OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Instead of outrage and grave concern that Rory McIlroy chose to sit out the first FedEx Cup playoff event — without dropping a single spot in the rankings — let it be a reminder that golf is not like other sports.

These are not the “playoffs.” That's for team sports.

This is golf, which has never had a defining finish to its year and never will.

The FedEx Cup attempted to create a finish line until the tour tried to promote it as so much more. What it did was create an incentive for the best players to compete after the majors were over. That part has worked beautifully, and it still does, with or without McIlroy.

Perhaps one reason McIlroy's absence got so much attention was no one had skipped a postseason event (barring injury) since Webb Simpson five years a

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