The top 125 PGA Tour players are gearing up for the four-week FedEx Cup, which kicks off this weekend at The Barclays tournament in Jersey City, NJ. Shane Bacon looks at the tour's playoff system and comes away with one final thought -- until changes are made, golf fans should just ignore it.
It has never been a good idea. Never ever ever ever ever. Since its inception, people have criticized the FedEx Cup for good reason. The idea itself -- give fans a reason to care about the PGA Tour after the PGA Championship -- isn't so bad. Basically, when the final major wraps, fans go into their own Silly Season of sorts, focusing on fantasy football drafts and the start of NFL and college football, and golf becomes just another sport clogging up their Sunday afternoon.
Basically, the FedEx Cup suffers for a number of reasons.
That's not the case with the FedEx Cup. Just look at some of the players in the field at Barclays.
* No. 105, Jeff Quinney -- To start the year, Quinney missed eight of 12 cuts; two good weeks all year got him into the FedEx top-125. You should be rewarded for a solid year, not for finishing second at the Legends-Reno Tahoe Open, which was going on the same week at the Bridgestone Invitational, meaning Quinney basically made it because he played well at the 'B' tournament.
* No. 116, Adam Scott -- Since March 16, Scott has made three cuts, and the scoring average in his last two events is a despicable 75.5. He has made one cut since the end of June, and is being rewarded with a spot at the Barclays.
* No. 125, Troy Matteson -- No top-10s all year should mean no playoff invite. Sorry, Troy.
The number needs to be cut. Drastically. Dramatically. Largely.
You want a playoffs that people care about? Give us PGA Tour winners. That's it. Take the people who have won an event on tour, similar to the Mercedes Championship field, and let them duke it out for the $10 million cash prize. Not only does that make winning a huge deal throughout the year (sorry Tim Clark), but it makes the field smaller, tougher and more heated. Also, no big names play the Mercedes anymore, so this would at least give all the winners from the year a place to duke it out without any absentees.
We're Not Stupid ... Don't Treat Us That Way With These Commercials -- If you haven't seen the FedEx Cup commercials, don't. They'll bother you. They'll make you want to pull out your hair. How stupid do the people in charge of this thing think we are?
"It's our Super Bowl." Really? It isn't your Super Bowl. The Masters is your Super Bowl. The U.S. Open is your Super Bowl. The British Open is your World Cup. This isn't a Super Bowl by any means. It is basically your Pro Bowl with the chance that you'll become even more filthy rich than you already are. Making Tiger Woods talk for eight seconds about how much he cares about this event is an insult to every golf fans worth his weight in ball markers.
Four Weeks Is Too Long -- This is more for the players than the fans, but I think they'd even agree that four weeks is a lot of time to be put in tournaments that aren't majors. Not only is it too long, but it comes right after a stretch in which most big names played the British, Buick Open, Bridgestone Invitational, and PGA Championship. It Should End Like All Playoffs End ... Last Man Standing -- Could you imagine if the NFL Playoffs were decided by who scored the most points? Or if the NBA playoffs were decided on which team had the best assist-to-turnover ratio?
Golf is different than most, because you're playing the course and not the team, but if we're going to call it the playoffs, we need to make it a true playoff. The final event should be a match play event, no exceptions. You want it to feel as grueling as you make it out to be? Have two stroke play events, narrow the field to 12, and have the match play decide the outcome. Make these guys have to beat somebody, advance, and the last man standing is the guy that gets the trophy.
Playoffs are meant to be a competition, not a guy like Vijay Singh or Tiger just showing up to the last event to win the damn thing. We need to all accept that with the FedEx Cup, a spade is a spade; this thing isn't ever going to be a life-or-death event for the PGA Tour community. It's an event that has potential, but right now it's just a long walk until the Presidents Cup.
Maybe a few tweaks could help change that for the future.
Latest Golf Images
Ernie Els, of South Africa, hits on the 18th fairway Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009, in Jersey City, N.J., during a practice round for The Barclays golf tournament. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
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Ryuji Imada stretches with a club during a practice round for The Barclays golf tournament Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009, in Jersey City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
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Anthony Kim takes a break during a practice round for The Barclays golf tournament, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009, in Jersey City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
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Bubba Watson hits on the 18th fairway during a practice round for The Barclays golf tournament, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009, in Jersey City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
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Lower Manhattan, New York can be seen as Greg Chalmers, of Australia, hits a second shot on the 18th fairway Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009, in Jersey City, N.J., during a practice round for The Barclays golf tournament. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
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Seattle Seahawks strong safety Jordan Babineaux, left, stands with PGA Champions Tour golfer Bruce Fleisher, second from left, as they watch Seahawks kicker Olindo Mare, second from right, and Seahawks free safety Brian Russell, right, hit golf balls, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009, after Seahawks NFL football practice in Renton, Wash. The four took part in a "closest to the pin" contest, which was won by Fleisher, to promote the upcoming Boeing Classic golf tournament being held this week near Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
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President Barack Obama drives a golf cart with White House Trip Director Marvin Nicholson, left, as a passenger, on the fairway of the seventh hole at the Mink Meadows Golf Club in Vineyard Haven, Mass., Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
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President Barack Obama smiles with trip director Marvin Nicholson, left, as they finish a round of golf at Mink Meadows Golf Club, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009, in Vineyard Haven, Mass. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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**RETRANSMITTING WITH ALTERNATE CROP** President Barack Obama follows through after teeing off on the seventh hole at the Mink Meadows Golf Club in Vineyard Haven, Mass., Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
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President Barack Obama puts away golf clubs after putting on the sixth hole at the Mink Meadows Golf Club in Vineyard Haven, Mass., Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
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Comments (Page 1 of 1)
I haven't been enthused about the Fed-Ex Cup since the idea was first broached. It is not the playoffs, Super Bowl, World Series, World Cup or a golf Major. It is a contrived series that is supposed to entertain us until next year's PGA tour. Put it away now.
What a great article by Shane Bacon ... it has been a long while since I read anything that was
so on target. He has completely put into words what most of the general public is thinking. There is also the below the surface resentment at guys like Vijay Singh refusing to give up his hat from the Ponzi scheme guy. I really don't care which of these millionaires wins this thing. Oh by the way, these other CUPS be it Solheim, Ryder, Presidents can all be put out of their misery as well. Well done Bacon. (pun intended)
Well, I'm now totally convinced that every writer (small w) that is a Golf pundent on AOL is absolutely, positively a total raving moron. Never in my life have I seen so many stupid articles about Golf as I have this Summer.
1.Tiger is bad for Golf
2.Tiger needs more manners on the Course.
3.Golfers that are on a Winning Team aren't supposed to celebrate
Idiots!!!
Fed Ex is a great, great company, but once you get past Tiger, and Phil, golf is a snore..
Good article. I have never understood the fed ex cup premise. It always promised the best golfers in the world would play and yet Tiger, Phil, VJ etc could miss the first week and still win. Tell a football team they can skip the first round of the play offs and still win. Not gonna happen.
KOCH - have you ever heard the word BYE? Teams do not play every game in the playoffs! As for the article - I have to admit some good points are made. Take the top 25 in the world - make it an elimination for each week. Have 4 standing for the third week - then match play for the final two! Also, I would like to see these guys play on 'regular' courses - no more the best cared for - make them deal with what we deal with - they are supposed to be the pro's - let's see them handle some course problems!
SPOT ON, I AGREE, WHO CAN ARGUE WITH THAT!!!!!!
Shane,
Your article flows from a certain point of view, however another reality exists:
#1. The FEDEX cup was designed to get Tiger Woods to play a full schedule... after the majors he did not play tournaments... he had wrapped up #1 for the year, and didn't feel inclined to play much towards the end of the year... so now he has to play to be #1.... good for Golf, good for fans, good for TV ratings, good for columnists.
#2. This format does make people play harder during the rest of the year and puts a premium on winning.. is there a winner on the PGA who is not in this field of 125? Not only that, but the $$$$ you can make from SEPT to JAN is greatly reduced and harder to keep your card if you do not qualify for the FEDEX cup... said a different way, it amps up the competition during the first 8 months. Also FYI, most PGA players make 90% of their money in 5 weeks of the year when they are playing well.
#3. Lightning in a bottle.... you mean like the Steelers when they beat Seattle, or the Giants when they won the Super bowl over the Patriots? You mean that kinda "lightening in a bottle" is not what playoffs are for?... just checking what you are talking about.... goofball.
#4 agree with the commercials... I turn the channel.
#5. it is not the probowl... not everyone ends up with the same paycheck... that is what makes golf so great... football gets paid on how good you were in the past.... win or lose you still get paid your contracted salary..... golf and tennis pays for how good you are today... and lets not get on the millionaire crap... the guys at the #125 spot are traveling every week away from home for 8 months trying to make a living... no other major sport in the country travels like these guys.
Basic problem demonstrated by Vijay Singh's win last year. In a "play off" the author (and probably the sponsors) wants it to go down to the "last man standing." But if that becomes the rule, who cares about the prior three tournaments in the "four tournament" play offs? Heck, even the World Series has some years that are real yawner's. Don't know if this idea will ever work as well as March Madness but it is fun to watch (provided you really, really, really love watching golf).
Well I notice we have nine comments, all well written, on this subject. I think the fact there are only nine speaks of the lack of interest.
There is zero interest West of the Mississippi due to the fact USGA and PGA are perceived as being Eastern Elitists
The problem with the FedEx cup is that "they" are never going to get the format to be "just right". The PGA Tour can keep tweaking it all they want, but it is still is a clumsy event. Yes, 125 players are too many. Yes, 4 tournaments are too many. Yes, it's not really a "playoff". And yes, a lot of people don't really care!