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One of the biggest stories in the game of golf is the new schedule for 2007. Some say the season is a little long and shortening it may help increase ratings during the fall when other sports, such as football, take over. From my understanding, the PGA is shortening the season with the hopes that it will bring the world's best players together for tournaments.

But isn’t that what the world golf championships are all about? I’m concerned that we're trying to turn golf into other sports such as football and baseball, where each week we see the same players competing.

Sure, folks love to see Vijay vs. Tiger, but if that’s all they see, they’re not exposed to the full spectrum of players in the game. And they miss out on the the best and most thrilling tournaments in which an underdog rises to the occasion, such as when PGA unknown Bob May gave Tiger a run for his money at the 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla.

People tend to believe golf loses its flair toward the end of the season, and that's why fans are tuning out. I believe, however, that golf has lost its flair in general. When Tiger first stepped out, people watched because he was something different. Some folks cared less about how great his game was; it was the diversity he represented. But since then, golf has failed to grow to include more players of different colors and backgrounds.

One reason why baseball continues to thrive among its masses of fans is because of its incredible diversity. People love seeing players like themselves battling it out. On the other side, the NBA has lost a lot of fans because it lacks diversity. You can only eat plain potato chips for so long; eventually you want something different.