Print this page  |  Close Window

By Dave Shedloski
PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent

Welcome to the start of the first PGA TOUR Fall Series, where the object is to ... well, not fall over the next seven weeks.

Tiger Woods grasps the FedExCup. (WireImage)

With this week's Turning Stone Resort Championship at Atunyote Golf Club, in Verona, N.Y., TOUR denizens focus on new goals determined not be points, but by the traditional measurement: cash.

The Grind Slam is over and Tiger Woods has won the first FedExCup, but there is still so much to strive for in the next seven weeks: top 40 and a berth in the Masters Tournament; top 70 and eligibility to limited field events like the Memorial Tournament and Arnold Palmer Invitational; seven chances to qualify for the winners-only Mercedes-Benz Championship at Kapalua Resort in Maui, Hawaii; and, of course, exempt status for 2008 for the top 125 money winners.

Those wishing to rise in the Fall Series begin their quest at Turning Stone Resort, near Syracuse, where a $6 million purse is available, the largest offering among the seven remaining events.

Atunyote is a relatively accommodating par-72 layout measuring 7,314 yards. It is not an unfamiliar track; in 2006, flooding forced the TOUR to move the B.C. Open from En-Joie Golf Club to Atunyote Golf Club. Though unfamiliar to the players, Atunyote GC nevertheless allowed a scoring average of 70.891 last year, making it the 12th most accommodating layout. Four men, including winner John Rollins, shot 64 in the final round.

Green Day sings, "Summer has come and past ... wake me up when September ends." But this is no time for dozing off, not with so much at stake.

John Rollins with his trophy at Turning Stone Resort in 2006 (WireImage)

Worth knowing:

Ten of the top 19 from last year's B.C. Open played at Turning Stone, including the top four finishers, are in this week's field. It could increase to 11 of the top 19 if Arjun Atwal, the first alternate, gets in. The top four returnees, respectively, are John Rollins (winner of last year's B.C. Open) , Bob May, Shigeki Maruyama and David Branshaw.

Rollins' closing 64 last year, which erased a three-stroke deficit to Gabriel Hjertstedt, was matched by May, Omar Uresti and Nicholas Thompson. Branshaw had a second-round 64. Maruyama and Eric Axley carded 65s in the final round. Michael Allen's second-round 63 was low for the week.

A quality field is lined up, including six tournament winners this year in Henrik Stenson, Fred Funk, Charley Hoffman, Steve Flesch, Joe Ogilvie. Three TOUR Championship qualifiers, Snedeker, Rollins and Robert Allenby, augment the list, as do eight former major champions: John Daly, Rich Beem, Todd Hamilton, Lee Janzen, Corey Pavin, Shaun Micheel, Bob Tway and Justin Leonard. In case anyone has forgotten, Daly won the 1992 B.C. Open for his second TOUR title. Funk won the '96 edition.

Nationwide Tour three-win-promotion player Nick Flanagan (WireImage)

With $6 million to play for, the bubble watch already is intense. Every player except one ranked from 115th to 140th is teeing it up this week. The exception is Jason Bohn, at No. 129 in earnings, who won the 2005 B.C. Open at En-Joie GC. Bohn suffered a rib injury at the Memorial Tournament and has been out of action since then, except for a tie for 66th at the inaugural AT&T National.

Nick Flanagan this week makes his first PGA TOUR start since the 2005 British Open and his first as a full member after winning the Xerox Classic in August, his third victory on the Nationwide Tour. That win earned him an immediate promotion to the TOUR, that, unfortunately, came just as the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup were commencing, thus, it wasn't as immediate as he'd have preferred.

Tiger Woods can be an imposing playing partner as many of his peers have discovered over the years, but Steve Stricker didn't mind his company. Stricker played four playoff rounds with Woods, and he averaged 67.5 in those rounds.

Woods won the first FedExCup. Rory Sabbatini won the unofficial consistency award; he was the only player to finish in the top 10 in all four Playoff events.

TOUR Insider's power ranking for the Turning Stone Resort Championship: 1. Robert Allenby, 2. Ryan Moore, 3. John Rollins, 4. Nathan Green, 5. Shigeki Maruyama.