changes have been made to the four-tournament conclusion, including:

• A two-week break between the third tournament -- the BMW Championship -- and the finale, THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, to allow for the playing of the Ryder Cup.

• Two new golf courses -- Ridgewood Country Club for The Barclays and Bellerive Country Club for the BMW Championship -- and a refurbished East Lake Golf Club for THE TOUR Championship.

• The points allotment during the Playoffs has been tweaked to increase volatility, enabling players to move up faster if they play well and giving more players a realistic chance to win the FedExCup, thereby creating more Stricker-like stories.

• The distribution of the $35-million FedExCup bonus pool will no longer be 100 percent deferred. This year, $16.5 million in cash will be paid to the top-10 finishers, with the maximum tax-deferred payment amount $1 million to the winner of the FedExCup, who will also receive $9 million in cash for a $10-million first-place payout.