A golf playoff? Does this mean we’re going to see fans in the galleries with painted faces, barbecuing and tailgating in the parking lot?

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said yesterday the powers that be are putting the finishing touches on a restructured schedule that will make the season more compact, more intense and with a hopefully exciting finish. It’s about time. The tour season currently ends with a whimper. After the PGA Championship in August, everybody who’s anybody basically takes their golf balls and goes home or to Hawaii.

A playoff – with the top 144 points earners playing three unnamed tournaments – makes a lot of sense. That field is narrowed to 30. Those 30 compete in the Tour Championship, which would be moved from November to mid-September, so it doesn’t go head-to-head with all the major fall sports starting up. The golfer with the most overall points after the Tour Championships wins a windfall that Finchem said would probably be the “largest in competitive sports.”

Of course, this will make the rich richer, but it’s open to anyone who performs well during the season. I predict it will go over extraordinarily well: Americans love playoffs. We love to see a clear winner.

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