The PGA Tour of America for the first time witnessed an exciting end to a shortened season, thanks largely to the multimillion dollar FedEx Cup that seemed to have captured the attention - and imagination - of millions of golf fans throughout the world.

Tiger Woods of course contributed much to the excitement by winning the BMW event that was the penultimate ‘play-off’ round and then capturing with ease the season closing Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia.

With the number one spot already wrapped up and the Player of the Year award in the bag, it would have needed something like a US$10 million jackpot to ensure Woods’ presence in the closing stages of the Tour. The detractors moaned that the FedEx Cup was merely an appearance fee in disguise for Woods, since laws in America forbid players to receive appearance money.

The PGA Tour however was more than excited about the FedEx Cup and what it was set up to achieve. Firstly, it claimed that television ratings for the last four events - Barclays, Deutsche Bank, BMW and Tour Championship - had never been that high. Media coverage around the world had almost doubled and spectator turnout had also increased.

For Woods, it was payday big time because his earnings from the Tour Championship and BMW were US$2.5 million and it amounted to just over US$10 million in earnings for the 2007 season. The bonus US$10 million as first prize for winning the FedEx Cup would be paid as a pension over the next few years.

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