Let's make a Woods trophy for Regular Season champ

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Tiger Woods has gotten a trophy for winning the PGA TOUR Playoffs, but what about the Regular Season?

It's rare that we fail to take advantage of an opportunity to put Tiger Woods on a pedestal. But this week he did something for the third time that no one else in history has done and we aren't even patting him on the back.

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We are scampering right into the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup without acknowledging the fact that Tiger won the Regular Season points race for the third consecutive year. There was no champagne. Not even a nod of the head in his direction.

The comparisons that have inevitably arisen between the PGA TOUR Playoffs and those in other sports both hold water and leak at the same time. Golf is different in that it is regularly accepted that a 72-hole golf tournament is the standard for producing an equitable winner. On that concept alone golf immediately distances itself from other sports in an important and unique way. With the inclusion of the Playoffs, though, golf steps closer to other sports so maybe we should adopt at least one of their traditions.

In baseball the World Series winner is considered the champion even when that victory is a surprise. The Atlanta Braves have National League pennants hanging all over Turner Field from their dominant run through the 1990s. But they only have a couple of championship rings to show for their efforts during that time.

In college basketball when Duke wins more Atlantic Coast Conference games than anyone else but loses in the ACC Tournament they are still considered champions. They get to hang a banner in the rafters at Cameron Indoor Stadium just like the tournament winner does at its home court. Hockey and professional basketball must have some of the same things but after eight or nine months of the season I tend to lose interest.

This comparison works for nearly every sport and yet we don't even acknowledge the existence of a Regular Season FedExCup points champion on the PGA TOUR. What is even more shocking is the fact that this champion has been Tiger every year and that no one has jumped on the bandwagon. But it's not overkill to name a Regular Season champion. We don't have to pay him a $10 million bonus or find a multinational company to sponsor the trophy. But we should certainly acknowledge this achievement in some way.

I have discussed the creation of a trophy for the Regular Season champion with several intelligent and thoughtful people who either totally agreed with me or didn't want to have the conversation. What we couldn't seem to agree on was the name for this trophy. Most of the games greats have a trophy named for them already -- from Vardon to Hogan to Palmer to Nicklaus. So I suggest that we don't name the trophy at the moment. Just grab a piece of crystal and call it the Regular Season trophy. Some day -- after he has won it another half dozen times or so -- you can name it after Tiger.

Next year when he wins the PGA, World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational or Memorial Tournament and mathematically eliminates everyone else from the chase, someone should douse him with bubbly all over the 18th green like a baseball team does after they win the division. Ok, maybe that is taking it a little too far. But you could certainly acknowledge his achievement. I am sure that he wouldn't mind.

Finally, I have spoken to several players about this possibility and the general consensus was the same. Hey, hadn't thought about it because at this point only one guy has had a realistic chance of winning the Regular Season trophy. Remember, Tiger won it last year and he only played six events. But they all agree some day the Tiger Woods Trophy for winning the Regular Season points race could become one of the most coveted awards in the game. That is no joke. In 20 or 30 years maybe the man himself will show up at the end of the season to present it.

Former PGA TOUR player John Maginnes is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.