1. A Labor Day finish?The idea of ending the season earlier was broached with PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, and he did not slam the door on it. He left it open, and so why not at least put a foot in there and keep it from closing?There have been rumblings of late that the PGA Tour has discussed the idea of having just three FedEx Cup playoff events and ending the season on Labor Day weekend -- the reason clearly being that if you want to avoid football season, you might as well avoid football season. (Saturdays third round of the Tour Championship, for example, is being moved up to accommodate Notre Dame football.)When the FedEx Cup format was unveiled 10 years ago, the idea was to bring closure to a long PGA Tour season and end it with a series of meaningful tournaments with the top players while also getting out of the way of football.The problem, of course, is the past three playoff events this year and most years go up against college football and the last two against the NFL. The BMW Championship, played on the opening week of the NFL season, had some poor television ratings, and sponsors like BMW are not in the habit of paying $10 million plus for those kinds of numbers.So the possibility exists, even if it is a long way from happening.I wouldnt rule out changes, but at this point in time, I wouldnt assume changes either, Finchem said.2. Moving the PGA ChampionshipAmong the numerous things that would have to occur to make a Labor Day finish possible is moving the PGA Championship out of its August time slot. That is not going to be easy, and there is no indication the PGA of America even wants to do it. But the PGA has suffered at times in August as the smell of football is in the air, and a move to May might be just what it needs.Of course, that would impact the PGA Tours own Players Championship, which moved to May in 2007 to mixed results. The idea was to give golf one big tournament a month from April through August and move the Players away from the Masters. But there have been further rumblings that the tour is not necessarily opposed to going back to March, which would make this possibility more realistic.If all of this came to pass -- and were talking at least a few years down the road potentially -- The Open would be the season-ending major in July. The PGA Tour would then have more time to conduct a few events prior to a three-tournament playoff run that concludes on Labor Day and then leaves the stage to football. And the PGA Tour still must negotiate a new deal with FedEx -- or another title sponsor -- starting in 2018.3. Remembering the pastTen years ago, the Tour Championship at East Lake was played in early November, and was notable because both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson skipped it. The schedule after the PGA Championship consisted of roughly 10 tournaments with little interest and little build-up to the end of the season, which sort of withered away. Thats why the FedEx Cup was conceived.It was to give some definition to what a PGA Tour season is, Finchem said. If you recall, before the Cup, we are ending way into the football season. We had different things end at different times. That wasnt any definition to it. What did a season mean? Well, if a season doesnt mean that much to the fan, to the media, then its more difficult to market. [Now] its tied together and theres a definitive end.The tour, perhaps, might consider working on the beginning. The 2017 season starts just 18 days after the Tour Championship ends, with what still remains a controversial wraparound schedule. Finding a way to give fans a reason to miss golf remains another topic for discussion.4. Ryder Cup practiceNot only did several members of the U.S. Ryder Cup team practice at Hazeltine on Monday -- Jordan Spieth, Mickelson, Brandt Snedeker, Jimmy Walker, Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler -- but so, too, were three hopeful picks of Davis Love III in Bubba Watson, Justin Thomas and Daniel Berger.5. European prepSeven members of Darren Clarkes European Ryder Cup team played at the Italian Open, with varying results, perhaps the most satisfying for Masters champion Danny Willett, who has had a mostly mediocre run since claiming the green jacket in April. He finished one shot back of winner?Francesco Molinari.The others in the Italian Open field who are competing at Hazeltine were?Rafael Cabrera Bello?(tied for 12th), Matthew Fitzpatrick (T16), Martin Kaymer (T20), Andy Sullivan (T20), Chris Wood (T20) and Lee Westwood (missed cut).Rory McIlroy is the only European Ryder Cup team member at the Tour Championship. Kaymer and Thomas Pieters are competing at the Porsche European Open in Germany.6. Missing: Two major championsThe Tour Championship is without two major winners from 2016, Masters winner Willett and Open champion Henrik Stenson. Willett, who also plays on the European Tour, became a member of the PGA Tour after his Masters win but elected to skip the first playoff event, the Barclays, and did not qualify for the remaining events. Stenson didnt make it to the Tour Championship when he fell out of the top 30 by skipping the BMW Championship to rest his knee. U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson and PGA champ Walker are at East Lake.This is the first time that all four major champions have not played the Tour Championship since 2011, when only PGA winner Keegan Bradley participated. The other major winners that year were Charl Schwartzel, McIlroy and Clarke.7. The doomsday scenarioFor those who would love nothing better than to see the current FedEx Cup points scenario blow up, here is what to root for this week: Paul Casey finishing no worse than a two-way tie for second.The Englishman has had a strong year on the PGA Tour but has not won. He enters the Tour Championship fifth in points, and due to the points allocation re-shuffle, he will automatically win the FedEx Cup with a victory -- just as any player in the top five will do.But Casey can also win the FedEx Cup without winning the tournament -- which means hed be the first FedEx Cup champion without having won a tournament all year. That situation has a bad look. A season-long champ who was never a tournament champ?For that to happen, Casey must finish no worse than two-way tie for second. Then the other players in the top five -- Johnson, Patrick Reed, Adam Scott and Jason Day -- cannot win.If that happens, there are various scenarios by which Casey would be the FedEx Cup champion, an awkward situation to be sure but one that nonetheless will still be worth $10 million to him.The PGA Tour has been quite fortunate in this regard: The past six Tour Championship winners also captured the FedEx Cup. In 2009, Mickelson won the tournament and Woods was the FedEx champion, about as good of a split as could be desired. Woods won both in 2007. Only in 2008 was there a true oddity, in that Vijay Singh -- under different rules than now exist -- was the FedEx Cup champ by only having to complete the no-cut Tour Championship, which Camilo Villegas won.8. More BeefEnglands?Andrew Beef Johnston, who has become a bit of a sensation both in Europe and America, all but secured his?PGA Tour card for next season by finishing fourth at the Albertsons Boise Open, the second of four Web.com Tour Finals events. The top 25 on a money list consisting of those four tournaments has PGA Tour status for the next season.Johnson also plans to play the European Tour next season and noted the good timing of Golf Digest this week.9. Jordans questSpieths approach to the Tour Championship a year ago was to treat it like a major championship. He arrived Monday morning and got to work, and that paid off with a victory and the FedEx Cup title.This year, Spieth is again primed to try and win the tournament, which could result in the FedEx title if the right things happen.When I didnt go down to Rio [for the Olympics], I had a few weeks off, he said. So I am rested. I feel 100 percent. Body feels good. My game has been really coming together nicely, and I mentioned in Indianapolis, its really close. Im looking at making sure I get the most out of finishing my rounds. Dexter Fowler Jersey . -- The goal posts lying flat on the field, Arizonas fans lingered on the field, congregating around the locker room entrance nearly 30 minutes after rushing out of the stands. Red Schoendienst Cardinals Jersey . Hey!" The lower tier of the School End of Queens Park Rangers Loftus Road was packed solid with a very festive-sounding Chelsea choral section in this particular part of South Africa Road London, W12. http://www.authenticcardinalspro.com/cardinals-stan-musial-jersey/ . Marincin has played in two NHL games so far this season with two penalty minutes. The 21-year-old has three goals, four assists and a plus-5 rating in 24 games with the American Hockey Leagues Oklahoma City Barons this season. Jose Martinez Jersey .Y. - Rob Manfred was promoted Monday to Major League Baseballs chief operating officer, which may make him a candidate to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner. Paul DeJong Cardinals Jersey . The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 for Jones (19-1). It was the champions closest call. Despite the loss, it was a remarkable show by the confident Swedish challenger, who had the best of the early rounds and then hung on in the fourth and fifth. TROON, Scotland -- Rory McIlroy was never more thrilled to be playing the British Open.Thursday was his first round since he won the claret jug at Royal Liverpool two years ago because he had to sit out St. Andrews with an ankle injury. And finally, he was able to talk about his birdies -- all five of them -- instead of jabs at Olympic golf that caused such a stir earlier in the week.Its nice that the tournament started, McIlroy said after opening with a 2-under 69. I think I said all I needed to say on that matter and hopefully I can go out tomorrow and play similar to the way I did today and get myself right into contention for another claret jug.McIlroy gave away three shots, and a share of the early lead, with two sloppy holes on the back nine at Royal Troon. But in a procession of golfs Fab Four, he made the best of the ideal conditions along the Irish Sea.Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and McIlroy were in separate groups separated by four tee times. Spieth was heard uttering rare words -- I cant buy a putt -- on his way to a 71, while Day made it three straight majors as the No. 1 player in which he failed to break par in the opening round. He had a 73. Johnson played in the easiest conditions and shot 71.MCILROYs MISSIONThe strong talk from McIlroy on the idea of Olympic golf helping to grow the game might have revealed a deeper state of his mind. He is fed up with watching others go to No. 1 and win majors, and there was a sense he was ready to do something about it.He came out firing, and with a third straight birdie on the Postage Stamp par 3 at No. 8, he was 4 under and tied for the lead. That changed with a shot over the green, a poor chip and three putts for a double bogey on the 13th, and he was so angry that he dropped another shot on the 14th.I think if I wouldve stepped on the first tee and someone would have given me a 69, I probably would have taken it, McIlroy said. But if somebody had given me that score on the 10th, I probably would have.The real test could be Friday with rain in the forecast. McIlroy, even with his roots in Northern Ireland, is not regarded as a player who thrives in bad weather. And he was six shots behind Phil Mickelson. His hope is that it clears out by the time he tees off in the afternoon.ddddddddddddI dont think were going to see the course like this for the rest of the week, he said.DAYS SLOW STARTDay takes his No. 1 ranking seriously. Maybe too seriously.Favored in all three majors this year, he still cant seem to get off to a good start. Dropped shots on the back nine sent him to a 72 at the Masters. He opened with a 76 at Oakmont and had to play well just to make the cut. And in the ideal conditions at Royal Troon, he shot 73.For the third straight time, he has to spend the rest of the week catching up.Day might be one of the few players hoping for bad weather because it might be his best way to get back into the tournament.Im already missing greens anyways, he said. And if Im going to miss greens, Im going to miss greens on hard days, and if I can just grind myself out and make pars, it would be great. If I can hit a little bit better tomorrow, that would be fantastic.SPIETH STUMBLESSpieth faced two 10-foot birdie putts on his opening holes. He missed them both, a sign of what was to come. The player known as the best putter in todays crop of players required 18 putts on the front nine -- a pair of two-putt birdies, one par save and a three-putt bogey on the ninth.He stared for the longest time at a leaderboard next to the 17th green, realizing that even par wasnt going to cut it on a perfect day as this.When asked what was wrong with his putting, Spieth smiled and said, Thats a question I almost never get asked. So because of that, Im not thinking much of it.He at least hit the ball well from tee to green, calling it his best since he won by eight shots in Hawaii to start the year. He made a lot of putts in Hawaii.JOHNSONS MAJOR ENCOREIn his first round at a major since winning the U.S. Open, Johnson played a round that usually gets rewarded at a U.S. Open -- 14 pars, two birdies, two bogeys. Except this was the British Open, and the conditions were never easier at Royal Troon.He blasted driver on the opening hole toward the sea and made bogey. He played the par 5s in even.Obviously, you have to hole some putts here, he said.Thats true at any major. ' ' '