Mickelson pulls out of BMW Championship at Cog Hill

This FedEx Cup playoff thingie isn't working out quite as well as the PGA Tour had hoped.

Hyped as an anecdote for poor ratings and a general lack of interest during football season, the PGA Tour's new playoff system was unveiled last fall with much fanfare. It would be a four-event series - similar to the "Chase" in NASCAR - in which the best in the world go head to head for four weeks until a champion is decided at the Tour Championship in Atlanta.

The problem is, the best in the world aren't exactly cooperating.

First, world No. 1 Tiger Woods skipped the inaugural playoff tournament - The Barclays - citing general fatigue.

Last week at the Deutsche Bank Championship, Ernie Els and five others opted out of the competition.

Then on Tuesday afternoon, the folks hosting the BMW Championship at Cog Hill got the word they knew might come but didn't want to hear: Phil Mickelson, the No. 2 player in the world and the FedEx Cup points leader, won't be playing this week.

It should come as little surprise considering what Mickelson said following his win Monday at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

"My frustration from this past year came from asking for a couple of things in the FedEx Cup (scheduling) that weren't done (by PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem) and not feeling all that bad now if I happen to miss," he told reporters.

His tone was a little softer Tuesday.

"This decision was not an easy one to make and in no way is meant as disrespectful to the Tour or 'sending a message' to anyone," said Mickelson, who spent the morning playing in a corporate outing at Medinah Country Club. "I've talked for weeks about needing to find a balance between my game, my business affairs and my family, and now is the time for me to take some time off."

That means a marquee grouping at Cog Hill of Mickelson, Tiger Woods and local favorite Steve Stricker for Thursday's and Friday's rounds won't come to fruition.

Instead, K.J. Choi, fourth in the FedEx standings, will replace Mickelson.

This hit-and-miss attendance by marquee players - British Open champion Padraig Harrington also won't play this week - isn't making life easy for tournament directors, including the BMW's John Kaczkowski.

"I think the Tour needs to examine it," Kaczkowski said. "It's not an issue for me to answer.

"That's a player question. Players play golf; we organize golf tournaments."

Asked if he and others were under the impression all the players would compete in all the season-ending events when the FedEx Cup was announced, Kaczkowski didn't hesitate.

"Yes. Absolutely," he said. "It was our understanding that all the top players were going to play, committed to play, and going forward, they would all play."

It all begs the question: What kind of a playoff system allows a star player to miss an entire tournament and still be in the hunt for the overall championship?

"If the Tour were to look back in hindsight, the idea was to get all the top players to play in all four," said former Northwestern standout Luke Donald. "Tiger has missed one, Ernie didn't play last week, and Phil... You know that's obviously not what the Tour wanted.

"I'm sure the fans will be disappointed. He attracts a lot of people, a lot of fan base. It'll be tough for the tournament, tough for the city of Chicago and its fans."

But what can be done? The stars on PGA Tour can't be forced to play, can they?.

"You hear a lot of suggestions out there," Donald said. "Maybe if you don't play in all four, you're ineligible to win the $10 million (bonus) at the end. Maybe if you play in three of four you only win three-quarters of it or something. There are so many scenarios you could come up with, but it's finding the one that is fair for the Tour and fair for everyone.

"Obviously the Tour would love for Phil and Tiger and the big guys to play in every one, but it's tough to make them play that many in a row."

Defending Western Open champion Trevor Immelman admits he too has some questions about the format but has no arguments with the results thus far.

"You know, whether you like it or not, players, caddies and you guys in the media have been talking about it," Immelman said. "If everybody is talking about it, that's exactly what everybody would have wanted."