FedEx Cup Starts Today

August 25, 2016August 24, 2016 / The Grateful Golfer / 3 Comments

The FedEx Cup starts today. I actually forgot that it was here and I overlooked…well everything!

The FedEx Cup is an interesting golf competition because of the “play well – move on” format. At the Barclays, all 125 players will start, but only 100 players will move on to the next event at the Deutsche Bank Championship. The third week at the BMW championship will only have 70 players competing; then at the TOUR Championship, 30 players will be left to vie for the 10 million dollar grand prize. Continue reading →

The Fed Ex Cup Playoffs

August 26, 2015August 26, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 7 Comments

The FedEx Cup Playoffs start tomorrow at the Barclay’s. This modified elimination style competition will see one player raise the FedEx Cup over their head in four weeks. The real prize is the 10 million dollars that the 2015 FedEx Champion will pocket for just playing golf!

The FedEx Cup is an interesting golf competition because of the “play well before – play well now – move on” format. At the Barclay’s, all 125 players will start, but only 100 players will move on to the next event at the Deutsche Bank Championship. The third week at the BMW championship will only have 70 players competing; then at the TOUR Championship, 30 players will be left to vie for the 10 million dollar grand prize.

I have discussed the merits of changing the FedEx Cup format to make it more exciting and I believe that a modified NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship format would be fun. Here is what I am thinking:

All points are finished. Everyone plays straight up.
Create 2 pools of 64 players (top 128 from the FedEx Standings).
At the Barclay’s only 40 from each pool move on to the Deutsche Bank Championship (80 players).
At the Deutsche on the top 25 from each pool make it to the BMW Championships. (50 players).
Combine the pools and the top 50 players make it to the Tour Championship.
Winner of the Tour Championship is the crown FedEx Cup Playoff Champion and wins the 10 million dollars!

This may seem like a strange system, but in the playoffs of any sport, all accumulated scores from previous matches are removed and everyone starts on a level playing field. Why not golf?

I enjoy watching the Fed Ex Cup playoffs. There is always exciting golf to be seen, however over the years past (like when Vijay Singh won the playoffs before the Tour Championship), the drama of players slugging it out to the bitter end was just not there. This year should be interesting with all the young lions in the field, but if Jordan Spieth wins The Barclay’s, the sprint for 10 million dollars could be over early.

What do you think? Should the FedEx Cup Playoffs change their format?

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links?

The FedEx Cup

August 18, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 7 Comments

The FedEx Cup – a race for 10 million dollars!

The race for 10 million dollars is on! The final tournament, Wyndham Championship, concluded today and set the stage for the four-tournament playoff that will crown the FedEx Cup champion. This elimination style competition starts with The Barclay’s on Thursday.

For the first time in 2013-14, the PGA TOUR embarks on a wraparound schedule that bridges two years with a total of 45 events played over 43 weeks. The PGA TOUR season is divided into two segments – the FedExCup Season (41 events) and the FedExCup Playoffs (4 events) – played over 43 weeks.

The FedExCup Playoffs once again features four events, starting with The Barclays (Aug. 21-24) at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J., onto the Deutsche Bank Championship (August 29-Sept. 1) at TPC Boston and BMW Championship (Sept. 4-7) at Cherry Hills Country Club outside Denver, before concluding at the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. (FedEx Cup)

I have talked about the FedEx Cup before and my view still stands. The FedEx Cup needs to create more excitement! I thought I would share my thoughts from before when I compared the FedEx Cup with the World Cup of Soccer:

Limiting the FedEx Cup field through the final four tournaments is definitely a must! It does provide a level of excitement that peaks the interest of most sports enthusiasts. However, this is where real excitement for sports fans fades. The current FedEx Cup format does produce a strong field, but unfortunately the format only ensures the big names in golf make it to the finals. There is no real “David and Goliath” excitement; the underdog remains under; and there is no last-minute heroic sand shot remembered for 60 years! The FedEx Cup playoffs is like watching the same group of players week- in and week-out win large purses without any real excitement. 6 of the top 10 ranked players in the FedEx Cup are also in the top 10 in the world! It is somewhat exciting for true golfing fans, but the current format does not generate the enthusiasm of a World Cup event.

The FedExCup should take a page from the World Cup. Have all the qualifying tournaments to set up the 125-man field for the playoffs. Then, have all the players start with zero points and let the chips fall where they may. Lose and go home!

Adopt the World Cup way. Once the playoffs start, everything should be performance based. If a pro plays well, they make it to the next stage. If not, better luck next year. Regardless of their world ranking, it allows the 125th ranked player the opportunity to reach out and rip the title out of the hands of the giant.

This format will make for great golf! It will elevate the FedEx Cup to the ranks of a must see sporting event! All sport nuts remember the huge upset, but rarely remember the team that should have won. Creating excitement on any playing field is really what fans want!

This sums up my thoughts on the FedEx Cup. It is great to watch some fantastic golf, however I would like to see more excitement in the event.

What do you think? Could the format change to create more excitement for sports fans?

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!