The PGA started its 2006 season over the last two weeks with the Mercedes Championship and the Sony Open, both held in Hawaii. This is final season that the PGA will play in its current format. For the 2007 season, the PGA changes gears to the NASCAR-esque FedEx Cup.

The impetus for the series is to give relevance and ratings to the late season PGA Tour events. Many of these tournaments struggle compared to those earlier on the Tour, mainly because they fall after the final major of the season.

Players earn points from the start of the season until August. The top 144 players are then scheduled for three playoff-style tournaments, and whittled down to the top 30 players. These players then face-off in The Tour Championship and the winner, of course, takes home a large paycheck.

The questions are many. Will there be buy-in from players? Does this now make The Tour Championship an unofficial fifth major? In a sport so steeped in the tradition of the four current majors, will its fan accept this new format? Some players have already publicly been lukewarm about the playoff, others have embraced it enthusiastically. It remains to be seen how the systems plays out.

Until then, enjoy the last season of the PGA Tour as it has existed, and get ready for the race, er no. How about run? Nah. Get ready for the stroll for the Cup.