Finchem: Tweaks in cards

NORTON - Two weeks into the first playoff tournaments in PGA Tour history, Tim Finchem has caught on to the catch word bandied about by players and media members.

Tweaked.

As in, the FedEx Cup points system needs to be tweaked.

The PGA Tour commissioner smiled.

"It's a bright concept, but for us, we always assumed it would be tweaked. It's not like a golf tournament where there are a lot of moving parts.

"But I'm not prepared to say what those tweaks will be."

Instead, Finchem wants to see this week's Deutsche Bank Championship played out, as well as next week's BMW Championship and the Sept. 13-16 Tour Championship, which is when the first FedEx Cup winner will be presented a $10 million annuity. Finchem stood behind the 16th green to watch Tiger Woods play his pro-am yesterday and the commissioner made sure to greet Deutsche Bank CEO Seth Waugh - and not just because the man who has offered the financial commitment to this tournament had drilled a tee shot within 10 feet.

No, Finchem was genuinely impressed with the overall look to things at TPC Boston, especially the enthusiastic crowd.

"It is," said Finchem, "a great sports town."

And the FedEx Cup system, he insisted, is "fundamentally good, but lots of little things could be better."

Vacation mode

With Woods having skipped the playoff opener, the Barclays, and Ernie Els this week, it's only natural to wonder if other heralded names are contemplating similar moves.

Players have all been cautious about committing to all four, the word "intent" being thrown around quite often. Phil Mickelson, who is playing the Deutsche Bank Championship for the first time, has constantly been asked his plans for the FedEx Cup playoffs. He was asked again after shooting 2-under-par 69 in the pro-am. "I'm certainly planning on it," said the lefthander, who left the door wide open, however.

"It has been a long stretch of golf, not just [the Bridgestone Invitational] and the PGA with only a week off, but Washington, D.C. [the AT&T National], the Scottish Open, and the British Open with only a few days off, and the culmination of the season. I am thinking seriously about taking a week off."

Money well spent

Don't tell K.J. Choi that golfers get everything for free. Ranked second in the FedEx Cup standings and a two-time winner in 2007, the South Korean credits much of his recent success to a big grip putter that he saw on an infomercial more than a year ago. It took Choi a while to have the nerve to use it, because it looks awkward, but it's done wonders for his putting, which has in turn improved his results. "It was $39.99," said Choi, whose interpreter, Michael Kim, interjected: "Two payments of $19.99." Choi acknowledged that he paid for it, though that was nothing new. He said he had paid for putters on other occasions. "I pay full price. No discounts," he said . . . Choi likes the way the PGA Tour is grouping players for these playoff events - by virtue of their FedEx Cup standings. Thus will Choi go off with Nos. 1 (Steve Stricker) and 3 (Rory Sabbatini) at 8:22 a.m. from tee No. 10 this morning. Right in front of them is another great pairing - Jim Furyk, Adam Scott, and Zach Johnson . . . Of course, the afternoon buzz will focus on the 1:07 group off of the first tee - Mickelson, Woods, and Vijay Singh . . . Brett Quigley draws the final tee time of the day, 1:53 off the 10th tee, alongside Rich Beem and George McNeill.

Chilling thoughts

Boo Weekley has brought his impressive game to New England before, but previous trips were minitour affairs. This is a $7 million PGA Tour playoff, so it's a far different feel for the Florida panhandle kid. He had just shot 6-under 65 to finish second to Woods in the pro-am, but Weekley wasn't about to commit to many more additional trips this way. "I wouldn't come this far north for a vacation. It's too cold," said Weekley . . . Scott, whose first PGA Tour win came in the inaugural DBC in 2003, shot 66 to finish third in the pro-am, while Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, and Stricker were among those tied for fourth at 67 . . . Quigley confirmed that barring a third-place finish or better at the Deutsche Bank Championship, he would undergo surgery to repair damage to his right knee. "It's been hurting since February," he said. "I think I've been in a little bit of denial." Based on past results, Quigley's chances for surgery next week seem high; that's because he's missed the cut in all four DBC starts.

Mini driver

The crowd at the putting green has been entertained a few times by the presence of Jackson Byrd, the 13-month-old son of Jonathan and Amanda. Blond and full of energy, Jackson has had with him a small golf club, purchased by his father at the Augusta National GC pro shop. "Every where [Jonathan] goes, [Jackson] goes," said Amanda. Byrd has made the cut in all four previous Deutsche Bank Championship starts, his best being a tie for 13th in 2003 . . . Eight other players have made the cut in each of the previous four championships here, but three of them - Frank Lickliter, Kent Jones, and Dan Forsman - are not in this year's field. Woods, Rose, Briny Baird, John Senden, and Harrison Frazar are the others who've made all four cuts . . . After his brilliant tee shot into the 161-yard, par-3 16th, Waugh was walking to the 17th tee when a fan reached out to shake his hand. "You hit it inside of Tiger," she said. Waugh didn't miss a beat. "And that surprises you?" he said.