Associated Press
The golf notebook …
ATLANTA ó That birdie putt by Luke Donald on the final hole of the Tour Championship might turn out to be bigger than anyone imagined.
It wasnít enough for Donald to capture the FedEx Cup and its $10 million prize. He wound up one shot away from joining the sudden-death playoff at East Lake. But it gave him a three-way tie for third, which was worth $418,667.
Had he missed the putt, Donald would have been in a four-way tie for fifth, which would have paid $284,000. That made it a putt worth $134,667, and it could make all the difference in Donaldís pursuit of trying to become the first player to win money titles on both sides of the Atlantic.

TIGERíS IMPACT: A quiet Fall Series event in the foothills of northern California has become quite a bit louder. Tiger Woods announced a month ago he would play in the Frys.com Open, and tournament consultant Duke Butler said ticket sales are three times higher than a year ago.
The tournament is Oct. 6-9 at CordeValle. Along with getting Woods, the field includes Ernie Els, two-time major champion Angel Cabrera and former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen.
Butler said some tickets are still available.
ěWe hope to have 15,000 people a day,î he said. ěWe have an agreement with the county of Santa Clara that weíd have a maximum paid crowd of 15,000 a day.î
With hotel rooms being snatched up, the tournament figures to have a much greater economic impact on San Martin, which is located just south of San Jose.
ěFryís is popular in Santa Clara County right now,î Butler said.

STAT OF THE WEEK: Bill Haas earned $14,088,637 this year in 26 starts, including his FedEx Cup bonus. His father, Jay Haas, earned $14,440,317 in 798 starts in his entire career.

FINAL WORD: ěHe wonít have to play any better than he did before to do any dominating. Twelve under at Pebble Beach wins by 15 next week. And it wins by 15 in 100 years.î ó Golfer Geoff Ogilvy on Tiger Woodsí chances.

NOTES: Bill Haas joined Bart Bryant in 2005 and Chad Campbell in 2003 as the only players to win the Tour Championship in their first try. Haas was the first player since Adam Scott in 2006 to make the Tour Championship his first win of the year. … Sundayís playoff was the 16th of the year on the PGA Tour, tying the record for most in a season with 1988 and 1991. Four tournaments are still on the schedule. … Dustin Johnson has extended his deal with TaylorMade-adidas Golf through 2015. … The third Asian Amateur Championship starts Thursday at The Singapore Island Country Club. The winner gets an invitation to the Masters.