Musings from The FedEx Cup Finale

The race for the FedEx Cup is finally over, having culminated in an exciting sudden death finish at THE TOUR Championship at East Lake. I worked the scoring area last week in Atlanta, and as far as work goes, it doesn't get any better for me...ten minutes from my house, a small field and late tee times every day. Compared to the 60+ hours a week I'm used to working, this tournament felt like a vacation!

Congrats to Vijay for not severely injuring himself or botching his scorecard at the Finale. As a result, the Big Fijian collected the $10 million FedEx Cup bonus after cruising around East Lake at 9-over par. Whereas Veej usually doesn't spend an abundance of time scrutinizing his card, last week I made sure we were both excessively thorough in checking his scores. Singh was especially laid-back and friendly in Atlanta...I guess when the pressure's off everyone gets a taste of Vijay's lighter side.

Out of the four guys in the hunt on Sunday afternoon, three (Garcia, Kim and Mickelson) competed in the emotionally draining Ryder Cup the week before. Which player had that week off? Your winner, Camilo "Fresh Legs" Villegas. Several members of the victorious American team admitted to me that their brains were fried, and they couldn't wait to take a break from the game.

I've always known he could flat-out play, but I've become a huge Anthony Kim fan after his Ryder Cup performance and swagger. Other people are adding him to their "new friends" list...after playing together in the third round, Kim and Sergio exchanged cell phone numbers in the scoring area. "I'd better give you my Euro number as well," said Garcia. "I plan on being over there for a while."

Finally, I talked college football with Mickelson and his caddie Bones after play on Saturday afternoon. They were headed over to Athens to take in the Georgia-Alabama game. When I asked Phil what he thought about the Crimson Tide getting seven points, he rolled his eyes. "Absolute tap-in," he offered. The man knows his football.

The Playoffs Are Here

Last week I was in the scoring trailer at The Barclays in New Jersey. Here are some random musings from the first event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs:

What are the odds that Sergio and Vijay both make long putts on the first extra hole to extend the sudden death playoff? I’ll bet my house against that one happening again. I saw Vijay in the parking lot after his victory and he said to me, “I told you I was the best, bro!” Uh, Veej, have you already forgotten about someone?

Ben Curtis, the laid-back Ohioan who has a clothing deal with the NFL, had a solid T-4 showing, alternating his wardrobe between Jets and Giants outfits. The results? Jets 71-70, Giants 68-68. After his final round, I asked him if he was more inspired by the Giants. Ben said, “I’m a Cleveland fan…period.”

On the Monday after the tournament, some colleagues and I headed east into Queens for the first round of the U.S. Open Tennis Championship. We hung out there with Bubba Watson, who had bought one of those oversized tennis balls and had his caddie Ted get Elena Dementieva’s signature on it (a caddie’s work is never done). I asked him why in the world he was so excited about this Russian’s autograph. “Are you kidding?” he replied. “This girl won the Olympic gold in Beijing! She’s amazing!” He’s telling me this while simultaneously exchanging casual text messages with Tiger Woods, the most famous athlete on the planet. It’s interesting just what impresses certain people.