he Tournament of Champions and then Abu Dhabi and Singapore.This time, it appears Spieth is going with the less-is-more approach. He skip

1. Quick transformationIt is amazing to think we are discussing the Zurich Classic of New Orleans some five months before it is to be played. A tournament contested in the dead zone a few weeks after the Masters is suddenly a hot topic -- and for good reason. The tournament went outside the box and announced a team format starting in 2017, and already there is buzz and interest.Jason Day and Rickie Fowler will be among the 80 teams, as will Olympic gold medalist Justin Rose and silver medalist Henrik Stenson. Many other intriguing pairings are sure to follow, and its all because of a unique idea that is really not all that unique.There have been team events in the offseason for years, but mostly the unofficial variety. Not since the Walt Disney World Classic in the early 1980s has there been a PGA Tour tournament for teams that counts; prize money, FedEx points, World Ranking points are all in play.There is no Masters invitation because the winners will not receive a full point allocation of FedEx Cup points -- the winners will share first- and second-place points, so 400 apiece instead of 500 for the winner. Still, 400 points puts you well on your way to qualifying for the FedEx Cup playoffs, and those who make it to the Tour Championship qualify for the Masters.2. Added benefitWhat really makes the format change a hit is the implementation of the foursomes format, one that comes around only at the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup but will now be in play during the first and third rounds of a PGA Tour event. Best ball will be the second- and fourth-round format.Playing alternate shot can be uncomfortable, as players rarely ever practice or play it. And at the Ryder Cup, a bad hole is just that -- one hole. In stroke play, things could get ugly, making this all the more interesting. Best ball allows for some mistakes and also the ability to get on a roll.Such format changes cant be in play every week, otherwise the concept would not be unique. But the PGA Tour should strive to have a smattering of different events like this, especially at times of the year when golf is not going to get much attention.3. Wish listTiger Woods playing with anyone in this tournament would be seismic, but how about with Phil Mickelson as a partner? Put the memories of the 2004 Ryder Cup to bed and have at it. Just to be sure, use Phils Callaway golf ball during the alternate-shot portion.4. The Race to DubaiThe PGA Tours FedEx Cup playoffs have a lot of detractors -- and for good reason. The format is often cumbersome and difficult to follow, but the bottom line is that every player who makes it to the Tour Championship in Atlanta has a chance to win the overall trophy. It is tepidly modeled after U.S. team playoff structures.Whenever the argument is broached that the overall FedEx champion is not necessarily the true season champion -- this year comes to mind, as Rory McIlroy did not have as good of a year as Dustin Johnson -- all you need to do is default to the European Tours system.The Race to Dubai goes to a points system for its last three events known as the Final Series, but in essence its all about whoever wins the most money throughout the year. Only Henrik Stenson, Danny Willett and Alexander Noren have a realistic shot at the overall title, with McIlroy having a chance. McIlroy didnt even play the first two Final Series events in Turkey and South Africa.Perhaps that is why the Final Series is being scrapped in 2017 and replaced with the Rolex Series, seven events that are likely to increase in future years, all with a minimum $7 million purse. Included are the final three events, and there will still be a bonus pool for the top finishers in the Race to Dubai.McIlroy would need to win this weeks DP World Tour Championship in Dubai and Stenson finish worse than 45th in the 60-player field in order for McIlroy to capture the overall title; Noren can finish as low as second, with Stenson finishing outside the top eight and Willett outside of the top two.Willett can finish as low as fourth and claim the overall title provided Stenson is outside the top 30. Willett would capture the crown if he wins the tournament. Stenson also won the Race to Dubai in 2013, the year he claimed the FedEx title as well.5. Honoring our veteransBilly Hurley was among the many to call for remembering our veterans, and it is all the more appropriate as he is a former Naval officer. Hurley won the Quicken Loans National earlier this year, a tournament that has heavy military involvement.6. PGA Championship on the move?The crammed PGA Tour schedule in 2016 due to the Olympics begged for an overhaul of the schedule, one that did not occur. Instead, the only concession made was the PGA Championship moving up two weeks, making for just 11 days between the end of The Open and the PGA.That is unlikely to happen when the Olympics return to the schedule in 2020, and PGA of America CEO Pete Bevacqua is open to the idea of moving the PGA Championship to another time of year -- and maybe permanently.We are huge proponents of the Olympics, Bevacqua told Golf Channel last week at the PGAs annual meetings. We are all about the Olympics, but we also have to protect the PGA Championship, and we cant just bounce the PGA Championship around every four years. To truly make it work, to make it succeed and to make sure golf is in the Olympics for the next century, the whole schedule needs to be adjusted.This is nothing that hasnt been suggested all along, but Bevacqua appears intent on a shakeup that would put pressure on the PGA Tour to make some adjustments. Bevacqua told Golf Channel he would not be opposed to moving the PGA to May in 2020. If such a change occurs, there would be inevitable conjecture that it could be permanent. To make that happen, the tour would need to move the Players Championship back to March, where it had been played until a switch in 2007.All of this would allow for some space between The Open and the FedEx Cup playoffs, which in theory could be moved up to avoid football.It means plenty to sort through for new commissioner Jay Monahan, who has numerous aspects to consider here, television interests and sponsorship of the FedEx Cup chief among them.7. Spieth Down UnderFollowing a full six weeks away from golf after the Ryder Cup, Jordan Spieth is back at it again this week for the Australian Open, a tournament he won two years ago and was viewed as a springboard to his five-victory 2015 season that included two major championships.Unlike the past two years, the Australian Open is not the week prior to the Hero World Challenge, so Spieth will have the added benefit of a weeks rest between starts. Last year following the Presidents Cup in Korea, he went back and forth between the United States to China for the HSBC, to Sydney for the Australian Open and then to the Hero in the Bahamas. After that, it was off to Hawaii for the Tournament of Champions and then Abu Dhabi and Singapore.This time, it appears Spieth is going with the less-is-more approach. He skipped the HSBC, and so far there are no plans for an overseas trip early in the new year.As he told the media in Australia, he still believes his two-victory 2016 season was not as bad as it has often been portrayed.Everyone goes through peaks and valleys, he said. Ive still won twice and finished second in a major. If thats a valley, then its going to be a lot of fun when we get up to a peak. No offense, but you guys [media] have made me feel like its a valley.8. Open qualifyingThe Australian Open is the first of 15 tournaments that will serve as qualifiers for The Open at Royal Birkdale, up from 13. The top three finishers among the top 10 in the tournament who are not already qualified will earn a spot in The Open field. The new additions to the roster of qualifiers are the Singapore Open in January and the Ho Tram Players Championship in Vietnam in April. In total, there will be qualifying events in 10 countries with a total of 44 spots in a field of 156 at stake.On the PGA Tour, the Quicken Loans National and the Greenbrier Classic will each have four spots, with a final spot at the John Deere Classic, which concludes the Sunday prior to The Open.9. Hail, BernhardBernhard Langer didnt win the season-ending event on the Champions Tour, but he captured just about everything else, including the Charles Schwab Cup. In 21 starts, Langer had four victories, 18 top-10s and no finish worse than a tie for 13th. At age 58 (hes now 59), he contended at the Masters. Swell Bottle Cheap . -- Aldon Smith believes he is on the path to being sober for good. Swell Water Bottle Wholesale . During the athletes parade, the 23-strong Ukrainian team was represented by a lone flagbearer in an apparent protest at the presence of Russian troops in Ukraines Crimean peninsula. http://www.swellbottlesale.com/ .C. -- Todd Fiddler scored a hat trick, including the overtime goal, as the Prince George Cougars survived an 8-7 win against the Kamloops Blazers in Western Hockey League play Sunday. Swell Bottles Wholesale . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Discount Swell Bottles . McCarthy, a player who played some games in the second tier for Wigan at the start of this season, would go on to shine inside Evertons midfield, outplaying the man he was brought in to replace, on one of the grandest stages in English football. On Saturday, it was fitting that Manchester Uniteds most recent dagger into the chest was delivered by Frenchman Yohan Cabaye, a wonderfully gifted central midfielder who put on an outstanding effort for Newcastle at Old Trafford. PHILADELPHIA -- Federal appeals court rejects New Jerseys attempt to legalize sports betting at casinos and racetracks. ' ' '