Tour is on course for landmark year

Molokai in one direction. Lanai in the other. Blue sky above. Pulsating warmth all around. It's a priceless slice of Pacific paradise called Maui, which is as fitting a spot as possible to unwrap a 2007 PGA Tour season that will provide more than $300 million in prize money.

Just 60 days removed from the final shot of the 2006 schedule, the Mercedes-Benz Championship gets under way today on the Plantation Course at the Kapalua Resort, the start of a 2007 season that is being advertised as "a new era in golf." Of course, it's setting sail without some old hands. Tiger Woods remains on vacation, Phil Mickelson is in self-imposed exile, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen did not qualify for the winners-only event, and neither did John Daly -- who, come to think of it, didn't even qualify for the 2007 season, though that's another story.

The story that matters involves a new, season-long points competition that culminates with playoffs consisting of four tournaments, one of which will be the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston in Norton over Labor Day weekend. The FedEx Cup will divvy out $35 million to the 144 players who make the playoffs, $10 million going to the points winner. All that money will be in addition to the regular weekly purses that will total close to $270 million, so this isn't the PGA Tour Paul Runyan knew in 1934 when he topped the money list with a whopping $6,767.

What remains to be seen is whether it's even the PGA Tour that Woods has come to know for the past 11 seasons.

"It's all new to us and we've never had a playoff system before," said the incomparable one a few weeks ago at his end-of-year Target World Challenge in California. It was an unofficial event, but it ended as most official ones do: Woods the winner. His (official) PGA Tour victory streak, which began at the British Open last July, is at six, but instead of pursuing No. 7 amid warm trade winds and swaying palm trees, Woods opted for a family vacation in knee-high snow.

Critics have pounced, but there is a picture larger than these first four days of the season, one that Woods is able to grasp. There's a new landscape, which for players of Woods's caliber is overloaded at the end. So if you accept that he's only going to play 18-20 times a year and you ask him to play heavily in August and September -- as the PGA Tour hierarchy is doing -- then guess what. Something's got to give, though Woods concedes he's still figuring it all out.

"We've never had big events basically every month," he said. "I don't quite understand it yet. I know the fields are shrinking in the playoffs, which I think is what the playoffs should do. It's more of a curiosity, I think, for all of us. We're all going to go through this new experience together, and it will be interesting to see how the players handle it."

Today, the 2007 PGA Tour season officially becomes a work in progress, a 45-week, 47-event production with several acts.

Act I

1. Birthdays were in the holiday air -- his 31st last Saturday, wife Elin's 27th New Year's Day. But what grabbed headlines was word of another birthday, that of the couple's first child. No due date was announced, only that it will be "this summer." How will impending fatherhood affect his game? Remember the stories about whether marriage would slow him down? Woods was ranked No. 3 the day he got married (Oct. 5, 2004), and all he's done since then is win 14 of his 37 PGA Tour starts, cop four majors, and put himself so far in front in the world rankings that No. 2 (Jim Furyk) can see Mars easier than Woods. Remember the stories that suggested Woods would struggle in the aftermath of his father's death? He shook off the rust in two events, then won six straight, including two more majors. How are those doom-and-gloom theories holding up?

2. If the due date sits around either of the marquee summer stops -- the US Open (June 14-17) or British Open (July 19-22) -- don't be surprised if they play without him at Oakmont and Carnoustie.

3. Is it disconcerting that Woods isn't in attendance at Kapalua? Sure, but this PGA Tour season is all about the finish, not the start. If Woods plays in all four playoff events or, more ambitiously, six of seven weeks starting in August, then it's a huge win for commissioner Tim Finchem & Co.

4. His PGA Tour winning streak is at six, and the bid to stretch it will come Jan. 25-28 at the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif.

5. So what's in store for Woods in 2007? How about six wins, including the Masters and US Open? That will give him 14 career majors, four shy of the Jack Nicklaus record that motivates him the most.

Act II

1. In addition to millions of dollars in purses, players will receive "points" based on their finish each week. At the end of the 34th week, the top 144 players on the points list will qualify for the playoffs, which will consist of four tournaments. Playoff No. 1 will be the Barclays at Westchester CC in New York. After this tournament, only the top 120 players on the points list will advance.

2. Playoff No. 2 will be the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston. That week, 50 players will be eliminated as only the top 70 on the points list will move on.

3. Playoff No. 3 will be the BMW Championship in Chicago, at which time the points list will be trimmed to 30, all of whom will move on to the following week's Tour Championship at East Lake GC in Atlanta.

4. The winner of the FedEx Cup will receive $10 million, but it will be an annuity. Rank-and-file members grumbled, suggesting that cash would be better. Their case was rejected by PGA Tour stars, most of whom don't have room in their bank accounts for $10 million and actually understand what an annuity is. (Somehow, it doesn't seem the same as pro shop chits.)

5. There's no guarantee that the $10 million carrot will entice the behemoths to play all four "playoff games," but you've got to give Finchem credit for adding spice to what had become a very stale landscape.

Act III

1. Masters, April 5-8: Indeed, a tradition like no other.

2. Players Championship, May 10-13: New date, new conditions to treasured venue, hopefully better weather for the best tournament field of the season.

3. British Open, July 19-22: Presumably, the rough has been cut from the 4 feet it was in 1999 and fairways will be wider than Jesper Parnevik's waist. If the Royal & Ancient has a sense of humor, it will extend an exemption to Jean Van de Velde right now.

4. Deutsche Bank, Aug. 31-Sept. 3: Provincial, yes, but for four Labor Day weekend days, local fans have passionately supported this event, despite suspect fields. Now it's part of the playoff series, which means Woods should have plenty of top 20-ranked company, and Deutsche Bank CEO Seth Waugh will get rewarded with the world-class show to match his world-class commitment and diligence.

5. Tour Championship, Sept. 13-16: If a serious buzz envelops East Lake GC, then the FedEx Cup can be considered a success because this all-star gathering has truly been a sleepwalk in years past.

Act IV

1. Can Mickelson put Winged Foot behind him? Some suggest he'll never recover from the double bogey at the 72d hole that squandered his one-shot lead in the US Open and cost him a third straight major win. Certainly, he played like a beaten man from that point as in five starts he missed one cut and didn't finish better than T-16. My guess: He's just aloof enough to deny that Winged Foot ever happened and will proceed to play well.

2. Is Els serious about being No. 1? Now ranked fifth in the world, the big man said, "I've got to give myself a three-year stretch to try to approach [Woods], and I really believe I can do it." To some, Els is loopy to entertain such a thought, but here's hoping he puts his business and financial interests aside and focuses on his game, for at 37 he's in his prime and an immense talent who has the tools to challenge Woods. My guess: He'll win early in 2007 to make a statement.

3. Where are all the Americans? They are 1-2-3 in the world order (Woods, Furyk, Mickelson), but there's little else to crow about. Currently, only 14 of the top 50 are Americans, and even the PGA Tour's money list is not their personal domain anymore because in 2006, 40 of the top 125 were foreign-born. That's a whopping 32 percent. My guess (actually, it's advice to those American players who love to whine about this stuff): The landscape is here to stay, so play better.

4. Will viewers overload on Nick Faldo? The major champ-turned-TV analyst will be on The Golf Channel, CBS, and even ABC for its one remaining golf event, the British Open. My guess: He'll be fine and it's going to be a joy listening to him meld with David Feherty, who just so happens to be the best in the business.

5. So when the FedEx Cup ends at the Tour Championship, the season's over? Be serious, it will only be Sept. 16. The marquee guys can call it quits -- or head overseas for huge appearance fees -- but blue-collar players will have what is being termed "the Fall Finish" -- seven tournaments with purses ranging from $3.5 million to $ 6 million.

Act V

1. Daly at 40, believe it or not. Without full-exempt status for the first time since 1991, he's at the mercy of tournament directors, and guess what. They're lined up as if it's PS3 time. Reportedly, Daly has 29 sponsor's exemptions, the first of which he'll use next week at the Sony Open in Hawaii. It's the ultimate great break for a guy who doesn't necessarily deserve it, but he remains one of golf's biggest attractions.

2. Justin Leonard fell to 109th on the money list after having been ranked between 5 and 22 in 10 of the previous 11 campaigns. Too young (34) and too talented to be that low.

3. Brad Faxon won't blame knee surgery for his indifferent 2006 campaign, but he's 44 and has slipped to No. 162 in the world order, so he's got his work cut out for him.

4. Lee Janzen, 42, is a two-time US Open champion who in 2006 cashed in his one-time exemption for being top 50 on the career money list. After he finished 146th on the money list, his spots in 2007 will not be as plentiful, so the pressure is on.

5. David Duval showed flashes of his old form in 2006, but was eventually undone by a lack of confidence and finished 172d on the money list. At 35, he'll take full-exempt status for being inside the top 25 in career money and continue to search for the game that was good enough to win a major, 12 other PGA Tour events, and the No. 1 spot in the world rankings.

Act VI

1. If you need a rock-solid fantasy pick -- other than the logical ones -- may I suggest Lucas Glover, Justin Rose, and Ryan Moore. If you want an unheralded one, rookie Brandt Snedeker has untapped potential.

2. It's been a PGA Tour staple since 1952, so it was nice to see the Hartford stop saved from near death. Now sponsored by St. Paul Travelers, the tournament in Cromwell, Conn., gets the date right after the US Open (June 21-24), not to mention a host of improvements to the facility at TPC River Highlands. A nice win for the loyal folks of Hartford.

3. Alas, there won't be joy everywhere. Moving to the week before the Masters will hurt the stop in Houston and being slotted in late April could sting the EDS Byron Nelson Championship, since it precedes two marquee attractions -- Wachovia and The Players Championship.

4. The best non-PGA Tour event? It's hard to argue against the Dubai Desert Classic (Feb. 1-4), which annually seems to provide great drama. Of course, having Woods in the field helps.

5. Tell me Sergio Garcia has burned or discarded that banana-colored outfit he wore on Sunday of the British Open and the 2007 landscape will already be looking better.

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