POY is up to voters now
By ROB LONGLEY -- Toronto Sun
HOUSTON -- Chad Campbell, god bless him, is out to win a golf tournament, not a beauty contest.
And good on the Texan for shooting a sizzling 61 yesterday to take the lead after three rounds of the Tour Championship.
Unfortunately, never has a golfer flirted so brazenly with the 50s, taken the lead in a significant tournament and had it mean so little.
For the record, Campbell's strokes of brilliance over the par-71, 7,315-yard Champions Course has him at 13-under 200, one up on Charles Howell, who yesterday carded his third consecutive 67.
But this week wasn't supposed to be about a guy who has never won on Tour (Campbell) and a guy who wears ugly shirts (Howell).
It was supposed to be Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and even Canadian Mike Weir gamely stating their case for the PGA Tour player of the year title.
What a nice prospect it was at the beginning of the week to have the season finale seem to offer something other than the rich getting richer.
The past four years, the Tour Championship may as well have been called the Capitalist Classic. By this time Woods had long wrapped up the money and POY titles.
The winner's cheque is $1 million US from a $6-million purse, and there is no cut. The reward for finishing last in the elite 31-player field is a generous stipend of $94,000. It's a bonus clause for guys who already have fat earnings.
Campbell and Howell can battle all they want today and even add Retief Goosen and Chris Riley who, at three strokes off the lead, are the only others within shouting distance.
In the big picture, though, it won't mean much. If you want real sizzle there are plenty of Texas' famous steakhouses in the area.
Woods shot an even-par 71 yesterday and is out of contention at two-under while Singh is at five under after shooting a 67.
Neither are going to win the POY on the course, so apparently it is pageant time. The 200-plus players who are eligible to vote because they played in 15 Tour events now must sort through the mess.
After a so-so round yesterday, Woods was asked whether anyone other than him or Singh merited consideration.
"Like who?" he asked back.
Like Masters champion Weir, who shot 67 yesterday and has the best record in the majors this year, it was offered.
"If Weir would have won (this week), it would have been locked up, it would have been his," Woods said. "If Vijay would have won the tournament, or if he would win the tournament, he would lock it up. It was all in our hands at the beginning of the week.
"It's in the voting hands now. It comes down to what they believe is a better year. Money list. Top 10s. Wins. Majors. It all depends on the personality of the voter."
Just as he didn't pack it in on the course yesterday Weir, perhaps naively, isn't give up on this race, either.
"I still think I have a chance if I don't win (this week)," said Weir, who captured the event when it was held here two years ago. "I have to play really well (today), but I still feel like I have a good chance."
FIVE IN 19
In all likelihood, however, Weir's pleas will fall on deaf ears.
It is essentially up to voters to decide whether Woods' five wins in 19 starts means more than Singh's four wins and the money title padded in 27 events.
It may even become a personality contest between the two, and who knows what that might produce?
Then again, in a season in which too many have shared the riches and no one single player has dominated, that's probably just the way it has to be.