By now we have all grown accustomed to Steve Sands of NBC and the Golf Channel standing at the chalkboard or monitor and giving us the up to the minute scenarios during the Tour Championship. We also know that without a mathematics degree, it can be nearly impossible to figure out the current FedEx Cup Playoff system.
As a result, many have called for changes to the system to make it easier for the average fan to follow along with. Well, for those who have been asking for changes I hope you are happy because you got them and well….they are something.
Beginning in 2019 the PGA Tour is blowing up the current playoff format as we know it and starting over. While it had already been announced that the playoffs were going from 4 events to 3, we now know how the process will play out.
The playoffs will begin at the Northern Trust with the top 125 qualifying. From there, the top 70 will move to the BMW Championship and the final 30 going to East Lake. That’s where things get shall we say…interesting.
Instead of the customary points reset where the top 5 in standings control their own destiny, the Tour Championship will move to a strictly stroke-based format. What that means is that the leader after the first two events will begin the week at 10-under par. From there, players 2-5 will begin at 8-under through 5-under respectively. Starting scores will go down until players 26-30 start at E.
So here’s how players would start the Tour Championship based on FEC seed:
No. 1: -10
No. 2: -8
No. 3: -7
No. 4: -6
No. 5: -5
Nos. 6-10: -4
Nos. 11-15: -3
Nos. 16-20: -2
Nos. 21-25: -1
Nos. 26-30: E— Ryan Lavner (@RyanLavnerGC) September 18, 2018
On top of everything else, the winner of the Tour Championship, even if it’s the guy that started 10 shots clear of player #30 will still get credit for a full Tour win. To put that into perspective, if those rules were in place this week Bryson DeChambeau would begin the week at 10-under.
If that doesn’t sound asinine enough, strap in because it gets better.
In addition to the format change, the money is also going up. Beginning next year the playoff pool is increasing to $60 million. As a result, the winner of the playoffs will now receive $15 million instead of $10 million.
Then there’s something called the “Wyndham Rewards Top 10”. To juice participation and presumably ratings for the regular season’s final event, tournament sponsor Wyndham has instituted the Wyndham Rewards Top 10. The $10 million dollar list will be a regular season championship of sorts. The top 10 regular season finishers after the Wyndham Championship will receive a cash payout based on where the finish on the list. The top finisher will earn $2 million with the runner-up getting $1.5 million. The person coming in 10th will get 500 grand.
Got all that? Good, because the Tour is doing this with YOU in mind.
“This is a significant and exciting change for the PGA TOUR, our players, our partners and – most importantly – our fans,” said Tour commissioner Jay Monahan in a release. “As soon as the TOUR Championship begins, any fan – no matter if they’ve followed the PGA TOUR all season or are just tuning in for the final event – can immediately understand what’s going on and what’s at stake for every single player in the field. And, of course, players will know exactly where they stand at all times while in play, which will ratchet up the drama, consequence, and volatility of the competition down the stretch. Compared to the current system, the beauty here is in the simplicity. Fans are very familiar with golf leaderboards in relation to par, so they will have a clear understanding of the impact every shot makes during the final run for the FedExCup – ultimately leading to a singular champion without conflicting storylines.”
I don’t know about you, but personally, I can’t wait for this mess to unfold next year just so I can sit back and laugh when it becomes an absolute disaster.
