Revamped tour seeks excitement to last tee

LOS ANGELES, Jan 1 (Reuters) The PGA Tour's much-trumpeted new era, starting this week with the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Hawaii, has earned a mixed response from the players.

Although many have adopted a wait-and-see attitude, some are excited about what lies ahead while others anticipate a rigorous closing schedule and are disappointed the four majors, golf's holy grail, have been devalued.

Unquestionably, though, the PGA Tour has taken bold steps to breathe fresh life into its late-season events with a NASCAR-style finale.

Fan interest has generally waned once the final major, the PGA Championship, ends in mid-August and television ratings afterwards have steadily declined in recent years.

In a radical shake-up of the schedule, PGA Tour officials have established the FedExCup, a season-long points competition which will culminate in a four-event playoff series with million to be won by the overall champion.

Thirty-six tournaments will make up the regular season before the big-money playoffs are held, ending with the Sept.

13-16 Tour Championship in Atlanta, Georgia for the top 30 players.

Between September 20 and November 4, a Fall Series of seven tournaments will finalise the leading 125 players who automatically earn full exemption for the 2008 PGA Tour.

''The big change is when you've got all the players that are in contention for something playing four weeks in a row,'' PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem told reporters last year.

''It's unique, it's different and I think the players are relating to it. I am totally confident we're going to put on some playoff events that are going to be extraordinary.'' BIGGEST NAMES A key factor in the success of the inaugural FedExCup will be whether the game's biggest names, such as Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, compete in the playoff events.

''I don't have guarantees from anybody but they tell me they want to play,'' Finchem added. ''They're looking forward to it and they like the way the competition sets up.

''If you've heard one refrain from Tiger and other top players over the years, it's that they want to play against all the best players more often.'' MORE REUTERS PDS RN1754