Numbers add up for Deutsche Bank field

If they were going to sell their FedEx Cup schedule in 2007 as coming complete with end-of-season "playoffs," PGA Tour officials and players conceded there had to be some sort of elimination process.

It was known that 144 players would qualify for the FedEx Cup, based on a season-long points race, the question was: How were they going to pare the fields?

When the answer was delivered the other day, officials of the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston in Norton felt as if they secured a victory of sorts, because they were given a field of 120 players. The annual Labor Day weekend event will sit second in the playoff rotation, behind the 144-player Barclays Classic in Westchester, N.Y., but before the BMW Championship in Chicago, which will have a 70-player field. The fourth and final "playoff" tournament, one that will produce a $10 million winner, will be the Tour Championship (Sept. 13-16) in Atlanta, which will have just 30 players.

"I like it because in a sense it creates more atmosphere," said Seth Waugh, CEO of Deutsche Bank. "They went a little further [with the pare-back] than I thought they'd go, but I'm OK with it. I really like where we are in the rotation, and having 120 players is better than 70."

Since the FedEx Cup offers a new landscape to the PGA Tour, there is much speculation as to how players will respond. Will the marquee names, as officials hope, commit to all phases of the playoff series? Or, once they realize they're not in serious contention to win the top prize in the FedEx Cup, will they opt out of a playoff event or two? Waugh has studied the scenarios and considers the Deutsche Bank strategically placed, so that he's confident TPC Boston will not only have its annual visit from Tiger Woods, but also from the bulk of the world's top-ranked players.

"If we get something like 18 of the top 20, that will really be uplifting," said Waugh, whose commitment to the event has been unsurpassed since the debut of the DBC in 2003. "It will be a great atmosphere."

Eric Baldwin, the championship director, was also thrilled by the news, viewing 120 players as providing the potential for a grander show than the limited 70, while still lending a playoff atmosphere since 50 players at TPC Boston will be trying to avoid elimination.

"I think it makes for a more compelling tournament," said Baldwin, who already has been fielding inquiries about tickets, but on that front, folks will have to be patient. There will be a one-month window in the spring when former ticket buyers will have first crack, after which they will be opened up to the public.

When you discuss offseason moves, give a gold star to the folks at the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund, because they have hit a grand slam with news that Jack and Barbara Nicklaus have agreed to be guests of honor at the group's 58th annual banquet May 14. The game's greatest champion and its undisputed first lady will receive the 12th annual Francis Ouimet Award for lifelong contributions to golf and there aren't two better choices. Jack's record, of course, is impeccable and well documented, but it's generally agreed by those who've been blessed to meet Barbara that she is unmatched when it comes to dignity. The event usually attracts 1,500 people, but there's little doubt tickets will be harder to come by this time around.

The second stage of PGA Tour Qualifying School teed off yesterday at three sites, one of which (in Dade City, Fla.) features a healthy list of local names. Of those, Brookline's James Driscoll fared best, his 5-under-par 67 leaving him tied for second in a field that will see the top 20 and ties advance. Former University of Rhode Island standout Michael Sims opened with a 68, while Rhode Islander Patrick Sheehan and Jason Caron of South Yarmouth each shot 69. Weston's Jamie Neher opened with a 72, Fran Quinn of Holden shot 73, and Pembroke native Kevin Johnson stumbled out of the blocks with a 76 . . . Three more second-stage sites will commence today, including one in Panama City, Fla., where the field will include Andover's Rob Oppenheim; Pat Bates, who spent his teenage years in Manchester-by-the-Sea; and John Elliott of Bristol, Conn. In Beaumont, Calif., Ron Philo Jr., the longtime NEPGA standout, will compete . . . Michael Capone and Notah Begay had similar predicaments: commitments at tournaments in different countries on different tours at the same time. Obviously it wasn't going to work, but they each took a different route -- Capone, the native of Cranston, R.I., left Europe; Begay, the four-time PGA Tour winner and collegiate roommate of Woods at Stanford, called in his regrets to the United States. Neither one can be blamed since there was horrible weather in southern Spain that forced organizers of the final stage of the European PGA Tour Q School to extend the tournament through today -- it was supposed to end Tuesday. Thus were Capone and Begay backed into a spot, since they have second-stage assignments at PGA Tour qualifying starting today. When Capone opened with a 79 in Europe, the decision was made for him: He withdrew and is in McKinney, Texas. When Begay started well, he chose to stay there and withdraw from the US site in Panama City. Thus far, it's been a wise move. Begay is at 10-under 350 heading into today's sixth and final round, firmly in third place. Barring a collapse, he will play the European Tour in 2007, something he wanted to do after a seven-year career on the US tour started brilliantly (four wins in his first two seasons), but faded thanks to a long stretch of back pain. Why Europe? "To travel the world and meet new people," said Begay, a Native American. "Throughout those travels, I know there will be plenty of opportunities to educate people about Native American history and culture." . . . What would this time of year be without some sort of Q School nightmare story? This week's entry belongs to Aaron Barber, a journeyman best known for being one of Annika Sorenstam's playing competitors at the Colonial in 2003. At the first stage in Durham, N.C., he was cruising along at 5 under through 54 holes, three off the lead and easily within the cut line. Heck, he could have shot 82 on the final day and advanced. But, you guessed it, he shot 83, the agony completed by a head-shaking finish: 21 shots over three holes to miss the cut by one.

Sergio Garcia is in danger of going winless anywhere in the world for the first time since 2000, and if it happens he'll have to point to his inability to play solidly in the fourth round. Another chance slipped away last Sunday, this time in Japan, where the precocious Spaniard led through 36 holes at the Taiheiyo Masters but shot 72-77 on the weekend and wound up joint 19th. Garcia's final-round scoring average on the PGA Tour this year was a dismal 72.92 to rank 181st. At least he's consistent since he ranked 97th, 95th, and 174th the previous three campaigns. He's too great a talent not to address this flaw . . . John Daly, when asked if golf should administer drug tests: "If they want to do it, it's fine with me. As long as there's alcohol not involved. Don't test us for alcohol, please."

You've got to hand it to the Bank of America and the folks who run the annual Bank of America Championship. Remember June, when their yearlong work was washed away by record rain? Well, while they didn't play one shot in the Champions Tour event, it didn't stop officials from donating $418,000 to Nashawtuc Charities, Inc. "When Nashawtuc CC was under water," said tournament director Tracy West, "we committed ourselves to ensuring that the charitable organizations would not suffer." . . . The 10th annual Fordie's Shootout will be held Nov. 26 with a shotgun start at Hyannis GC. Fordie Pitts, co-owner of the club and as passionate a golfer as you'll find, came up with the idea and its unique Cape Cod Scramble format. For information, call 508-362-2606.

Jim McCabe can be reached at jmccabe@globe.com.