ATLANTA -- It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…
Before the ESPN legal gurus force me to pack up the collection of Guy Boros bobbleheads from my desk and hand me a pink slip for plagiarism, I should mention that that line is also the opener from Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities."
Turns out, ol' Chucky could've recycled it had he been assigned to write about the FedEx Cup finale this week.
Let's start with the best of times. When the PGA Tour's playoff system was first implemented in 2007, the ideal scenario likely mirrored exactly what was in place heading into the final round of this latest edition of the Tour Championship.
Entering the last day of the season -- Fall Finish events not included -- not only was the tournament itself still up for grabs but also the $10 million first-place prize and potentially the player of the year award, too. Consider it commissioner Tim Finchem's perfect storm, this combination of elements leading to the ultimate swirl of riches available at the end.
It all culminated in a victory for Jim Furyk, who clinched the FedEx Cup and Tour Championship with a savvy up-and-down from a greenside bunker on the final hole. It was the second time the playoff champion has won at East Lake Golf Club in the four years since the format was introduced, but it was the first time the win was a necessity for the title -- and it very likely earned him that coveted POY trophy, as well.
Yes, this final result wrapped everything up with a nice little bow, but only after confusion reigned for a majority of the weekend.
All of which leads to the worst of times.
The FedEx points scenarios throughout the final round were so mystifying that NBC's broadcast employed an expert to break 'em down the same way a political analyst would tabulate election night voting totals. The PGA Tour gave media members a sheet offering explanations, but it would have been more legible in Portuguese.
Worst yet, even the players had no idea.
"Coming up 18, I assumed I was playing for the FedEx Cup," Furyk said, "but I wasn't 100 percent sure, to be honest with you."
"I wasn't really thinking about the FedEx Cup, no," Luke Donald admitted. "I was just thinking about chasing Jim down and trying to win the tournament."
"I had no clue," Paul Casey said. "Ignorance is bliss, I think."
Stupefying scenarios and perplexing points, however, only undermine greater issues with the PGA Tour's playoffs. As of this writing, I don't have insight into television ratings or online metrics or any other statistical analysis used to measure interest level in a given event. But I do know there was a palpable lack of buzz surrounding the FedEx conclusion within the sporting landscape.
Although much of this apathy might stem from the confounding points system and the lack of Tiger Woods in the field, the real trouble here is its placement on the calendar, which isn't surprising.
"You don't have to be a rocket scientist," Finchem said in early 2007, "to see that if you're going to end the season with the Tour Championship and it's well into the football season, that's a challenge."
Through no fault of its own, the PGA Tour has yet to break through and meet that challenge by stealing a piece of consumer market from the monolith that is the National Football League. To be expected? Sure, but the real shame of it all is that despite forging a late-season format that brought excitement to the final events and moving up the schedule nearly two months, the FedEx Cup still remains overshadowed by the action on gridirons across the country.
Just ask Furyk. Rather than tabulating playoff scenarios during a final-round weather delay, he was keeping an eye on his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers, even mentioning quarterback Charlie Batch's three touchdown passes in his post-round interview on NBC.
It was hardly the first time football has overshadowed golf on the network. In each of the last two playoff events, Round 3 was started early to accommodate the television contract for Notre Dame football games. Ending the season in late September as opposed to early November was a win-win decision, but it wasn't good enough. After all, tournament rounds aren't switched around because of football in August.
The truth is, the tour lucked out Sunday. With inclement weather impending, final-round tee times were moved up to begin almost three hours earlier. That meant the all-important FedEx Cup finale was to be contested on tape delay throughout the afternoon until a midday rainstorm alleviated the issue.
Even so, for an event purported to be the Super Bowl of the PGA Tour season -- and remember, the majors are not governed by the folks in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. -- such treatment should be considered below par. And not in a good way.
It appears the worst of times are still overshadowing the best of times.
Had he been on assignment here, Dickens certainly could have seen parallels with his renowned novel. Playing the role of the French peasantry would be the PGA Tour, discouraged by the aristocracy of NFL and college football. In the book, the peasants ruthlessly fight back to gain control though massive bloodletting and mob madness.
When it comes to the FedEx Cup, though, that chapter has yet to be written.
Jason Sobel is a golf writer for ESPN.com. He can be reached at Jason.Sobel@espn.com.
