MADISON - Steve Elkington calls it a sprint to the finish line.
The season within the season is just beginning on the PGA Tour.
For those players who didn't make the FedEx Playoffs or the Presidents Cup team, for the guys struggling with their games or so far down the PGA Tour's money list that they're in danger of losing their full-time playing privileges next season, the Fall Finish is a chance to make enough money in a seven-week stretch to reboot their careers.
That stretch continues this week at the Viking Classic in Madison at Annandale Golf Club. The field, obviously, isn't loaded with big-time names, but there are plenty good golfers set to tee it up in the Viking Classic.
“This time of a year there are a lot of sub-plots, so it should be an interesting tournament. It's a sprint to the finish, and there's a lot of pressure on those golfers who are close to that top 125 cutoff,” said Elkington, who was in Greenwood Monday on his way to the Classic.
Fifty-four former Tour winners are entered, including eight with major titles to their name. Elkington, the 1995 PGA Championship winner, is one of those with a major title.
Davis Love III, one of golf's marquee names, was entered but had to pull out because of an ankle injury.
Also in are Chad Campbell and Vaughn Taylor, U.S. Ryder Cup team members in 2006, and Boo Weekley, Brett Wetterich and Heath Slocum, three of 30 who made it all the way to the “finals” of the FedEx Cup playoffs, the Tour Championship.
The Viking Classic, which has a total purse of $3.5 million, starts Thursday and concludes Sunday. The winner will get $630,000 and a two-year exemption into Tour events.
Fans got a chance to see the golfers in a pair of Pro-Ams today. A few pros even played Tuesday in a 9-hole Pro-Am with junior players. Greenwood's Jackson Pannell and Mary Langdon Gallagher played in the event.
Among those playing in the Junior Pro-Am is Jim Gallagher, Jr. of Greenwood. Gallagher, a former full-time Tour player, is playing in the Viking Classic on a sponsor's exemption. He's played in six Tour events this year and made two cuts.
“I haven't played in about five weeks, so I'm not as sharp as I'd like to be,” said Gallagher, a five-time Tour winner. “But I'm swinging at it so much better than I was even six months ago. My swing mechanics are pretty dang close to where they were several years ago.”
The Viking Pro-Am on Wednesday has morning and afternoon tee times and starts right after sunrise. The first tee times are at 6:50 a.m., with Brett Wetterich off No. 1 and Chad Campbell off No. 10.
Wetterich and Campbell were both members of the 2006 U.S. Ryder Cup team. Wetterich, at 28th, also is the second-highest ranked on the current money list in this week's field. Campbell, who has three Tour victories and was 14th in money last year with $2.8 million, hasn't played as well this season. He's had one top-10 finish and is 82nd on the money list with $991,000.
