These Playoffs will be fun

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If you were wondering whether the first event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup in New Jersey was going to be a success, well, "fo get aboud 'et." If you were wondering if the Playoffs would still be compelling absent the No. 1 player in the world, then fret no more. A Hollywood script complete with small furry animals -- remember the second hole of the playoff? -- could not have fashioned a more fitting beginning to the Playoffs or a more exciting conclusion to the first event.

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The two putts holed on the first playoff hole at The Barclays will be remembered not just for the drama they created but for the men who made them. Sergio Garcia's 25-foot birdie effort brought an eruption from the more than 20,000 spectators jammed around the 18th green at Ridgewood Country Club. His smile and salute to his Ryder Cup captain, Nick Faldo who sat aloft in the 18th tower for CBS was an unsolicited highlight reel that will only add to the lore of Playoff golf. But it was the smiles and sportsmanship as Vijay's putt curled over the front lip to extend the playoff that was the real moment of the day.

Two great champions harnessing all of their considerable powers to duel it out on hallowed grounds is what these Playoffs are all about. And what could not have been predicted was the atmosphere that they created. We got a sense of it last year at the Deutsche Bank Championship when Tiger and Phil battled at TPC Boston. That moment was tempered a bit, though, when Phil announced moments after his triumphant lap that he would be skipping the BMW Championship.

This time around the Playoffs have a different feel than any of the players and fans could have imagined. There is less a sense of urgency than at any of the majors, but there is obviously more at stake than in the regular season. No one knows exactly what it would mean to his career, or his legacy, to be the second winner of the FedExCup but someone will find out soon.

This time there is a sense of building anticipation because everyone knows that there were 144 guys this year with a chance to win the Cup. Every player who made the cut at The Barclays has advanced to Boston -- including Lee Janzen and Glen Day who were the last two men into the Playoffs. A win by either of these players at the Deutsche Bank Championship and they could find themselves in very heady company halfway through the Playoffs.

As the next five weeks play out, we are going to continue to lose some of the biggest players in the game. Already Tom Lehman, Chris DiMarco, and David Toms have been eliminated from the Playoffs. With only the top 70 players advancing from the field of 120 at the Deutsche Bank Championship, we are certain to lose some more marquee names on Monday when the second Playoff event is over.

These storylines at the bottom of the leaderboard are nearly as compelling as the ones at the top. At least they were until those two putts fell on the 18th green at Ridgewood -- sending grown men and women sprinting back to the 17th green in hopes of getting a spot along the ropes for the second playoff hole. That particular human stampede was more spectacle than golf tournament and a scene generally reserved for one name in the game. Perhaps these Playoffs have the ability to raise profiles and create new heroes.

Although Vijay, who ranks No. 1 in the Playoffs now, is going back to a place where he has won before this week so is that left-handed fellow who currently sits fourth in points. And even with all the volatility in the points structure the biggest names are all poised to make a run at the Cup. The weekend at The Barclays was wide open with more than a dozen guys who had a chance to win. There are even more who have their eye on the biggest prize left in golf this season. These Playoffs are going to be a lot of fun.