What to make of this? One, that's golf. Two, Siena just upset Duke in the first round of NCAA hoops.

The Tour is a membership organization that must provide playing opportunities for its members, which it does with the Fall Series to appease lesser lights. That's more than fair because the Fall Series is probably more than the general golf public wants.

The Tour also is about entertainment and about having as many competitions that bring together the world's premier players. The FedEx Cup playoffs do that -- and wisely with limited overlap with football season.

We can assume the "one guy at the top" is Woods, not Slocum. We can also assume not just the Tour is interested in Woods; so is the public, as television ratings tell us. Because the public is enamored, because Woods moves the needle rather than those in the 125-150 category, Tour purses have grown from $65.95 million to an estimated $277.3 million this year since Woods turned professional.

Given that water from the gusher flows deep downhill, Woods has helped make other players rich. It follows that quotes like "one guy at the top that they're worried about" could be perceived as ill-advisedly coming from a lack of gratitude.

"Their left heel comes off the ground," said Lanny Wadkins, World Golf Hall of Fame Class of 2009. "No matter what their age is, it enables them to turn behind the ball and helps their rhythm."

When Watson was a kid, his father used to tell him his swing was too long. But Watson's longtime instructor, Stan Thirsk, would tell the kid not to listen to Dad because a longer swing would be an ally later in life.

You might say Turnberry validated the advice.

Camp Ponte Vedra couldn't have gushed more.

Other longtime Tour caddies have fallen victim to what they call the Buddy System -- when a Tour player replaces a veteran looper with a friend, relative, assistant pro from back home or a friend of a friend.

In one sense, it's sad for professional bag men who face dwindling job openings and who must live by the tenet, "You're only one shot from being fired on any given day." In another sense, it's a compliment to the profession of caddying, a more attractive pursuit than ever. These days a top bag can turn a looper into a millionaire.

CEOC could've meant Caddies Eat Oatmeal Consistently years ago. Now it can mean CEO Compensation.

A couple of thoughts on this: One, Web Poll McGee sounds like an appropriate nickname (or Webby or Polly for short). Two, should I father another child (not bloody likely) or have a grandchild, I'll poll the public with these early contenders: Sherwood B. Rude, I.M. Rude and S.O. Rude.