Maginnes: Is a break just what the doctor ordered?

text size

Rogash/Getty Images

Chris DiMarco starts this week at No. 141 on the money list.

The success of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup can be found in the television ratings -- specifically, in the fact that we're even discussing TV ratings in golf after the PGA Championship. That should be proof there is more interest than ever in golf in the autumn months.

But the TOUR didn't stop after the Playoffs, and there is an interesting element to the Playoffs that is now becoming quite clear during the Fall Series.

More

• John Maginnes column archive • Give us your take on Facebook

While the Playoffs were making noise in the media and around the golf world, some of the game's best were at home quietly hitting balls at the back of driving ranges awaiting their next turn to tee it up.

No, I am not talking about Tiger. I wish that I did have something to write about him right now other than the fact that he caddied in San Diego a few days ago, with a cart. That would really be worth reading. Heck, I threw in the mention just to see if you were paying attention.

Tiger's season was called by injury. But other players, such as Davis Love III and Chris DiMarco, merely had their seasons sent to time out like an unruly second grader. And now they're the biggest names to take advantage of the layoff.

Up until last year, the inaugural FedExCup season, there was no rest for the weary. OK, that isn't completely accurate. Players set their own schedule and can take time off whenever they want. But when a player is struggling to keep his job, it is unlikely he will take a week or two of rest with time running out on the season.

With the Playoffs and the Ryder Cup (or more to the point, the week off before the Ryder Cup), a player who was outside the top 144 in FedExCup points is forced to rest, essentially being sent to the bullpen for as many as five weeks this year. Yes, he could play the Viking Classic opposite the Ryder Cup. He could also play a Nationwide Tour event or two but success there doesn't impact your standing on the TOUR's money list. That money list and the potential to turn a year around with a win are the key factors as the TOUR season winds down.

For players facing that pressure, getting a breather down the stretch isn't a bad thing.

Now, I would never suggest that missing the Playoffs or being ousted early is a good thing for any player. But the opportunity to take a few weeks to cleanse the soul and rework the swing have proven invaluable to many in the last couple of years.

There is still a lot of golf to be played and for Davis, Chris and everyone else on the bubble, there is still work to be done. With the Playoffs behind them and some much needed work and rest under their belts, they are better equipped to handle the closing stretch than ever before.

Until a couple of years ago, if you were outside the top 125 or 150 with seven or eight weeks left on the schedule, you were likely to try to play every tournament. Even if you did take a week off, it was never enough because you could never get completely away from the game. And the game that you were taking to the course every week wasn't getting the job done.

Success stories -- like Dustin Johnson and Marc Turnesa this fall -- were far rarer than they have now become. Comeback stories that we see developing in this Fall Series were less likely as well.

Some will say, and the argument has merit, that the reason that the bottom number, the 125 number, jumped so dramatically last year during the Fall Series was because the biggest names in the game weren't playing. Obviously Phil, Vijay and Tiger leave an awful lot of cash on the table when they leave the clubs in the garage for a week.

That opening has been filled with some of the more interesting stories the last couple of years.

When DL3 said that he was likely to play six events in a row in the Fall Series, you knew he had taken his month off seriously. Davis is on track after a couple of nice weeks to move comfortably inside the top 125 (he's currently on the bubble) and is even on track to push back into the winner's circle before the end of the year.

DiMarco is on a little slower pace, but one more good week and he is likely to breathe a sigh of relief. For Davis and Chris, it has been a while since either of them had to worry about such mundane issues as keeping their jobs.

For others, the situation is more dire.

Chris Stroud was a rookie in 2007 and made more money from the Fall Series than he made the rest of the year. He carried that momentum to q-school and finished third. Unfortunately for Stroud, his sophomore season on the PGA TOUR hasn't been any better than his rookie season.

However, he is at it again in this fall. He has already doubled his earnings, enjoying his first top 10 of the year at the Valero Texas Open. At 168th on the money list, he still has a long way to go but is riding a wave of confidence into the last three events. With three good weeks, or one great one, he could avoid q-school all together.

With the Fall Series in full swing, it is important to remember that the players playing this week are not suffering end-of-the-year fatigue. Quite the contrary, they were granted a time out that lasted for a month or longer. Those who used that time wisely are climbing the latter at the eleventh hour.

There are just three more weeks to avoid q-school and pressure is mounting. But there will be no more time outs to try to freeze the free throw shooter or the kicker. Now, after a long rest, we have a sprint to the finish.

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