For all the talk of a black cloud hanging over a Tour Championship missing the U.S. PGA Tour's two biggest stars, Ernie Els saw nothing but sunshine as he worked quietly on the practice green late Wednesday afternoon.

Not many were happier to be at East Lake for the season-ending event for the top 30 on the money list. Els squeaked in three days ago by saving par from 50 yards short of the 18th green, giving him one last chance to salvage his year with a victory.

And that's when the light came on.

"At least I've got a chance," he said. "And it's a lot better when you only have to beat 26 guys."

He doesn't have to beat Tiger Woods, the No. 1 player in the world who decided to end his PGA Tour season a month ago by skipping the American tour's version of the All-Star game for the first time.

He doesn't have to worry about Phil Mickelson, who stuck to his strategy of calling it quits after the majors.

Also missing is Stephen Ames, winner of The Players Championship, who is nursing a sore back.

Reaction from the 27 players at East Lake competing for US$6.5 million (euro5.1 million) in prize money has been mixed. Some believe that Woods and Mickelson owe it to the PGA Tour to show up at the Tour Championship.

"I think the biggest players have a responsibility to the tour to play in these," Arron Oberholser said. "Tiger might not want to hear that, and Phil might not want to hear that, but they don't write my paycheck, so I don't care. I think it's about having a responsibility to your place in the game."

On the other hand, Woods indirectly writes plenty of paychecks. It is his star power in the game that has caused exponential growth in prize money over the last three years. When Woods first played in the Tour Championship, the purse was US$3 million (euro2.35 million). This year, the winner gets US$1.17 million (euro920,000).

"You could say Tiger and Phil are hurting the tour by not coming to the Tour Championship," U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy said. "But where would the tour be without Tiger and Phil? We'd be playing for US$2.5 million (euro1.96 million) this week. We'd have 20 tournaments. And no one would be watching on TV. We'd be back where we were 15 years ago."

One way or the other, their absence has drawn more attention than the tournament. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said he was disappointed by they were not at East Lake, although his thoughts were geared more toward next year at the FedExCup competition, which will end in September when the leaves are still green.

"I think players have an obligation to support the tour," Finchem said. "But after this many years on the job, I think in the long term. I don't get hung up on one week."