The PGA TOUR’s FedExCup looked to be a great success this year, with it all culminating in a heart thumping playoff between Hunter Mahan and Bill Haas at East Lake Golf Club at the Tour Championship for all the marbles.
$11.4 worth of marbles.
Since they started I have been skeptical of these ‘playoffs,’ but I have to tip my cap to the PGA TOUR for their hard work in getting it all to make sense. With the FedExCup as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, it all worked for me. The golf was very good, the players were into it and we witnessed one of the most clutch shots ever seen in a playoff (since Craig Parry holed a 6 iron at Doral to win on the Blue Monster). Bill Haas’s blast from the water’s edge to 2 feet on the 2nd playoff hole wasn’t just great – it was a “make-you-stand-up-and-shout-NO-WAY!” type of shot. Reminiscent of Mickelson’s 6 iron from the pine needles on 13 at Augusta National during the final round of the 2010 Masters Tournament.
Bill Haas is the second child of my great friends, Jay and Jan Haas, so I couldn’t be happier for them. Watching Bill win brought back fond memories of when, as young TOUR families traveling with our children and no PGA TOUR-sanctioned day care options, we all literally babysat each others kids while we competed during the weeks. The Haas’, along with Curtis Strange’s, Craig Stadler’s, DA Weibring’s, Keith Fergus’ and other children became as dear to us as our own. So Bill’s win was surely shared by many of his ‘adopted’ parents around the golf world. And I’m sure his victory pleased them all.
