With the FedEx Cup all but wrapped up by Vijay Singh, how can the PGA Tour improve the competitive atmosphere of the playoffs?
The current system was tweaked to have all players play the four events and have a close points race heading into THE TOUR Championship. With Singh winning the first two events, he put himself out of reach for most and put the others in a mathematical hole to try and catch him.
The LPGA has an attractive, and fan-friendly, system. Basically, they split the season in halves with the top 15 players from each half, plus two wild cards, earning their way into the final event – The ADT Championship. There are 13 automatic spots – 8 in the first half, 5 in the second – from the champion of the top events called “Winner Events.”
The PGA could mold themselves similar to other major sports with two halfs to the season…and why not an all-star break by way of a 10 player, match play event over two days. The problem with golf and playoffs is that it is an individual sport. So, if a player wins more than one event … a la Singh … it’s game over. Here are a few ideas the Tour could implement:
- Have all four winners (or top 5 at each) play a two-day event … winner takes all
- Follow the LPGA system without the Winner Events
- Make points system like golf … winner gets 1 point, second place = 2 points and so on with penalties for missed cuts
How to change the FedEx Cup and Playoffs
With the FedEx Cup all but wrapped up by Vijay Singh, how can the PGA Tour improve the competitive atmosphere of the playoffs?
The current system was tweaked to have all players play the four events and have a close points race heading into THE TOUR Championship. With Singh winning the first two events, he put himself out of reach for most and put the others in a mathematical hole to try and catch him.
The LPGA has an attractive, and fan-friendly, system. Basically, they split the season in halves with the top 15 players from each half, plus two wild cards, earning their way into the final event – The ADT Championship. There are 13 automatic spots – 8 in the first half, 5 in the second – from the champion of the top events called “Winner Events.”
The PGA could mold themselves similar to other major sports with two halfs to the season…and why not an all-star break by way of a 10 player, match play event over two days. The problem with golf and playoffs is that it is an individual sport. So, if a player wins more than one event … a la Singh … it’s game over. Here are a few ideas the Tour could implement: