FedEx Cup was bonanza for Haas and fans

This will be remembered as the year the FedEx Cup came into its own, into all of the glorious, nonsensical weirdness we could have hoped for when a bunch of math geeks were sent into a room, a little over five years ago, and told to come out with great theater.

The Tour Championship and FedEx Cup have always played out simultaneously, but it wasn't until Sunday that we realized just what we've created: a mad dash to the finish that is equal parts Powerball, game show, reality show (think "Big Break" on steroids) and traditional, four-round, medal-play golf tournament. (Taylormade R9 Supermax Driver
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Bill Haas, who at 25th in the FedEx Cup standings thought he was too far back to have a chance at the $10 million first prize, won a wild, three-hole playoff with Hunter Mahan to rake in $11.44 million, golf's biggest payday of the year — by a mile. At the end of a desperate and confusing day, not even Haas knew what he'd done, as evidenced by his first question to NBC's Jimmy Roberts before the trophy ceremony: "Who won the FedEx Cup?"

Neither Haas nor Mahan had won a tournament in 2011. So how could the FedEx Cup, which rewards a player's "body of work" over the entire season, come down to those two? It didn't matter; the Cup becomes enjoyable the moment you stop trying to figure it out. Forget "These Guys Are Good." The mantra to remember in the FedEx Cup playoffs is "Just Go With It." (Taylormade R9 Supermax Driver
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"The most exciting FedEx Cup finish we've had," said PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, to no argument.

Haas won the whole shebang with his brother on his bag and his father, Champions Tour pro Jay, and mother following the action on foot. He also hit what may go down as the shot of the year, given everything that was on the line.

Donald (69), K.J. Choi and Aaron Baddeley finished at seven under, a shot back, with Donald making a clutch birdie on 18 that he thought might have been enough to take home the $10 million. He will have to settle for another top 10, padding his lead atop the World Ranking, and a finish that might remain in voters' minds when it comes time to choose the player of the year.

Haas improved to 1-2 in playoffs after losses at the Bob Hope and the Greenbrier earlier this season, and he becomes a top candidate to be a captain's pick for the U.S. Presidents Cup team. Captain Fred Couples will announce his wild-card picks Tuesday, and he's already said that one will go to Tiger Woods. The choice will likely come down to Haas, whose father is an assistant captain for the U.S., or Keegan Bradley, the winner of two tournaments this year, including the PGA.

Mahan had lobbied for Bradley, but that was before Sunday. Steve Stricker, who had a cortisone shot in his neck before the Tour Championship and who has complained of weakness in his left arm, could bow out of the Presidents Cup, which would allow Couples to pick both Bradley and Haas. (Taylormade R9 Supermax Driver
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Third-round leader Aaron Baddeley, who was playing to impress Presidents Cup captain Greg Norman and had made everything in sight through 54 holes, fell back with a final-round 72. Still, his showing is likely to be enough to get the nod from Norman, a fellow Australian. The way things fell for him Sunday, it's hard to imagine Haas not wearing the red, white and blue at Royal Melbourne in November, but even if by some strange twist of fate he isn't picked, he'll have won a whale of a consolation prize, or two prizes, worth more collectively than his dad's career earnings.