FedEx Cup to Deliver Same Points

In the last two years of the FedEx Cup playoffs, a runner-up finish for Martin Laird at The Barclays and for Chez Reavie at the Deutsche Bank Championship was enough for them to lock up a spot in the Tour Championship -- and three of the majors -- after what had been ordinary seasons.

That scenario is not likely to change for 2012.

After crunching numbers using different models, the PGA Tour has decided to leave the points structure alone for the FedEx Cup. The system was changed after each of the first three years in existence. This now is the third straight year with no tweaking.

PGA Tour spokesman Ty Votaw said even though FedEx Cup points will start being awarded this week at the Tournament of Champions, changes could be made at the next policy board meeting in March, though "I would say that's unlikely."

The formula has been working well for the most part. The reward for a strong regular season is a high seeding going into the playoffs, which translates to better odds of reaching the Tour Championship. And there's still plenty of volatility for a high finish in the playoff events, as Reavie showed last year and Laird did in 2010.

Points are worth five times as much in the playoffs. Votaw said tour officials looked at how the standings would be if points were only tripled, or quadrupled, and didn't see anything worth changing.

"Going down to four [times the points] doesn't change a whole lot. We don't think going down to three changes much," Votaw said. "There has to be some premium on funneling down to the playoffs. The whole question of volatility has been a vexing one from the start. But we think the last three years have been good."

Volatility was evident all the way to the end last year. Bill Haas narrowly got into the Tour Championship as the No. 25 seed, then won the $10 million bonus by winning the Tour Championship with most of the top players in the standings faltering.

In terms of world ranking the first month of the golf season is when American players typically complain about the world ranking, either how many spots they dropped since they last played or how many more points are available on the European Tour. Over the course of the season, though, the PGA Tour remains the strongest, and their players will have ample opportunity.

The average ranking points awarded to PGA Tour winners last year was 54.05, compared with 43.78 points for European Tour winners. Throw out the four majors and four World Golf Championships, and the average points for PGA Tour winners was 46.94 compared with 35.12 in Europe.

There were only nine weeks when European Tour events offered more world ranking points -- Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Malaysian Open, World Match Play, Wentworth, Scottish Open, Dunhill Links Championship, Madrid Masters and Andalucia Masters. Of those last three tournaments, two were opposite Fall Series events in America, and the last one was opposite the U.S. tour's Asia Pacific Championship.

HAPPY NEW YEAR....

Gongs for Clarke and McIlroy

Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy have received awards for their 2011 success in the New Year Honours list.

Open winner Clarke becomes an OBE while fellow Northern Irishman McIlroy is appointed an MBE for his US Open win.

Clarke, 42, fired a final-round 70 at Royal St George's in July to finish five under par and hold off Americans Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson.

"It is a great honour and a fantastic way to end a great year. I am very proud for me and my family," said Clarke.

McIlroy, 22, won the US Open in Washington in June and climbed to number three in the world rankings.

He became the youngest US Open champion since Bobby Jones in 1923, who was just 21, and the youngest major winner since Tiger Woods triumphed at the Masters in 1997 while 21.

McIlroy was "humbled" to be on the list and said: "Many people on the honours list have made huge personal sacrifices and contributed significantly to society during their lives. I feel very fortunate to be in their company."

Clarke and McIlroy were both nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, with Clarke coming second to cyclist Mark Cavendish.

Alliss Promotes Northern Courses

Golf commentator Peter Alliss is helping to bring Northern Ireland’s world-class golf scene to the attention of millions of radio listeners across the rest of the UK.

The well-known TV presenter, widely regarded as the voice of golf, has taken part in a series of radio interviews for the BBC and numerous commercial radio stations to spread the word about the province’s golf courses and trio of Major winning players to 12m listeners.

In the pieces, he speaks of his experience of playing Royal Portrush, Royal County Down and Malone.

Alliss also referred to Northern Ireland's growing reputation and record for delivering first-class golfers.

“Northern Ireland not only has some of the best golf courses in the world, they now also have the best players.

“The success of Darren Clarke, Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell has led many commentators to label Northern Ireland as the golfing capital of the world.

“The fact that they can now boast three major winning golfers in the space of 13 months gives them an unprecedented opportunity to show the rest of the world just what makes Northern Ireland’s golfing offering so special,” he said.

The interviews were done as part of Tourism Ireland’s Home of Champions campaign.

Open Champ is SPOTY Runner Up

Darren Clarke finished second in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award behind cyclist Mark Cavendish at the end of the glittering evening in Manchester.

Clarke,winner of the 2011 Open Champion at Royal St George's, was one of three European Tour Members among the ten nominations along with World, European and US PGA Tour Number One Luke Donald and US Open Champion Rory McIlroy – the first time three golfers have been among the nominations.

The top award, however, went to World road race champion and Tour de France green jersey winner Mark Cavendish. An "honoured" Cavendish becomes only the third cyclist to win after Tommy Simpson in 1965 and Sir Chris Hoy in 2008.

Cavendish said: "I am absolutely speechless. Just to be nominated was an incredible feeling."

In the night's other awards England's cricket team were named Team of the Year, with their coach Andy Flower winning the Coach of the Year award.

World Number One tennis player Novak Djokovic, winner of three of the year's four Grand Slams, won the Overseas Sports Personality of the Year, while teenage golfer Lauren Taylor scooped the Young Sports Personality award.

Athletics coaches Janice Eaglesham and Ian Mirfin won the BBC Sports Unsung Hero award.

Former rower Sir Steve Redgrave won the Lifetime Achievement award while Bob Champion was handed the Helen Rollason Award.

Cavendish won five stages of this year's Tour de France - including the final time trial in Paris - to clinch the green jersey awarded to the race's best sprinter for the first time.

The Manxman followed that success by confirming Britain's emergence as a major nation in road as well as track cycling by taking gold at the World Championships in Copenhagen in September.