PGA TOUR announces changes that will further fan engagement, understanding and drama of FedExCup

[bulls9999]

How about at the end of the regular season, top 100 get into the FedEx Cup playoffs, and yes, give bonus money to top 100 (heavily favoring the top side of that range):

 

1st playoff tourney:

-----1st round of 100 players, cut down to

-----2nd, 80 players, cut down to

-----3rd, 60 players,

-----4th round, 40 of 60 players advance

 

2nd playoff tourney:

----1st round of 40 players cut down to

----2nd round of 30 players, cut down to

----3rd round of 20 players

----4th round of 20 players.... only top 10 advance to...

 

Finals tourney:

---all 10 players start even, mano-e-mano, fight it out 4 rounds, no cut, low score = winner.

 

Conclusion.... you have to play well the entire time to keep advancing! That's a winner!

[bigred90gt]

I'm baffled that they're handicapping a PGA Tour event. That has got to be the most absurd thing I've ever heard in relation to professional sports.

 

For me personally, I think it should be a season long points race to get to the tour championship, points go away that week, and who ever wins that tourney, wins. If you have made it to the top 30, congrats, 30 people now start the week on a level playing field and who ever wins that week wins. Points disappear once the top 30 for the season are set. If you win the tour championship, that means you played well enough all year to make it that far, and you played better than the field in that event.

[chippa13]

How about at the end of the regular season, top 100 get into the FedEx Cup playoffs, and yes, give bonus money to top 100 (heavily favoring the top side of that range):

 

1st playoff tourney:

-----1st round of 100 players, cut down to

-----2nd, 80 players, cut down to

-----3rd, 60 players,

-----4th round, 40 of 60 players advance

 

2nd playoff tourney:

----1st round of 40 players cut down to

----2nd round of 30 players, cut down to

----3rd round of 20 players

----4th round of 20 players.... only top 10 advance to...

 

Finals tourney:

---all 10 players start even, mano-e-mano, fight it out 4 rounds, no cut, low score = winner.

 

Conclusion.... you have to play well the entire time to keep advancing! That's a winner!

 

By doing such drastic cuts during the first 2 tournaments you wouldn't see near the gate as there just aren't enough golfers to go around for a packed course of fans.

[Kookaburra1966]

OK, my total redesign, take it or leave it ...

 

Majors - 1500 points for the win, down to 50 for making the cut/ MDF, 25 for MC

WGCs/ Players' - 750 down to 25 for making the cut/ MDF, 10 for MC

HOF Slam (Memorial, Bay Hill, Colonial, Byron Nelson), Wells Fargo, Western Open, maybe LA or San Diego - 600 down to 1 for making the cut/ MDF

Regular events - 500 down to 1

 

Two "playoff" weeks @ 750pts, points carry over from regular season - 128 start, 32 move on to Finals

 

"Tour Championship for the FedEx Cup" - 32 man match-play, top 16 get "second chance" similar to the 8-team playoff systems in Australia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFL_final_eight_system

 

Round 1 (8 go home)

"Qualifying" 1 - 16 - winners bye into round 3, losers play winners of Elimination matches

"Elimination" 17 - 32 - winners play losers of Qualifying matches, losers go home

 

Round 2 (8 go home)

"Repechage" - sudden death, matchups according to seeding coming in, winners play winners of Qualifying matches, losers go home

 

Rounds 3 and on - straight knock-out, matchups according to seeds with some crossover to avoid repeat matchups from Round#1

[bladehunter]

Year long points to qualify for one event. Winner of that event gets it all. That’s my vote. I don’t know why it has to be more complicated than that. ?

[Ignatius Reilly]

Year long points to qualify for one event. Winner of that event gets it all. That's my vote. I don't know why it has to be more complicated than that. ?

 

I like the idea of 4 (or even 3) rounds of playoffs. You've got to perform consistently well in the post-season to reach the final.

 

But once you're in the final, best 4 rounds wins.

 

Just watching the coverage on GC and they're already showing the scenarios required for each golfer to win. Blech. Now that I see it again I'm reminded of how much I hate it, and they need to find a way to simplify it.

 

How about "lowest score"? They use that in a ton of tournaments, all over the place.....

[PumaAttack]

Whats truly baffling is that people can't accept that this is the same system as last year but takes away the duel winners scenario.

[bladehunter]

Whats truly baffling is that people can't accept that this is the same system as last year but takes away the duel winners scenario.

 

Not the same. It smells funnny and it’s manufactured outcome if it does take away that possibility without just saying “ winner takes all “.

[FootWedge16]

Whats truly baffling is that people can't accept that this is the same system as last year but takes away the duel winners scenario.

 

Yeah, except it isn't the same at all.

[80sFredriksson]

Whats truly baffling is that people can't accept that this is the same system as last year but takes away the duel winners scenario.

 

Previously it was one wrong (fedex) and one right tournament winner is guy with lowest score. Now it will be two wrongs and that does not make it right.

[jdl]

Whats truly baffling is that people can't accept that this is the same system as last year but takes away the duel winners scenario.

 

Now there's an idea. If you have one guy win the Tour Championship and another the FedEx Cup, it's pistols at 10 paces.

[chippa13]

Whats truly baffling is that people can't accept that this is the same system as last year but takes away the duel winners scenario.

 

Previously it was one wrong (fedex) and one right tournament winner is guy with lowest score. Now it will be two wrongs and that does not make it right.

 

But 3 lefts will.

[NV825]

My idea for fixing the TC/FedEx Cup and making it a legit finish to the season.

 

- Keep the first two tournaments of the playoffs as-is but have the cut for the TC be top 32. They will be divided into 8 groups of 4 players with match play to decide the group winner like the WGC Match Play. This is the best part of the tournament and is very compelling TV to see if your guy is going to play his way past his group mates.

 

- The 8 winners qualify for the 2 day stroke play finish with winner take all for the cup and money. No handicapping, no excuses, the best of the best.

 

- Take the TC to other great courses across the country and put East Lake on the rota. In my mind this would definitely elevate the status of the FedEx Cup if it was at other iconic courses too.

[Body_Visions]

A NASCAR fan can figure out that just because Earnhardt won in Homestead, that didn’t automatically make him win The Chase. I would like to think a golf fan could come to the same conclusion.

[Donovan84]

I love the changes. Makes sense and its easy to figure out who is gonna win the Fed Ex Cup while watching the tour championship.

 

I agree, I like it

[FairwaysToHeaven]

Heard a pretty cool opinion on XM radio last night. Caller called into I Am the Walrus with a similar idea, but I've changed/modified it a bit myself.

 

Cumulative scoring.

 

3 FedEx Cup events in the "playoffs". Everything is the same throughout the year; you play in events and win FedEx Cup points. The top 125 players make it into the first event. Then everything gets wiped clean. No more points. No stroke advantages. But to win the FedEx Cup, you have to have the lowest combined score across all 3 events. Basically making the FedEx Cup Playoffs a 12-round event.

 

You still keep score and have winners/purses for each individual tournament, but the winner of the FedEx Cup is the guy who comes in lowest relative to par across all 12 rounds. That way good play is rewarded and bad play is punished, yet everyone is on a level playing field.

 

Win the Northern Trust at -18, 3 strokes ahead of 2nd place? Great! Now you're going into BMW with a 3 stroke advantage, as earned from your good play in the first event. Now you have to either build upon that lead, remain steady and hold your score, or blow up and lose it.

 

This would force everyone to play in every event. Because if someone goes out and shoots -20 at the Northern Trust and you don't play it, you're already starting 20 strokes back for the Cup.

 

This also means someone could win the Tour Championship, but not the FedEx Cup (which I don't think is an issue, PGA Tour disagrees).

 

Say someone shoots -15 Northern Trust, -13 at BMW, but then has a mediocre Tour Championship and ends up -5. Well, his FedEx Cup playoffs score would be -33.

 

so getting into the playoff as a 125 player or ranked 1st is the same? then its just who gets the hottest at the end of the year? not a fan. this won't reward they guys who had a great year.

[FairwaysToHeaven]

A NASCAR fan can figure out that just because Earnhardt won in Homestead, that didn’t automatically make him win The Chase. I would like to think a golf fan could come to the same conclusion.

 

have you seen the ratings of nascar. i don't think any sport wants to copy their formula

[NaBUru38]

The PGA Tour is lobbying to keep the Tour Championship in the World rankings. But let's be honest, if the tournament gets kicked our, they won't really care.

[ruascott]

Labor day weekend would allow a 5th day of golf if started on Thursday.

 

tournament 1 - cut from 125 to 70

tournament 2 - cut from 70 to 32

tournament 3 - thurs to sunday stroke play narrowed to final 4. Monday two rounds 18 holes each of match play with final championship round played in EST primetime on west coast

 

really disappointed in the changes. no one wants to see guys given a head start or someone outplaying others in the final week but coming up short because of some arbitrarily set stroke lead.

 

Match play is awful for TV.

[ruascott]

I think this is a great idea.

 

The convoluted nature of the points system makes the final round of the TC a hot mess....where the announcers spend half the time doing elaborate point scenario discussions and endless "if" statements.

 

Then you have the awkward situation where the tourney winner isn't the FEC winner most of the time.

 

 

[ruascott]

My idea for fixing the TC/FedEx Cup and making it a legit finish to the season.

 

- Keep the first two tournaments of the playoffs as-is but have the cut for the TC be top 32. They will be divided into 8 groups of 4 players with match play to decide the group winner like the WGC Match Play. This is the best part of the tournament and is very compelling TV to see if your guy is going to play his way past his group mates.

 

- The 8 winners qualify for the 2 day stroke play finish with winner take all for the cup and money. No handicapping, no excuses, the best of the best.

 

- Take the TC to other great courses across the country and put East Lake on the rota. In my mind this would definitely elevate the status of the FedEx Cup if it was at other iconic courses too.

 

 

This is kind of cool idea. Best I've seen....I'd rather have more than 8 players in the final stroke play event though.

[PumaAttack]

My idea for fixing the TC/FedEx Cup and making it a legit finish to the season.

 

- Keep the first two tournaments of the playoffs as-is but have the cut for the TC be top 32. They will be divided into 8 groups of 4 players with match play to decide the group winner like the WGC Match Play. This is the best part of the tournament and is very compelling TV to see if your guy is going to play his way past his group mates.

 

- The 8 winners qualify for the 2 day stroke play finish with winner take all for the cup and money. No handicapping, no excuses, the best of the best.

 

- Take the TC to other great courses across the country and put East Lake on the rota. In my mind this would definitely elevate the status of the FedEx Cup if it was at other iconic courses too.

 

 

This is kind of cool idea. Best I've seen....I'd rather have more than 8 players in the final stroke play event though.

 

That does nothing to award the best golfers throughout the season. In fact it probably hurts them since match play is a crap shoot.

[ruascott]

My idea for fixing the TC/FedEx Cup and making it a legit finish to the season.

 

- Keep the first two tournaments of the playoffs as-is but have the cut for the TC be top 32. They will be divided into 8 groups of 4 players with match play to decide the group winner like the WGC Match Play. This is the best part of the tournament and is very compelling TV to see if your guy is going to play his way past his group mates.

 

- The 8 winners qualify for the 2 day stroke play finish with winner take all for the cup and money. No handicapping, no excuses, the best of the best.

 

- Take the TC to other great courses across the country and put East Lake on the rota. In my mind this would definitely elevate the status of the FedEx Cup if it was at other iconic courses too.

 

 

This is kind of cool idea. Best I've seen....I'd rather have more than 8 players in the final stroke play event though.

 

That does nothing to award the best golfers throughout the season. In fact it probably hurts them since match play is a crap shoot.

 

 

True.

 

 

[FairwaysToHeaven]

Labor day weekend would allow a 5th day of golf if started on Thursday.

 

tournament 1 - cut from 125 to 70

tournament 2 - cut from 70 to 32

tournament 3 - thurs to sunday stroke play narrowed to final 4. Monday two rounds 18 holes each of match play with final championship round played in EST primetime on west coast

 

really disappointed in the changes. no one wants to see guys given a head start or someone outplaying others in the final week but coming up short because of some arbitrarily set stroke lead.

 

Match play is awful for TV.

 

 

[FairwaysToHeaven]

My idea for fixing the TC/FedEx Cup and making it a legit finish to the season.

 

- Keep the first two tournaments of the playoffs as-is but have the cut for the TC be top 32. They will be divided into 8 groups of 4 players with match play to decide the group winner like the WGC Match Play. This is the best part of the tournament and is very compelling TV to see if your guy is going to play his way past his group mates.

 

- The 8 winners qualify for the 2 day stroke play finish with winner take all for the cup and money. No handicapping, no excuses, the best of the best.

 

- Take the TC to other great courses across the country and put East Lake on the rota. In my mind this would definitely elevate the status of the FedEx Cup if it was at other iconic courses too.

 

 

This is kind of cool idea. Best I've seen....I'd rather have more than 8 players in the final stroke play event though.

 

That does nothing to award the best golfers throughout the season. In fact it probably hurts them since match play is a crap shoot.

 

agreed. it needs reversed. stroke play with current points system getting down to final 8 or 4 for match play.

[NV825]

My idea for fixing the TC/FedEx Cup and making it a legit finish to the season.

 

- Keep the first two tournaments of the playoffs as-is but have the cut for the TC be top 32. They will be divided into 8 groups of 4 players with match play to decide the group winner like the WGC Match Play. This is the best part of the tournament and is very compelling TV to see if your guy is going to play his way past his group mates.

 

- The 8 winners qualify for the 2 day stroke play finish with winner take all for the cup and money. No handicapping, no excuses, the best of the best.

 

- Take the TC to other great courses across the country and put East Lake on the rota. In my mind this would definitely elevate the status of the FedEx Cup if it was at other iconic courses too.

 

 

This is kind of cool idea. Best I've seen....I'd rather have more than 8 players in the final stroke play event though.

 

That does nothing to award the best golfers throughout the season. In fact it probably hurts them since match play is a crap shoot.

 

agreed. it needs reversed. stroke play with current points system getting down to final 8 or 4 for match play.

 

The problem with match play with less people is it adds too much dead time and kills the flow of the broadcast. Match play with 32 people is exciting as hell because there's so many different storylines going on in the couple of days.

 

As to doing nothing to award the best golfer throughout the season, playoffs are meant to be a resetting point to decide the true champion. The rest of the season is just to get into the playoffs, that's all. My version gives an even playing field for everyone by making the top 32 by the TC, and then playing lights out in two great formats in one weekend.

[chippa13]

The Patriots received a first round bye and home field for the Divisional and Conference championship games. That is a huge advantage in the NFL playoffs. The willful ignorance in how playoffs work in other sports within this thread is getting tiresome.

[FairwaysToHeaven]

 

The problem with match play with less people is it adds too much dead time and kills the flow of the broadcast. Match play with 32 people is exciting as hell because there's so many different storylines going on in the couple of days.

 

As to doing nothing to award the best golfer throughout the season, playoffs are meant to be a resetting point to decide the true champion. The rest of the season is just to get into the playoffs, that's all. Should the Patriots have automatically been gifted the Super Bowl with their almost perfect season? From my version it gives an even playing field for a chance to win the cup by making the top 32 by the TC, and then playing lights out in two great formats in one weekend.

 

this issue i have with this is that golf is unlike most sports in that you compete against everyone else all at once. i don't want a player that sneaks into the top 30 winning the championship because he won a stroke play event that included only a handful of guys, while another player could theoretically finish 1st, 1st, 2nd and lose the championship. you have to reward season performance and reward playoff performance as a whole in my opinion.

 

yes the wgc match play can be slow on the final day, but they are also not playing for $10M. set the stakes high enough so there is a significant difference between 1st and 2nd, 3rd and 4th and it will be good tv. the issue i have with match play at 32 is its a crapshoot. one guy can get knocked out having shot -5 if his opponent played lights out, while another may struggle yet win his match if his opponent does as well. just give me the top 2 or 4 after all is said and done and let them square off.

[ruascott]

 

The problem with match play with less people is it adds too much dead time and kills the flow of the broadcast. Match play with 32 people is exciting as hell because there's so many different storylines going on in the couple of days.

 

As to doing nothing to award the best golfer throughout the season, playoffs are meant to be a resetting point to decide the true champion. The rest of the season is just to get into the playoffs, that's all. Should the Patriots have automatically been gifted the Super Bowl with their almost perfect season? From my version it gives an even playing field for a chance to win the cup by making the top 32 by the TC, and then playing lights out in two great formats in one weekend.

 

this issue i have with this is that golf is unlike most sports in that you compete against everyone else all at once. i don't want a player that sneaks into the top 30 winning the championship because he won a stroke play event that included only a handful of guys, while another player could theoretically finish 1st, 1st, 2nd and lose the championship. you have to reward season performance and reward playoff performance as a whole in my opinion.

 

yes the wgc match play can be slow on the final day, but they are also not playing for $10M. set the stakes high enough so there is a significant difference between 1st and 2nd, 3rd and 4th and it will be good tv. the issue i have with match play at 32 is its a crapshoot. one guy can get knocked out having shot -5 if his opponent played lights out, while another may struggle yet win his match if his opponent does as well. just give me the top 2 or 4 after all is said and done and let them square off.

 

 

If the finals is Webb Simpson vs Kyle Stanley....they could be playing for $1 billion and nobody would bother to watch....at least not in high enough numbers to satisfy the networks. And the dead time is painful when only 2 matches on the course.

[NV825]

The problem with match play with less people is it adds too much dead time and kills the flow of the broadcast. Match play with 32 people is exciting as hell because there's so many different storylines going on in the couple of days.

 

As to doing nothing to award the best golfer throughout the season, playoffs are meant to be a resetting point to decide the true champion. The rest of the season is just to get into the playoffs, that's all. Should the Patriots have automatically been gifted the Super Bowl with their almost perfect season? From my version it gives an even playing field for a chance to win the cup by making the top 32 by the TC, and then playing lights out in two great formats in one weekend.

 

this issue i have with this is that golf is unlike most sports in that you compete against everyone else all at once. i don't want a player that sneaks into the top 30 winning the championship because he won a stroke play event that included only a handful of guys, while another player could theoretically finish 1st, 1st, 2nd and lose the championship. you have to reward season performance and reward playoff performance as a whole in my opinion.

 

yes the wgc match play can be slow on the final day, but they are also not playing for $10M. set the stakes high enough so there is a significant difference between 1st and 2nd, 3rd and 4th and it will be good tv. the issue i have with match play at 32 is its a crapshoot. one guy can get knocked out having shot -5 if his opponent played lights out, while another may struggle yet win his match if his opponent does as well. just give me the top 2 or 4 after all is said and done and let them square off.

 

How about top 6 earn a "bye" and get auto qualified to the stroke play portion, and players ranked 7 - 38 now play for the remaining 8 spots through match play?