Veteran toughness gave them edge in Playoffs
By John Maginnes, PGATOUR.COM Contributor
During a commercial in our PGA TOUR Network on SIRIUS XM broadcast of the BMW Championship -- because I would never text on the air -- I sent a message to Jerry Kelly with a list of players he should include on his Christmas card list. Within seconds, my phone buzzed. It was Kelly asking if he was in THE TOUR Championship. I told him I was pretty sure he was but there were still a couple of players who could affect his position.
I called Kelly back at the next commercial and told him that John Senden and Brandt Snedeker were still on the golf course but he was projected to finish 29th so he should be OK. Then I asked him why the heck he wasn't listening to the broadcast. After all, he was driving home to Madison from Chicago. He explained that the new car had Sirius but that he hadn't updated to the XM package that carries golf. He'll know better next time. When Senden finished he was behind Kelly, though, it was done -- Kelly was going to finish in the top 30 in points no matter what Snedeker did on the final hole. And we all remember what happened to Sneds, so nothing more needs to be said about that.
So I called Kelly back during the next break and he said that he had been on the phone with his wife -- who was listening on the radio -- and he knew he was headed to THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola in Atlanta. On Thursday, Kelly will play with Senden in the first group off of the No. 1 tee at East Lake. Although they have a mathematical chance of winning the FedExCup, it would take something of a miracle for either one of them to win. For both men, though, and frankly everyone in the field, just being there is quite an accomplishment.
Don't get me wrong, Kelly and Senden will both be trying to win the tournament. But the FedExCup is nearly out of their reach. Basically for either one to win the Cup they would have to win the tournament and Tiger would have to finish near the bottom of the pack -- and that is the remotest of all possibilities.
But for the final two guys in the field the reward is in making the field. Sure the money is nice, and not to be overlooked, but the accomplishment is what keeps veteran players going. In an era when the face of the TOUR, outside of Tiger, is Sergio Garcia, Camilo Villegas, Adam Scott and Anthony Kim there is still a lot of fight in the veterans. And, oh by the way, none of those young studs will be strutting their belt buckles, their hair or their movie-star good looks around East Lake this week.
This year, under the newly tweaked system, the veterans have shined. Sure there have been some great moves made by young guys like Dustin Johnson and Kevin Na. But the over-35 set has dominated these PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, as well as most of the season. No rookie won on the PGA TOUR this year and only one, Marc Leishman, even made it to the Playoffs. Beyond that there is almost an equal number of players in their 20s in the field at East Lake as there are players in the 40s.
The part of this equation that is most telling is actually in its simplicity. The veterans are adapting to this system quicker than the younger players. Part of the reason is this. For guys like Steve Stricker and Kelly or even Scott Verplank and Perry who are a little older, they have had to adapt throughout their careers. Players who played in the pre-Tiger era had to fight a little harder just to make ends meet. In 1996, which was Kelly's rookie year and Stricker's third full year on TOUR, it took exactly $167,682 to finish in the top 125 on the money list. Last place in Atlanta this week is $112,000 -- not bad for being the worst in the field. The times and certainly the money available to these players were different.
No one is complaining about increased visibility, purses and recognition: that would just be stupid. But the fact is that the game of golf has changed dramatically in so many ways -- mostly because the most recognizable athlete on the planet is a golfer. As a profession, it has changed almost entirely for the better.
It is probably true to say that it has never been harder for a young player to get to the PGA TOUR. But the fact is that these young guys can earn a living in the early stages of their careers playing somewhere other than the TOUR. As true as that is, it is a certainty that because of the veterans and their ability to adapt it has never been harder for the young guys to stay on top once they have gotten there. Guys like Perry, Verplank, Kelly and Stricker are not eager to be knocked down the totem pole. As a matter of fact, they are willing to fight tooth-and-nail to keep what they have earned. Much of that is based on the fact that from the beginning the hill that they had to climb had a lot less fruit on it to pick on the way up.
A year ago in Tiger's absence, with Villegas playing the best golf of his young career, and Kim a two-time winner on TOUR heading into the Playoffs, we were wondering who would narrow the gap on Tiger when he returned. The simple answer, in spite of the majors this year, is no one. He is still the most dominant force in the game. At this point in time, his challenge is from the game itself.
Remember five or six years ago when there was talk about the "Big Five" or the "Big Four?" You remember -- Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Phil Mickelson and Tiger. They are all here this week, out of reach of the bullets of the game's biggest young guns and in the company of stalwarts. This is the reason that we love this game. Because just when you think that you have it figured out, your game or someone else's, it jumps up and surprises you again.
Former PGA TOUR player John Maginnes is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.
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