"Besides, is a respectable crowd 1 out of 4 days going to cut it? I think not."

Ed Sherman notes the issues with Cog Hill's greens and also points out the noticeably smaller crowds compared to when the Western Open event was played around July 4th.

However, it still was stunning to see a shot of "Pork Chop Hill" behind the 14th green. During the Western years, it would be jammed with wall-to-wall people. Late in Saturday's round, the gallery barely was one-person deep.

On Sunday, I walked a few holes with the leaders. When I took my kids in previous years, it was difficult for them to see anything from behind the ropes. They wouldn't have had much of a problem Sunday.

The crowd, though, was much better Sunday, approaching the old Western Open levels. Then again, it was a perfect day; you had a Woods-Mickelson pairing; and you got a wonderful winner in Dustin Johnson.

Besides, is a respectable crowd 1 out of 4 days going to cut it? I think not.

The date definitely is a challenge for the WGA and BMW. But it is incumbent on tournament officials to find ways to generate more buzz about the BMW next year. It might be time for some thinking out of the tee box.