As I alluded to in this post, there certainly doesn’t appear to be an off-season in Golf.

For hardcore fans of the game, this is wonderful. There is always something that you can watch, stream online, or catch-up on via Twitter. However, isn’t part of the excitement of other sports the waiting prior to a new season starting?

This past weekend saw the conclusion of baseball’s World Series; the San Francisco Giants triumphing in a four-game sweep over the favourited Detroit Tigers. So begins another off-season of questions, speculation, and excitement.

There is none of this in golf, as the world’s best always seem to be playing somewhere.

Perhaps a topic for another post.

For now, a catch-up on the recent golf happenings:

Fritsch fulfills his dream

Last weekend, Ottawa-native Brad Fritsch came to the end (or maybe it’s just the beginning) of a decade-long journey as a professional golfer. By finishing in the Top 25 of the season-long Web.Com Tour money list (18^th, officially) he earned full-status to the 2013 PGA Tour. Fritsch, who turned pro over ten years ago, is the first man from the Ottawa-region to earn such a status, and is far and away in sports story of the year in the nation’s capital.

Fritsch was nearly joined by fellow-Canuck Adam Hadwin, who shot a blistering 65 on Sunday to get into a tie for second with only one group left on the course. Hadwin, who began the day 48^th on the money list and needed to stay t-2 in order to advance, was ousted by a final-hole birdie from James Hahn. A valiant effort.

I had the pleasure of meeting Fritsch this past summer at the Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf & Country Club. Fritsch walked right into the media centre to speak to my friend and editor Scott Macleod and couldn’t have been nicer. He told a great story about how his hybrid was actually one that he purchased like you or I would: from eBay.

Jason Logan from SCOREGolf had a great Q&A with Fritsch the day after earning his PGA Tour card. Take a read here

Money Talks

Announced on Tuesday, Rory McIlroy and Acushnet will be parting ways at the end of 2012. Acushnet, the parent company of Titleist and FootJoy, have sponsored the wunderkind since he burst onto the golfing scene.

This opens the door for McIlroy to join any other sponsorship camp he so chooses, and the front-runner appears to be Nike. The golf world has been all atwitter the past few weeks with speculation; however, it seems that the Nike Golf proposal (10 years, $250 million) would be too good for a 23-year-old to pass up.

Perhaps the reason why it seems so much more realistic is because either a TaylorMade-Adidas or Cobra/PUMA offer haven’t got a dollar-amount attached. We’ll see where McIlroy ends up.

Some may feel that losing a star like McIlroy would be a blow to Titleist, but, they’re not a brand to hinge their success on just one player. They’ve let names like Woods, Mickelson,  and Garcia all go in the primes of their careers.

Titleist doesn’t need celebrity to promote its brand, the brand is strong enough to manage on its own. It has the R&D and loyal fan-base to continue to thrive. Nike Golf, though, needs its stars. Where would it be without Tiger Woods?

Titleist is to golf what Porsche is to cars. When was the last time you saw an ad for Porsche that featured a celebrity? There are countless forums devoted to Porsche, just as there is a ‘Team Titleist’ devoted to its products. The following is loyal.

The McIlroy signing for Nike – if it comes to fruition – will not be one to enhance it’s golf offerings, no, it will be another play by the biggest sports company in the world to get one of the biggest sports stars in the world to wear the swoosh.

McIlroy & Woods went head-to-head in China on Monday this week in what was dubbed ‘The Duel.’ Interesting, and candid, video from them here:  http://www.golfchannel.com/embedplayer/?v={8A552054-7D9C-4825-9E88-B1ADB2EFDF95}&dap=1

The Golf Lab

On Sunday, I was invited to attend a presentation by Jason Glass and Dr. Harry Sese at The Golf Lab in Vaughan.

Glass, the Canadian National Golf team’s strength & conditioning coach, and Dr. Sese put on a dynamic presentation aimed specifically at younger golfers who were looking at making it to the next level – however, there were some grey-hairs in attendance.

The talk was well-received. Glass shared with the audience a handful of strategies with respect to training regiments for golfers during the off-season, and Dr. Sese commented on proper stretching and body maintenance prior to tackling any kind of conditioning program.

“This is the future of golf,” said Glass. “No longer is it acceptable to get by on just technique. Today’s golfers are athletes. If you want to get to the highest level, you need to train at the highest level.”

Strong words for many in attendance, however, it was positive to see a full-house and knowing that the future of Canadian golf is bright. I tweeted some more of Glass’ most memorable quips.

Knowing that this kind of program was available to Team Canada players, and other members of elite facilities, it would be worthwhile for the governing bodies of golf in Canada to explore opportunities to include a basic training & conditioning program with the National Golf in Schools Program, CN Future Links, or other junior programs across the country.

Golf is not getting any cheaper, and this may be a good opportunity to give golfers looking to get to the next level what they need from a 360-degree training perspective, rather than have them pay more money for this kind of treatment.

The real star of the show was The Golf Lab facility. It was a golfer’s paradise and I’m looking forward to getting up there again to explore what else they have to offer. Aside from many large hitting bays, a short-game area, and a golf-specific gym overlooking the whole facility, they also do club-fitting and custom coaching.

Located in Vaughan, they are looking at expanding to a second facility in Oakville.

More information can be located here:  http://www.thegolflab.ca/

This post originally appeared at Flagstick.com here:  http://www.flagstick.com/equipment/index.php/ecco-continues-to-evolve-for-2013/

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When you think of ECCO, what do you think of?

If you’re like many North Americans, the images conjured up when envisioning the brand isn’t typically of high fashion and vibrant colours.

Fly around the world to Asia, though, and it’s deemed haute-couture.

Our European friends? Think of it as old-school.

ECCO has a grey-haired Fred Couples as its figurehead, but is attempting to break into the youth market.

Its best sellers are white and grey shoes, but it continues to pursue youthful colours.

ECCO is synonymous with many things: passion, quality, and timeless elegance. However, despite successful sales in Canada and abroad, and a product that remains the envy of many players in the golf shoe market, ECCO is struggling with its brand identity.

This isn’t to say that the sales aren’t there, in fact, ECCO is the ninth-ranked shoe company in Canada (all shoes, not just golf) by sales, and has sold 350 million pairs of shoes since it’s inception in 1963.

With the brand turning 50 next April, there is no time like the present for a brand revolution, and ECCO attempts to do this through its 2013 lineup.

This revolution began in April of 2010, with Couples wearing a hybrid shoe by ECCO (a golf shoe with no spikes, but instead a rubber tread on the bottom. Spikeless is a dirty word in ECCO terms) and contending for the lead after the first day.

The new look, non-traditional shoes, has continued to thrive from a sales and consumer reception perspective. The recent release of its new lineup of shoes shows the company is putting a heavy focus on hybrid styling, classic colours, and superior materials.

There are three shoe lineups for men – the BIOM hybrid, the BIOM golf, and the new Tour Hybrid – and three for ladies – also a BIOM hybrid, a BIOM golf, and Classic Hybrid – to compliment the existing Golf Street lineup and World Class GTX lineup.

All shoes are available in a variety of existing and new colours, as mentioned, but based on preliminary orders, it appears that the classic whites, blacks, and greys will once again be the most successful.

With an arsenal of technological research & development going into golf shoes these days, it was refreshing to hear Ecco go almost back-to-basics with its approach: quality leather, a high-technology waterproofing process, and extreme-comfort.

Simple, yet effective.

ECCO continues to use cowhide leather in some shoes, but the street shoes feature intriguing camel hide leather. The soft yak hide, though, is ECCO’s main differentiator. Because of the yak’s natural living environment, it has a very unique and individual look that differs from hide to hide, and this is evident in the shoes. It’s a very strong leather, but with its light weight, and high breathability, ECCO has found new use for it in its performance golf shoes.

The newest release, the Tour Hybrid, is indeed the standout of the 2013 collection. A classic shoe available in three traditional colours – black, white, and brown – The Tour Hybrid is set to continue the theme of justified performance out of a non-spike shoe that Fred Couples started at The Masters two years ago.

It’s a versatile wingtip shoe that ideally, according to Ecco, could be worn from the office, to the golf course, to the bar after the round and is chalk full of the technological advances and high-quality materials that Ecco stakes its reputation on.

It’s evident in the product, in the streamlined price points, and in the belief of non-sponsored tour pros wearing ECCO’s shoes purely because they feel they are the best option, that ECCO is going through a simplified revolution.

The revolution will be televised – ECCO continues to build a strong marketing community in social media, via targeted sponsorships, and with grass-root club sales – but there needs to be one brand vision behind what ECO is all about.

The product is very solid, as made evident by the release of the 2013 shoes, and hopefully ECCO will remain true to its mantra, “we want to be the best shoe company in the world,” moving forward.

The 2013 collection will be worn in competition by the likes of the aforementioned Couples, Graeme MacDowell, Thomas Bjorn, and Thorbjorn Oleson, to name a few. ECCO shows no slowly down with respect to the kinds of star-power it can attract to wear it’s product.

Despite the brand challenges, and the attempts at finding its place in the crowded shoe landscape, ECCO continues to do what ECCO does best: create shoes that let the quality speak for itself.

The new collection of Ecco golf shoes will begin to ship to Canadian retail outlets in late-winter, 2013. The suggested retail prices are: World Class GTX $495, BIOM Golf $300, Tour Hybrids $240, Golf Street Luxe $220, Golf Street Premiere $190. All ladies shoes are $10 less per pair, save for the World Class GTX (not available in ladies).

Whoever assumed that after the Ryder Cup, the golf season is essentially over would have been sadly mistaken.

For golfers around the world, and at home on Canadian soil, the storylines heading into the final 10 weeks of 2012 are set to be full of dramatics.

While some of the PGA Tour’s biggest stars are globetrotting in search of the biggest appearance fee paycheques, there are many who are grinding it out on a variety of stages in order to take their respective games to the next level.

Here is a quick snapshot at a few of those stories –

The Future of the Canadian Tour

Come Thursday morning, the future of the Canadian Tour will be decided. The rumour mill is swirling, but many are reporting that the “old” Canadian Tour will become the PGA Tour of Canada and a feeder system into the Web.com Tour, along with the PGA Tour of Latinoamerica. This would be great news for a struggling Tour, both from a monetary and awareness perspective. The PGA Tour and Canadian Tour are scheduling a teleconference on Thursday to discuss further details either way. Here’s hoping it’s something positive.

PGA TOUR Top 125

This is the final year of traditional Q-School so finishing in the coveted top 125 on the money list before the year’s last event at Disney is more important than ever. There are some big names hovering outside the bubble, but two Canadians remain safely inside the magic number – David Hearn and Graham DeLaet. The PGA Tour’s website is keeping a live projected money list page going up until the end of the year here, if you want to follow along.

Web.com Tour Top 25

Quite the exciting last few weeks for Ottawa-native Brad Fritsch, who was holding a share of the lead in two straight events, but struggled slightly on the weekends to fall back out of contention. That said, Fritsch is currently at no.22 on the Web.com Tour money list, and the top 25 at the end of the season in a few weeks will receive their  PGA Tour card. After missing the cut last week, Fritsch will need to play well down the stretch to stay within the top 25, as he is only $12,000 ahead of no.25. Other Canadians Adam Hadwin and Richard Scott are no’s 47 and 48 respectively and need big weeks in order to crack the top 25; however, they are in great position to regain Web.com Tour status for next year.

Canucks at Q-School

ScoreGolf Magazine has set up a great tracker to follow along with all the Canadians who are attempting to get to the PGA Tour via Q-School, the final year that this grind-it-out method will be used. Many Canucks are in great position at their respective qualifier sites to move on to the second stage including two-time Canadian Amateur champion Mackenzie Hughes, former Big Break champion David Byrne and Big Break finalist Kent Eger, and Eugene Wong, who won three professional starts in a row this summer.

OUA Golf Championships

The Ontario University Athletics golf championships took place earlier this week at Grey Silo Golf Club in Waterloo, host of this year’s LPGA Manulife Financial Classic. The Toronto Varsity Blues took the women’s title for the second time in four years, and the Western Mustangs won on the men’s side. Chris Hemmerich from Guelph, who finished as runner-up in the Canadian Men’s Amateur championship this summer, along with making it into the field at the U.S. Amateur, took the men’s individual honour at -5 (137) over the two days. At only 20 years old, Hemmerich will likely be a force at the OUA & CIS levels for at least a few more years. Based on the excitement of the Guelph coach, Brendan McLeod, you can expect the Gryphon’s to put forth a great effort next year at the National Championships.

City of Toronto’s Golf Course Struggles

The Toronto Star published this piece on Tuesday after a report was released by the City further examining the financial situations of the five municipal golf courses. Each of these courses hold a soft-spot in my heart, having grown up playing all of them, Dentonia Park & Don Valley especially. I was sad to see how much Dentonia had deteriorated in quality after returning there this summer after many years. But, given how busy Don Valley is through the summer, my assumption is that it makes up for the other struggling properties. The numbers reported don’t seem as drastic as intended, as after mentioning pretty severe dips in net profits, the projected net profits for 2012 are north of $1.3 million. Regardless, each of the golf courses provide City of Toronto residents with countless benefits that condominiums or other solutions (see: parking lot, grocery store, Wal-Mart) can not. Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday admitted in the piece that the courses just aren’t marketed as well as they could be, and that should be step one in order to help turn the fortunes of these golf courses around.

This post originally appeared on Flagstick.com here – http://www.flagstick.com/equipment/index.php/snead-legacy-carries-on-in-slammin-sam-beer/

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Some call Sam Snead the greatest golfer of all time, and it would be tough to argue against his 82 total PGA Tour victories as evidence to that. He won seven major championships, and played on seven Ryder Cup teams, is a Hall of Famer, and a lifetime achievement award winner.

Although he passed away in 2002, Snead’s legacy continues to live on.

And, thanks to the Slammin’ Sam Beer Company, it’s a legacy that can be poured in a glass or drank from a bottle – no matter your preference.

In July 2012 at The Greenbrier, a new craft-brewed American style lager was introduced called “Slammin’ Sam” inspired by the legend himself.

“It makes sense for Slammin’ Sam beer to be introduced here,” said Jeff Kmiec in July,  President and Managing Director of The Greenbrier Resort

“Sam Snead called The Greenbrier his professional home for more than 60 years and I think he’d be happy to know guests will savour a beer that bears his nickname.”

“Mr. Snead is an international sports icon, and our first priority was to create an amazing beer that honors his legacy,” says Casey Bierer, Founder and CEO of Slammin’ Sam Beer Company and a former producer-reporter with Golf Channel.

The beer itself – likely available in Canada in kegs, bottles, and cans in 2013 – is a light tasting lager that was brewed with Snead’s smooth demeanor in mind.

In fact, the tagline of the lager is the “smoothest beer in golf.”

It yields a clean taste and a balance finish. A comparable beer to a Moosehead or Mill St. Organic, Slammin’ Sam could very appropriately become the beer of choice for many golfers next year after a round on a hot summer day.

Beer-drinkers across Canada are met with an already crowded craft-beer market and specifically in Eastern Ontario, it’s Beau’s that has a strong hold on consumers.

According to a BMO Capital Markets study, craft beer sales have gone up 45 per cent year-to-year.

It will be interesting to see where Slammin’ Sam fits into the market when it’s introduced next year, however, with a clearly-identified target market and a solid product (see: delicious) do not be surprised to see Slammin’ Sam in the fridges of many Canadian golf courses come 2013.

And, in the hands of many Canadian golfers.

The word ‘intimidation’ has been thrown around a lot in golf in the last few weeks, and the embodiment of the word begins Friday in the form of the 39^th playing of the Ryder Cup, at Medinah Country Club in Chicago.

Golf is an intimidating game – ask anyone who has played for anything more than just a good time with friends – but it’s a solitary game. There are rare moments where the individual pressure one feels is multiplied, but the biennial Ryder Cup is one of those moments.

Beyond personal agendas, sponsorship, and prize money, the Ryder Cup sees players from two sides of the Atlantic come together in golf’s ultimate test, playing for their countries and their teammates.

For many years the Ryder Cup was a mere blip on the golfing calendar. A ho-hum matchup between the oft-talent laden American team against a usually weak Great Britain & Ireland team.

And then, on the legendary Jack Nicklaus’ suggestion, golf’s governing bodies decided to include all of continental Europe to the matches – Spain, Italy, etc –  and the times changed.

The European teams have been on an intimidating streak for many years. So much so, that the greatest golfer of the modern age, Tiger Woods, has only been on one winning American squad.

They’ve shellacked the Americans by nine full points – the largest margin of victory in the event’s long history – twice, both on home soil and in enemy territory.

There are only two players on the European team who sport losing records in overall Ryder Cup competition. Whilst on the American side, not a single member of their team has a winning record.

The Europeans also have in their possession “The Intimidator” himself, the number one player in the world, Rory McIlroy. A nickname coined by Tiger Woods, of all people, for young McIlroy after comments surfaced from the former number one Greg Norman saying that Woods was indeed “intimidated” by McIlroy.

Not so, said Woods in retort.

But now, a mere week after the media quarrel, the matches are set to begin. And the golf world waits to see if these titans will square off.

Will there be others who are intimidated, by the sights, the sounds, and the pressure?

Of course – take Luke Donald for instance. A hometown Chicago boy (although English, Donald now resides on the north-side of Chicago) and former world number one,  Donald pushed his opening drive at the 2004 Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills in Michigan 50 yards right of his intended target.

Talk about intimidation.

There will be a total of five rookies across both Ryder Cup teams – four on the United States team to only one on the European side – but most are battle tested champions in their own rights.

Will the nerves of these debuting men trump the skills that they have? Perhaps, but Davis Love III, the venerable captain of the American squad hungry for a victory, has the most intimidating factor of all going for him, in my opinion.

He set up the course to fit the eyes of his players, and I say, let them play. On Friday morning, send off the longest hitters in the world to do what they do best.

Love has at his disposal three of the top-15 longest hitters in the game, along with Tiger Woods, to send out off the first tee Friday to intimidate the Europeans with opening shots of incredible length.

Down the fairway, swagger in their step, past their competitors – “Bubba Long” and “Driver Love” may have originated as marketing slogans, but they may end up being the deciding, intimidating, factor to determine whom the trophy gets raised by on Sunday.

Perhaps it will come down to who is the least intimidated, or perhaps history will repeat itself once again. Either way, it will be a fun couple of days in the windy city.

Swing away, gentlemen.

I had a chance to visit the TaylorMade Performance Lab at Glen Abbey on September 15. Below is a selection of photos from my time there.

A story about my experience for Flagstick will be completed in the coming days.

Some would argue that you can’t put a price on something you love. But, the results are the newest National Allied Golf Associations (NAGA) consumer behavior study would suggest otherwise as the perception remains that golf is a game for the rich.

According to the study, the number of people who are entering the game is equal to the number of people leaving the game, raising concerns on how to right the ship for golf in Canada.

NAGA met with various members of the media on Wednesday at Golf Canada’s offices on the property of the swank Glen Abbey Golf Course to unveil the findings of the Canadian Golf Consumer Behaviour Study, formally pulled together by Navicom, a market research company.

The average golfer probably doesn’t know that NAGA exists, but it’s basically an organization of the prominent golf stakeholders in Canada, i.e. Golf Canada, the National Golf Course Owner’s Association of Canada, the PGA of Canada (etc), and unites them under common interests like research and government lobbying.

In 2009, NAGA released the Economic Impact of Golf in Canada study aimed at “helping the Canadian golf industry to better understand the current state of golf in Canada, as well as factors that influence the behaviour of consumers as they relate to golf.”

The current study – aimed at “helping the Canadian golf industry to better understand the current state of golf in Canada, as well as factors that influence the behaviour of consumers as they relate to golf” – was less than ground-breaking, and challenges remain.

I’m skeptical of the sample size of the study – 1,300 people – because if you can’t get a very high number of people to answer a survey about a game that nearly 6 million people play then that’s a problem in itself.

Golf in Canada is a brand, and the problem it’s having is a reflection of one that most brands are having these days: engagement is low.

If you read through the entire study you’ll notice the recommendation at the end is rather wishy-washy – getting golfers “playing more, following more, supporting more, and spending more.”

So, what does it all mean?

The conclusion leaves out the very question that should have been asked as soon as the first draft of the study was completed: How?

I disagree with some who suggest that shorter golf courses are the answer. Golf is a game rich in tradition, and it should stay that way. But the key word in that sentence for why the game is likely struggling to keep it’s audience engaged is “rich.”

The perception remains that golf is a rich person’s sport only.

For parents signing up their kids to join athletics, are they more likely to join the league with a one-time fee, or the one where they would have to pay each time their son or daughter would like to go out and play.

Some programs are already in place to address the issue of kids not entering the game early enough: Take a Kid to the Course Week and Golf in Schools for example, but does this leave the audience engaged? Or would they rather still play Angry Birds?

And as I alluded to earlier, the numbers of golfers coming in are equal to the number of golfers coming out.

It’s great to have these findings consolidated for the governing bodies and it’s members to review and debate, but now that the powers-that-be for golf in Canada are equipped with (surely expensive) results it’s time to put a coordinated plan in place.

Perhaps there is a financial solution on the horizon, but it would be up to the NAGA coalition to “work together on matters of mutual interest, and (promote) ways and means to grow the game of golf in Canada,” per its mandate.

The current situation may not be one of lipstick on a pig, but it’s clear that golf in Canada has a business problem, and no amount of studies will be able to help that.

It’s time for action, and to bring together the governing bodies of Golf in Canada under a common goal – to promote a great game with lifelong health, social, and environmental benefits to the rest of the population, young and old.

If you’d like to read the whole study, you can find it here

Want to read the full executive summary of the study? Click below for the PDF.

Executive Summary of the Canadian Golf Consumer Behaviour Study

Rory Revs Up a Win at the BMW Championship

Last week I gushed about Rory McIlroy’s convincing triumph at the second leg of the FedEx Cup, the Deutshe-Bank Championship. This week brings more of the same. McIlroy finished at -20 once again and trumped the field by two strokes. His second victory in a row marks the first time since 2009 that someone on the PGA Tour won in back-to-back weeks, and McIlroy’s victory at the BMW Championship all but locks up player-of-the-year honours for the young Ulsterman. McIlroy, who didn’t even have his ‘A’ game for most of the tournament, was still dominant in firing a 5-under 67 on Sunday to close out the tournament. Saturday was a pivotal day, as after playing with Tiger Woods for the first two rounds, McIlroy was able to ‘turn a 76 into a 69’ as he admitted on Twitter. It’s scary when even when he is not at his best he can still dust the best players in the world. A scenario reminiscent of a young Mr. Woods.

Tiger & Rory, BFFs?

After Thursday’s first round, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy stood side-by-side and conducted a post-round interview on the Golf Channel, together. In the 15 years of watching Tiger Woods play golf, I don’t think I had ever seen him conduct an interview with any other golfer (save for during team competitions). They were complementing each others games, bouncing conversation back and forth, and then proceeded to head into the clubhouse to move tables around and have lunch together. Tiger, the ever-steely eyed competitor, and Rory, the heir to the throne, had been paired together for the last few tournaments given their top standings in the FedEx Cup race. But, what they were giving fans was a glimpse into what golf is going to be like for the next 10 years. You want to win a major? You’re going to have to go through one or both of these guys. Woods sees in McIlroy the same thing that Jack Nicklaus saw in Woods: greatness. Woods was never one to pal around with his contemporaries (Els, Singh, Mickelson, Goosen, etc) but in the 23-year-old McIlroy, he now has a worthy adversary. Does Woods like seeing Rory take his lunch money the past two weeks? Definitely not, I’m sure. But, is this fueling the competitive fire in Woods once more? Absolutely. And golf fans are to benefit.

Canadian Round-Up

The Canadian Tour’s inaugural Great Waterway Classic at Smugglers Glen in Ivy Lea, Ontario took place this past week and a familiar face rose to the top. Eugene Wong, the winner of the Canadian Tour Championship three weeks ago, and the Vancouver Open last week, emerged victorious by one stroke. A wonderful start to Wong’s career, and a wonderful start to what should be a long relationship with the Tour and Eastern Ontario…Graham DeLaet & David Hearn both fell short of making to the Tour Championship after magical runs in these FedEx Cup playoffs however, DeLaet must be in the conversation for Comeback Player of the Year after missing most of 2011 with a back injury… the National Allied Golf Assocation (NAGA) is set to release findings from it’s Canadian Golf Consumer Behaviour Study on Wednesday… After last week’s t-2, Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch is one of the favourites heading into this week’s Web[dot]com Tour’s Albertsons Boise Open…Victoria, B.C.’s Kevin Carrigan won the final Golf Canada Championship last Friday at the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Point Grey Golf & Country Club in Vancouver.

The Grand Finale

After nearly 10 months of tournament golf, the ‘main’ PGA Tour season comes to a close next week at EastLake, for the Tour Championship (this week is ‘off’ as guys prepare for the Tour Championship, along with the Ryder Cup in two weeks). The top five guys in FedEx Cup points – who all can win the $10 million prize with a victory in Atlanta – are Rory McIlory, Tiger Woods, Nick Watney, Phil Mickelson, and Brandt Snedeker. Mathematically, any of the remaining 30 guys can win the FedEx Cup – Bill Haas was ranked 25^th before winning it all last year – but it’s likely to come down to one of the top guys. Hard to bet against McIlroy at this point, but Woods or Dustin Johnson (who has finished in the top-6 in the previous three Playoff events) would be great picks.

Regardless of outcome, look for just one more ‘Tuesday Tee-Off’ column to come prior to the Ryder Cup in Chicago before shutting down until January. It’s been a fun weekly post to do!

McIlroy’s Monday Triumph

Rory McIlroy won for the third time in 2012 at the BMW Championship, surviving the pressure of some of the world’s best for a one-stroke Labour Day victory. On a day when some of the U.S. Ryder Cup team hopefuls – Dustin Johnson, Brandt Snedeker – and some longtime team members – Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson – were giving chase, the 23-year-old Ulsterman stood his ground despite some uncharacteristic mistakes. McIlroy is now the front-runner for Player-of-the-Year honours, and leads the FedEx Cup into the second-to-last playoff event this week. McIlroy joined the aforementioned Woods as the only three-time winners on the PGA Tour this season, and, if it had not been for McIlroy’s untimely slump during a key stretch of the year, he may have even more titles. McIlroy was able to hold off the former British Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen who shot a blistering 63 on Sunday to leapfrog most of the field. A pleasure to watch the pairing of McIlroy-Oosthuizen, which, as Gary Van Sickle from Sports Illustrated says here, could be the start of another long-term rivalry between to young major champions.

Davis’ Decision

Ever since 2008, when Paul Azinger totally revamped the selection process for U.S. Ryder Cup captains, it seems as though the talk about who will be Captain’s Picks has been drawn out longer – done scientifically of course, to make sure to select to the players who will be going into the matches playing the hottest golf. But, the past two editions of the bi-annual competition have not come down to this much scrutiny into the eleventh hour. Who will be picked, and who will be left off this year’s team? It seems as though Steve Stricker is a lock to join the team, he’s consistent, a great putter, a veteran presence and a wonderful partner for Tiger Woods. He’s also been playing pretty good golf all year long – hard to find a reason not to pick him. Dustin Johnson and Brandt Snedeker have both played great golf the last couple of weeks to prove that they are coming in hot, an advantage for Davis Love – this year’s captain – to see how things have played out the last few tournaments. This now leaves three players in line for the fourth and final pick, Hunter Mahan, Jim Furyk, and Rickie Fowler. Although my gut says Furyk – another veteran player, and, he did go 5-0-0 in the 2011 President’s Cup – I’m going to say that Love picks Hunter Mahan. Mahan finished ninth in points, has two wins on the year, and will be ready to extract revenge after costing the team the cup in 2010.

Canadian Round-Up

A great showing from Ottawa-native Brad Fritsch on the Web[dot]com Tour this week. Save for one poor round – Saturday’s one-over 72 – Fritsch was dialed-in and was in contention for most of the week. Instead, he finished t-2, making his largest paycheque of the year. A couple more finishes like this week’s, and he’ll be well on his way to earning his 2013 PGA Tour card…This past weekend was the inaugural Patriot Golf Day in Canada in support of the True Patriot Love foundation – supporting members of the Canadian military and their families – a wonderful cause, and it will be interesting to see the results, especially considering the perfect weather…The Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship kicks off this week in Vancouver, American Rob Couture defends…The inaugural Great Waterway Classic begins Thursday at Smuggler’s Glen Golf Club in Gananoque It’s the final stop for the 2012 Canadian Tour and should be a great event on a great course…

BMW Championship heads to Crooked Stick

The PGA Tour heads back to Crooked Stick for the first time since the 1991 PGA Championship, won by then-unknown John Daly. It will be interesting to see the changes done in the 20-odd years since Daly’s PGA triumph on the Pete Dye masterpiece. The BMW Championship is the third leg of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs, and only the top 70 have advanced this far – before another cut to the top 30 to play in the Tour Championship. There’s no cut to the event, so even more motivation to get to this event for some of the guys who are fighting for a tour card for 2013. Two Canadians – David Hearn and Graham DeLaet – remain in strong positions to get to the Tour Championship (ranked 58^th and 60^th respectively; will play together for the first two rounds at the BMW) but will both need very good showings this week. I really like Bud Cauley or Bo Van Pelt this week. Both have been on an impressive top-10 streak through 2012, but neither have got over the hump. No time like the present.