The Tour Championship is set to conclude today and there is a slew of possible outcomes for determining who wins the FedExCup. I’m no actuary, but Kin Lo, one of the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup experts broke down the likely scenarios involving Jim Furyk, Retief Goosen, Luke Donald, and Geoff Ogilvy.

• If Furyk, Retief Goosen or Geoff Ogilvy wins the event, he will win the FedExCup if Charley Hoffman and Paul Casey finish outside of the top three
• If Luke Donald wins the event, he wins the FedExCup
• If Casey or Hoffman wins the event, he wins the FedExCup, regardless of how anybody else finishes

Read more of the specifics on Kin Lo’s breakdown on the PGA Tour Wrap-up

I’m No Actuary

I don’t know about you, but two things come to mind when looking at the scenarios:

1) The FedExCup points system is too complicated and needs to be easier to understand. It shouldn’t require you to be an actuary to figure who will win the FedExCup, with all the different scenarios, projected points, etc. This has been a big point of contention since the FedExCup started three years ago and casual  golf fans, are probably thinking “huh?” I really wish I paid more attention in math class.

2) A winner take all scenario would be much better way to determine the FedExCup winner. The players would still earn FedExCup points, like they do now leading up to the Tour Championship and determine the top 30 point leaders to compete in the final event, but instead of using points, just win the tournament and its done. Could you imagine if the NCAA Tournament used a FedExCup points based system to determine the National Championship, team A beats team B in the final game, but  team B wins the National Title because they had earned more points. You’d have a lot of angry college basketball fans and probably a backlash against the NCAA.

Regardless of what happens today at East Lake, there are a ton of possible outcomes for who will win the FedExCup and should make for a thrilling ending, even if it means my brain will hurt from crunching the numbers.

Who do you think will win the FedExCup?

Puma Golf

Today, PUMA® announced a new partnership to grow the North American golf business with the formation of PUMA Golf North America, as the official distributor and licensee of PUMA Golf in the United States and Canada. PUMA Golf North America will become the official licensee, responsible for the North American distribution of the brand’s footwear, apparel and accessories to on & off course golf specialty, sporting goods and online accounts. The long-term agreement will include dedicated resources for the golf category across merchandising, sales, marketing and operations. The newly formed organization will begin work on PUMA Golf effective immediately, with the in-store launch of the Spring 2010 collections and the sell-in for Fall/Winter 2010 quickly approaching.

Golf is a major priority in PUMA’s global brand strategy and this new alliance will propel the category in North America as well as expand PUMA’s distribution in the golf market.

“PUMA is committed to the golf business,” said Bob Philion, Global Head of PUMA Golf for PUMA AG. “This move will take our business to new heights, strengthen our reach and focus our efforts with a core, dedicated team. North America is a critical market, and the formation of PUMA Golf North America will bring us accelerated growth.”

“Golf is an important category for PUMA and we are excited with the opportunity to build and develop the business, ultimately making PUMA the most desirable golf brand in the industry,” said Ted Fletcher, President of PUMA Golf North America. “We will build upon PUMA’s existing success and momentum, maximizing the brand’s marketing and sports assets and truly drive the golf category to a healthier and more robust business for the company.”

PUMA Golf North America has assembled a team of seasoned experts with years of proven experience and success in the sport. Members of the executive team at PUMA Golf North America have been directly involved since PUMA’s entry into the golf industry in 2006, building the category successfully in Canada.

“Golf is a perfect sport to showcase PUMA’s sportlifestyle positioning,” said Jay Piccola, President and General Manager for PUMA North America. “And having dedicated resources for the business is crucial. Ted Fletcher’s team has the right action plan to nurture and build the golf business to where it needs to be and I’m confident this move will not only help the growth of PUMA Golf, but also allow PUMA to succeed even more in other sport and lifestyle categories.”

PUMA entered the golf market in 2006, offering golfers technical performance gear that helped players look better, feel better and play better on and off the course. Catching the eyes of professional and novice golfers around the world, PUMA Golf is known for being colorful, stylish, inclusive and fun. Today, PUMA Golf athletes include newcomer Rickie Fowler, Geoff Ogilvy, Johan Edfors, Jeff Overton and Anna Nordqvist. For more information about PUMA Golf, visit golf.puma.com or www.puma.com

Lemont, IL-The opening round of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedEXCup began today with Rory Sabbatini and Steve Marino both posting matching 5-under 66s. Bo Van Pelt and Marc Leishman are one behind at 4-under.

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This is the eighth time in Sabbatini’s Tour career that he has held a share of the lead, but has yet to carry a lead to victory. This also marks Steve Marino’s third time in his career where he has held a share of the lead. It should be interesting to see if history will repeat itself for either Rory Sabbatini or Marino.

Woods, Stricker, Slocum

The biggest following on the course during round one had to be the group of Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker, and Heath Slocum. It didn’t matter what other group you were watching, you knew that the trifecta of FedExCup point leaders were nearby, by the roar of the crowd and sea of people.

Steve Stricker, winner of last week’s Deutsche Bank Championship and current FedExCup points leader, did not have a very strong round and finished tied for 39th at 1-over.  Steve Stricker is only one of three players to play in all 41 rounds of the PGA Tour playoffs, dating back to the competitions inaugural start in 2007.

Tiger Woods, was the Tiger we have all come to expect when playing at one of his favorite golf courses by posting a 3-under 68 in his return to Cog Hill G&CC.  Tiger hit 11/14 78.6% of fairways, 12/18 66.7% (T16) greens in regulation, 27 putts (T14).

Bogey Free Round

Padraig Harrington (68) and Marc Leishman (67) are the only two players of the field of 69 to post bogey-free rounds on Thursday.

Player Update

Bob Estes withdrew from the BMW Championship with a hip injury.

Lemont, IL-At the 2009 BMW Championship I got a quick tour of the Cobra Golf Tour Van that supports PGA Tour pros Geoff Ogilvy, Camilo Villegas, Ian Poulter, and J.B. Holmes. Watch the video and find out what equipment they will be using and player testing of the new Cobra ZL driver by Ian Poulter in the third stop of the PGA Tour FedEx Cup Playoffs.

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Special thanks to JJ VanWezenbeeck PGA Tour Technician of Cobra Golf for the tour!

For more information visit http://www.cobragolf.com

How would you like a driver that has nine sweet spots, instead of one?  And is also used by PGA Tour players Geoff Ogilvy, Camilo Villegas, and Ian Poulter? If so, you might want to check out the S9-1 series of drivers by Cobra Golf.

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Look and Feel
The new, more traditional 460cc head shape design of the S9-1 driver with rounded topline and leading edge instills confidence at address, with its stealth black finish and Cobra Golf logo alignment guide on the frequency tuned crown. The new profile on the S9-1 has less surface area compared to Speed LD M driver and has a much bigger hitting area, which also reduces the weight of the club. The result is a high MOI and hotter face.

The face shape of the S9-1 has a 1:1 length-to-width ratio allowing for a more efficient transfer of energy from the clubface to the ball. The S9-1 comes equipped with a stock 45.5 inch regular flex Cobra/Aldila DVS-HL 55g graphite shaft and Cobra/Golf Pride New Decade 50 D (Durometer) grip to round out this great looking driver.

Performance
According to Cobra Golf, the key to better drives is not the ultimate sweet spot, but with nine of them instead. This is accomplished with the reengineered Hotter 9 points technology that is integrated with the Milled Dual Rhombus Face Insert that maximizes Coefficient of Restitution (COR) for higher ball speeds and consistent ball flight across the clubface.

You might be wondering what is COR? COR is the spring-like effect that happens to driver face when it depresses when the ball is struck, then rebounds-providing a little more power to your drive. In the case of the Cobra S9-1 driver, this translates into longer drives, that any golfer would appreciate. During my testing was able to gain an additional 4-6 yards per drive while using the S9-1 driver, thanks to the more efficient transfer of energy and higher ball speed from the Hotter 9 Points and Dual Rhombus Face insert.

Each of the S9-1 drivers has a specific internal weighting and matching shaft to maximize ball speed for targeted players. The S9-1 F (125-155 mph ball speed) model I tested features a low the center of gravity deep in the back of the driver that produces optimal launch conditions and medium-high trajectory ball flight for maximum distance off the tee. Having a low center of gravity also helped with stabilizing the clubface and making it more resistant to twisting on off-center hits.

Another area that was improved upon in the S9-1 driver is sound and feel the driver produces, with that nice pitched ping sound. The S9-1 driver frequency tuned internal crown rib geometry, that produces drives that sound and feel very satisfying. You’ll notice the nice pitched ping sound that the S-91 driver produces as your drive flies down the middle of the fairway.

The only drawback, if you want to even call it one, is the S9-1 driver is comes in seven different models, which can be a little overwhelming when trying to select a driver. I’d highly recommend getting fitted for the right model of the S9-1 driver that best suits your swing.

If you want a driver with a traditional head shape that has a very large sweet spot and produces longer drives. Then you should look into the Cobra Golf S9-1 driver.

Cobra Golf S9-1 F Driver Retails for $299

UPDATE: Congratulations to Dan Perry, who is the winner of these awesome polos!

To celebrate the redesign of Sandbox8.com, we are kicking things off with a series of weekly contests! Every week Sandbox8.com will be giving away a new prize to one lucky reader. A new contest will be posted every Friday until we run out of prizes to give away! So subscribe to our email updates or RSS feed and don’t miss out!

This week, Sandbox8.com and Puma Golf are teaming up to give away two Puma Golf Invisabonding Polo Shirts ($160 value), the same ones that Geoff Ogilvy wore when he won the WGC-Accenture Match Play World Golf Championship (WGC) in Marana, Arizona for the second time in only four years.

The 31-year old Australian wore PUMA’s latest Spring Summer 2009 Invisibonding golf apparel and the new Swing Crown GTX shoe. The Invisibonding polo delivers stitchless technology for lightweight comfort and ease of motion. The is a pure performance shoe with Smart Quill technology that features 38 “quills” on each outsole to maximize traction and comfort while minimizing weight. The PUMA Golf Collection worn by Geoff Ogilvy is currently available at lifestyle boutiques, select golf specialty and green grass retailers and PUMA Concept Stores worldwide. 

For more information or to purchase visit www.puma.com or The Golf Warehouse; To find a local retailer in your area, call 888.565.PUMA. 

All entries must be received by Noon PST on March 13th, 2009. The winner will be announced March 14th, 2009 on this site, via Twitter and Facebook. The contest is open to US Residents only

Step One: Sign up as a Facebook Fan for Golf Views! Or you can also enter multiple times by signing up to receive Email Updates!

Step Two: Once you become a fan of  Golf Views on Facebook or signup for email updates you’re automatically entered to Win Two Puma Golf Invisabonding  Polo Shirts worth $160. It’s that easy!

Contest Rules
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE CHANCES OF WINNING.
All winners must be 18 years of age or older
Eligibility is limited to residents of the United States.

Tell all your friends about this contest and Fan Up Golf Views and The Puma Open.

Good Luck!