Golf Tidbits: Is winning FedExCup worth it?

There have been tweaks to the point system, and there may be more to come.

Would it surprise you to learn that just two of the first five FedExCup
winners won a PGA Tour event the year after winning the season-long race?

How about two of the previous five champs haven't won another PGA Tour event
since their FedExCup win?

The FedExCup wasn't set up to be a grueling marathon where you have to play
every week to contend, but it seems to have taken a lot out of its' winners,
except for one.

Tiger Woods, the only two-time FedExCup champion and current points leader, is
the only player to have an outstanding year the season after winning the race.

After Woods won the inaugural FedExCup in 2007, he won five of the seven
events he played in 2008 and never finished worse than fifth. Of course, he
only appeared in seven events because he played the U.S. Open on a broken leg
and took the rest of the year off.

That was Woods' last major championship.

In 2008, two of Vijay Singh's three wins were during the playoffs and they
propelled him to victory in the FedExCup. And he hasn't won since!

Singh followed the FedExCup with just three top-10 finishes the following
season, along with six missed cuts. He wasn't a factor at the four majors and
three World Golf Championship events.

Woods claimed his second FedExCup in 2009, but everything went downhill for
him two months later when he had his Thanksgiving traffic accident.

He didn't play until the Masters in 2010 and tied for fourth at Augusta. Woods
did the same at the U.S. Open, but he missed the cut at Quail Hollow after
posting rounds of 74-79. His total of 153 was his worst as a professional.

Jim Furyk, like Singh, hasn't won a PGA Tour event since winning the 2010
FedExCup. He had more missed cuts (seven) than top 10s (four) in 2011. He's
gotten back into he mix this year, but has coughed up the U.S. Open and the
WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Reigning FedExCup champ Bill Haas carried the momentum into this season as he
collected four top-20 finishes in his first five starts, including a win at
the Northern Trust Open.

Since that quick start, Haas has just two more top-20 finishes and has missed
four cuts.

Entering the final regular-season event, Haas ranks 25th on the FedExCup
points list. He is in danger of becoming the fifth straight reigning FedExCup
champ to fail to qualify for the following year's Tour Championship.

The $10 million prize for winning the FedExCup is a huge boost, but it also
seems to carry a heavy burden that hurts the winner the next year.

IS WESTWOOD PANICKING?

After a poor performance at the PGA Championship, Lee Westwood has dropped
both his swing coach and his temporary caddie.

Westwood's normal looper, Billy Foster, blew his knee out while warming up for
a soccer match in early May.

The Englishman could be panicking, or just looking for a new voice both on the
bag and with his swing. Since winning the Nordea Masters the week before the
U.S. Open, Westwood's results have gotten progressively worse.

He shared 10th at the U.S. Open, tied for 40th at the Open de France, shared
45th at the British Open, took 70th in a 79-player event at the WGC-
Bridgestone Invitational, then missed the cut at the PGA Championship.

The FedExCup playoffs are looming next week and the Ryder Cup is at the end of
September, which makes the timing of these moves is a little curious.

Known as one of the best players without a major championship, Westwood should
have waited until after the Ryder Cup to start with these changes. The last
thing he needs to be doing at those matches is trying to groove a new swing.

To each his own, but I think he should waited.

MINI-TIDBITS

* Many players have their own causes or charities that they back. It's good to
see them give back in times of tragedy too. Arjun Atwal, a native of India &
Sikh, made a donation to the fund that will help the victims of the Sikh
shooting in Wisconsin.

* Among those on the outside looking in right now for the FedExCup playoffs
are Retief Goosen, Chris DiMarco, Stewart Cink, John Daly, Stuart Appleby and
Camilo Villegas — all of whom are between 126th and 146th on the points list.