1. A Labor Day finish?The idea of ending the season earlier was broached with PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, and he did not slam the door on it. He left it open, and so why not at least put a foot in there and keep it from closing?There have been rumblings of late that the PGA Tour has discussed the idea of having just three FedEx Cup playoff events and ending the season on Labor Day weekend -- the reason clearly being that if you want to avoid football season, you might as well avoid football season. (Saturdays third round of the Tour Championship, for example, is being moved up to accommodate Notre Dame football.)When the FedEx Cup format was unveiled 10 years ago, the idea was to bring closure to a long PGA Tour season and end it with a series of meaningful tournaments with the top players while also getting out of the way of football.The problem, of course, is the past three playoff events this year and most years go up against college football and the last two against the NFL. The BMW Championship, played on the opening week of the NFL season, had some poor television ratings, and sponsors like BMW are not in the habit of paying $10 million plus for those kinds of numbers.So the possibility exists, even if it is a long way from happening.I wouldnt rule out changes, but at this point in time, I wouldnt assume changes either, Finchem said.2. Moving the PGA ChampionshipAmong the numerous things that would have to occur to make a Labor Day finish possible is moving the PGA Championship out of its August time slot. That is not going to be easy, and there is no indication the PGA of America even wants to do it. But the PGA has suffered at times in August as the smell of football is in the air, and a move to May might be just what it needs.Of course, that would impact the PGA Tours own Players Championship, which moved to May in 2007 to mixed results. The idea was to give golf one big tournament a month from April through August and move the Players away from the Masters. But there have been further rumblings that the tour is not necessarily opposed to going back to March, which would make this possibility more realistic.If all of this came to pass -- and were talking at least a few years down the road potentially -- The Open would be the season-ending major in July. The PGA Tour would then have more time to conduct a few events prior to a three-tournament playoff run that concludes on Labor Day and then leaves the stage to football. And the PGA Tour still must negotiate a new deal with FedEx -- or another title sponsor -- starting in 2018.3. Remembering the pastTen years ago, the Tour Championship at East Lake was played in early November, and was notable because both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson skipped it. The schedule after the PGA Championship consisted of roughly 10 tournaments with little interest and little build-up to the end of the season, which sort of withered away. Thats why the FedEx Cup was conceived.It was to give some definition to what a PGA Tour season is, Finchem said. If you recall, before the Cup, we are ending way into the football season. We had different things end at different times. That wasnt any definition to it. What did a season mean? Well, if a season doesnt mean that much to the fan, to the media, then its more difficult to market. [Now] its tied together and theres a definitive end.The tour, perhaps, might consider working on the beginning. The 2017 season starts just 18 days after the Tour Championship ends, with what still remains a controversial wraparound schedule. Finding a way to give fans a reason to miss golf remains another topic for discussion.4. Ryder Cup practiceNot only did several members of the U.S. Ryder Cup team practice at Hazeltine on Monday -- Jordan Spieth, Mickelson, Brandt Snedeker, Jimmy Walker, Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler -- but so, too, were three hopeful picks of Davis Love III in Bubba Watson, Justin Thomas and Daniel Berger.5. European prepSeven members of Darren Clarkes European Ryder Cup team played at the Italian Open, with varying results, perhaps the most satisfying for Masters champion Danny Willett, who has had a mostly mediocre run since claiming the green jacket in April. He finished one shot back of winner?Francesco Molinari.The others in the Italian Open field who are competing at Hazeltine were?Rafael Cabrera Bello?(tied for 12th), Matthew Fitzpatrick (T16), Martin Kaymer (T20), Andy Sullivan (T20), Chris Wood (T20) and Lee Westwood (missed cut).Rory McIlroy is the only European Ryder Cup team member at the Tour Championship. Kaymer and Thomas Pieters are competing at the Porsche European Open in Germany.6. Missing: Two major championsThe Tour Championship is without two major winners from 2016, Masters winner Willett and Open champion Henrik Stenson. Willett, who also plays on the European Tour, became a member of the PGA Tour after his Masters win but elected to skip the first playoff event, the Barclays, and did not qualify for the remaining events. Stenson didnt make it to the Tour Championship when he fell out of the top 30 by skipping the BMW Championship to rest his knee. U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson and PGA champ Walker are at East Lake.This is the first time that all four major champions have not played the Tour Championship since 2011, when only PGA winner Keegan Bradley participated. The other major winners that year were Charl Schwartzel, McIlroy and Clarke.7. The doomsday scenarioFor those who would love nothing better than to see the current FedEx Cup points scenario blow up, here is what to root for this week: Paul Casey finishing no worse than a two-way tie for second.The Englishman has had a strong year on the PGA Tour but has not won. He enters the Tour Championship fifth in points, and due to the points allocation re-shuffle, he will automatically win the FedEx Cup with a victory -- just as any player in the top five will do.But Casey can also win the FedEx Cup without winning the tournament -- which means hed be the first FedEx Cup champion without having won a tournament all year. That situation has a bad look. A season-long champ who was never a tournament champ?For that to happen, Casey must finish no worse than two-way tie for second. Then the other players in the top five -- Johnson, Patrick Reed, Adam Scott and Jason Day -- cannot win.If that happens, there are various scenarios by which Casey would be the FedEx Cup champion, an awkward situation to be sure but one that nonetheless will still be worth $10 million to him.The PGA Tour has been quite fortunate in this regard: The past six Tour Championship winners also captured the FedEx Cup. In 2009, Mickelson won the tournament and Woods was the FedEx champion, about as good of a split as could be desired. Woods won both in 2007. Only in 2008 was there a true oddity, in that Vijay Singh -- under different rules than now exist -- was the FedEx Cup champ by only having to complete the no-cut Tour Championship, which Camilo Villegas won.8. More BeefEnglands?Andrew Beef Johnston, who has become a bit of a sensation both in Europe and America, all but secured his?PGA Tour card for next season by finishing fourth at the Albertsons Boise Open, the second of four Web.com Tour Finals events. The top 25 on a money list consisting of those four tournaments has PGA Tour status for the next season.Johnson also plans to play the European Tour next season and noted the good timing of Golf Digest this week.9. Jordans questSpieths approach to the Tour Championship a year ago was to treat it like a major championship. He arrived Monday morning and got to work, and that paid off with a victory and the FedEx Cup title.This year, Spieth is again primed to try and win the tournament, which could result in the FedEx title if the right things happen.When I didnt go down to Rio [for the Olympics], I had a few weeks off, he said. So I am rested. I feel 100 percent. Body feels good. My game has been really coming together nicely, and I mentioned in Indianapolis, its really close. Im looking at making sure I get the most out of finishing my rounds. Discount Nike Vapormax . Traditional contenders Brazil, Greece and Turkey drew the other three spots to complete the 24-team field for this summers tournament in Spain, basketball governing body FIBA announced Saturday at its meeting in Barcelona. Cheap Nike Vapormax China .875,000, avoiding arbitration. Clippards deal Monday means all eight Nationals players who filed for arbitration wound up settling before a hearing. http://www.cheapvapormax.net/ .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. Cheap Nike Vapormax Womens . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Vapormax For Cheap . The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that the veteran forward will return to the teams line-up on Saturday night when the Habs visit the Nashville Predators. Golf punters are chipping away at Jason Day to land the cash this week in The Barclays, the first stage of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.Day won the tournament last year and is the $8.00 favourite with UBET to go back-to-back, with another previous winner, Dustin Johnson, on the second line at $10, narrowly ahead of Rory McIlroy and Henrik Stenson, both at $12.Days the cash cow at this stage, but Stenson has two wins and a silver meedal from Rio in his kitbag and looks tremendous value, said UBET spokesperson Nick Curry.ddddddddddddThe Bethpage State Parks Black Course hasnt been used as the host site for The Barclays since 2012, when Nick Watney defeated Brandt Snedeker by three strokes.Snedeker, this year, is a $41 chance. ' ' '