TOUR Insider: Things to ponder on the off week

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Badz/PGA TOUR

It will be two more weeks before Vijay Singh is presented with the FedExCup.

The PGA TOUR is taking a week off for the first time since 1989, but your trusty TOUR Insider has still found his way to the tee.

Indulge us as we embark on our own little round -- call it a quick nine -- while the boys take a break and have a chance to exhale from the rigors of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup before a select few gear up for the Ryder Cup next week at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky.

McLachlin

No. 1: Sorry for straying immediately into the rough here, U.S. golf fans, but don't know if you've realized that there hasn't been an American winner on the PGA TOUR since Parker McLachlin at the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open. That was on Aug. 3. The last American champ of a full-field event was the week before at the RBC Canadian Open.

No. 2: The money has been good on the PGA TOUR these last few years. Vijay Singh became the second player to pass the $60 million mark in career earnings with his victory at the Deutsche Bank Championship. That same week, Phil Mickelson became the third to hit $50 million after a modest tie for 73rd. Each have 34 TOUR titles, or five fewer combined than Jack Nicklaus, whose career earnings are $5.7 million.

No. 3: The Golden Bear has dropped to 155th on the career money list. Anthony Kim, who tied for third at the BMW Championship, was the latest to pass him. Next up, and sure to speed by the 18-time major winner next year with any kind of decent performances, are Jason Bohn, Alex Cejka, Jose Coceres, Jay Williamson and Angel Cabrera, Lee Westwod, D.J. Trahan and Boo Weekley -- all who have won at least $5 million.

Singh

No. 4: After looking fairly average for most of the season and coughing up a seemingly sure victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Singh didn't appear to be the favorite for winning the FedExCup. In fact, he looked tired. But his three wins in a five-week stretch reminded us how good he has been these last few years, especially since turning 40. All he's done in his fourth decade is compile 22 PGA TOUR titles and 80 top-10 finishes. Those 22 victories alone would rank him 27th on the all-time list.

No. 5: Three players who started the Playoffs outside the top 120 advanced to the BMW Championship -- Tim Herron, Martin Laird and Angel Cabrera. However, none of the three could make the final leap into THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, proving that a sustained playoff rally isn't easy.

No. 6: Steve Stricker has yet to finish outside of the top 20 in the seven Playoff events in which he has competed. Prior to 2006 and his run of two straight Comeback Player of the Year Awards, Stricker needed to compile an equal number of top-20 finishes from the 2002 U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee through the end of 2005 and the Southern Farm Bureau Classic.

No. 7: I haven't had time to check out how this compares with previous years, but half the 30-man field at THE TOUR Championship hasn't won a tournament this year -- and that's with the absence of Tiger Woods for much of the season after he won four times, well below his usual take.

Campbell

No. 8: Chad Campbell snuck in with the final qualifying spot for THE TOUR Championship after withdrawing from the BMW Championship to be home with his wife, Amy, for the birth of their first son, Dax Phillip. He got no points, though he did play the first round before leaving Bellerive Country Club. The TOUR Insider doesn't understand the shutout in points and money for the Ryder Cup captain's pick at what was a no-cut tournament. If he didn't show, fine, he forfeits the benefits. But having to leave for a very good reason shouldn't have resulted in such a potentially huge penalty. He held on to 30th place by 242 points over Stephen Ames, who tied for fifth in St. Louis.

No. 9: Plenty of folks have ideas for further tweaking of the Playoffs. There was too little volatility last year and too much this year. We happen to think that the TOUR should err, if more changes are coming, on the side of protecting the regular season. Our idea: Greater gaps in points at key junctures, namely top 30, 70 and 120 to give just a little extra merit to folks who earned those slots, which correspond to the cutoffs for the final three Playoff events.

Dave Shedloski is PGATOUR.COM's Senior Correspondent. His views do not necessarily reflect the views of the PGA TOUR.