Is it possible that, by not playing at the Barclays this week at Westchester Country Club—in the first event of the first-ever FedEx Cup playoffs—Tiger Woods is spelling doom for the tournament at WCC?

It has potential, if not likely, repercussions. Such as … the Barclays moving elsewhere not just in 2009, as planned, but permanently.

The PGA Tour stop at Westchester, which has been around for more than 40 years, might go poof. Why? Because Woods has gotten so big and powerful, because he drives the whole bus, that if he’s not on board, it could be over.

All you need for proof and reference material is The International, which was a favored (by the players) Tour stop outside of Denver. It folded this year.

When it did, Jack Vickers, the oil tycoon who ran it, said he shut it down because Tiger’s absence since 1999 had turned it into a second-rate event in terms of TV ratings and sponsors’ desire to stay aboard.

“You’ve got a one-man show out there right now,� Vickers said at the time.
Sure enough, the event which replaced the International on the PGA Tour schedule became Tiger’s own invitational in the Washington, D.C. area. Also sure enough, the second stop for the FedEx playoffs is in Boston and benefits Tiger’s charity.

Tiger is that powerful. He could fold the Westchester tour stop by not playing here. The tour stop that survived when Jack Nicklaus stopped coming, might not survive Tiger’s absence.