Why The Tour Championship Is Huge For Bubba and D.J.

This is it, the finale, the heavy-money wrap-up for the 2015-16 PGA Tour season.

Thirty guys who would be king of the season, 15 twosomes, four days and $10 million to the best of the best.

Yes, even in the world of these PGA Tour millionaires, that number gets their attention — 10 million clams, 10 million bucks, a day’s pay for Bill Gates, financial security for life for everyman on the streets.

Jordan Spieth hit the jackpot last year. This week, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Adam Scott, Jason Day and Paul Casey control their own destinies. If any of those five win come Sunday, they win it all.

There is another storyline as well, more on that shortly.

For D.J., it’s huge.  Today, right now he’s the front-runner for Player Of The Year honors.  He comes in off a win in the BMW.  In 21 events he has three wins, including his first major at the U.S. Open, a runner-up, two thirds and 14 tops 10s. He only missed one cut this year.  A win this week would make it a mega-season, an elite season, a season that could push him eventually to No. 1 in the world. Right now he’s No. 2 but is looking a lot stronger than No. 1 coming to East Lake.

Jason Day and his aching back have three wins, no majors, a runner-up, 10 top 10s and two missed cuts in 20 events.  Day says he’s “cautiously optimistic” about his back holding up this week.

Both Day and Johnson have banked just north of $9 million this season.

It’s between them, this week probably decides it.

Then there’s the other storyline, as promised.

What about Bubba?  Yes, Bubba Watson, the player who was just outside automatic qualification for the Ryder Cup team.  Davis Love III and his weak-in-the-knees task force put Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar and J.B. Holmes on the team two weeks ago. Watson had more points than any of those three, yet Bubba is still sitting outside in the rain while those guys go over their Hazeltine yardage books.

Sure, Bubba got an invite to practice with the “Automatic Eight” last week, but so did Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger and the elderly Jim Furyk but what does that mean?

Is this a giant Davis Love and the Task Force Smoke Screen?

Has the decision already been made?

Is this week’s Tour Championship an actual qualifying event for the final spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team?

Does Bubba have to win the darn thing in order to make the team?

Obviously the distinction of being the seventh-ranked player in the world isn’t good enough.

Is it the fact that Bubba is indeed the least-liked player on the PGA Tour?  Because if this final spot is a popularity contest, then Bubba might indeed be doomed.

This pseudo-tryout scenario may be even more intriguing than the actual question of who wins on Sunday.

Love, with his first three picks, has done nothing to indicate that anyone has been thinking “outside the box” as far as these selections go.

This whole myth of a Ryder Cup “Task Force” may be nothing more than asking too many people for their ideas rather than just pointing the finger at the players who failed to make crucial putts in matches when needed.

It’s that simple folks. Play better, putt better, make more birdies.

As far as Bubba and the 12th pick, this is gonna be a good one to watch.