Monday, September 29

FedEx Cup Doesn't Deliver

FEDEX CUP, MEET THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP. TOUR Championship, meet the FedEx Cup. You two need each other. Badly. Otherwise we’re going to have to change Yogi Berra’s famous saying from “It ain’t over till it’s over” to “It’s over before it’s over.”

That’s exactly the way the FedEx Cup Playoffs ended. All Vijay Singh had to do was show up. Except for dividing up the loot, the TOUR Championship didn’t matter.

It’s like awarding the Super Bowl trophy to one of the conference champions. It would turn the Super Bowl into the Pro Bowl. I’m not a huge football fan, but I know that wouldn’t be good.

As Robert mentioned in a recent comment at this blog, perhaps a match-play format in the TOUR Championship is the way to go. Play the three stroke-play events to whittle the field to 32. Then the winner of the TOUR Championship takes home all the marbles.

I’m just throwing out ideas. Oh yeah. Nice win, Spiderman.

−The Armchair Golfer

FedEx Cup Is Better Than Warm Bucket of Spit


Double Eagle said...

I think match play at the end is a great idea.

As I've stated elsewhere, I have a serious problem with a playoff format where there are players still in it that don't have a mathematical chance of winning, and where the eventual winner can basically just show up to the last event and only needs to make the cut to win.

Nicks Golf Palace said...

I think the point system for the FedEx Cup is good, but once the playoffs start everyone should start fresh from that point on. A bonus could be given to the top 3 in points,for example, but then a 4 part match play would start. The top players would be exempt until the final 2 match play rounds, then they would have to play who has survived. Then whoever wins the final gets all the marbles. I don't know, that's my idea.

Robert said...

Match play, please!

What they are trying to do--achieve some kind of dramatic playoff system like we see in all the major sports (excluding college football, of course)--just doesn't work with stroke play.

There's too many variables and formulas with this system, like the BCS. Make it simple. Head to head, one-on-one golf.

I agree with what Nick said as well, let the better players have a round or two of byes.

Just something different. If the Tour wants to compete with football for viewers, this isn't going to work.

Bobbio said...

Match play is dicey. The nets biggest fear is that Dudley Hart would play Billy Mayfair in the finals.

Golf better enjoy the recent cash injection. It won't last. Sports marketing budgets are going to be pored over in this economy. What do we call The Wachovia now?

The FedExCup is useless. We have four elite events. They're called majors. The NFL is king in the fall.

Par Fore said...

Personally I like seeing the top 30 at the final event, because I know the names and what each brings to the table. However, I will agree the golf was a little dull, and I'm a big golf fan. One problem the PGA faces is competing with football on Saturday and Sunday. I thought the crowd was a little thin for such a big event.

My idea would be to start the tournament on Wednesday end on Saturday. On Sunday the top 2 in the Fedex standing match play for $10 million on Sunday.

Boogie said...

Increase the points as the playoffs increase - more weight to each tournament. Villegas was the hottest at the end of the series and should have won the FedEx trophy, but he missed the cut at the Barclays by a mere points. Not to mention his finish at the PGA Champ. Just look at his results page for the last 5 tourneys of the year. Singh was a roller coaster.

Albatross said...

Winner of the FedEx Cup goes against the #1 player in the world in a Match Play event. If the winner is the #1 player in the world, then he goes against the #2 player in the world.

It would be the Super Bowl of golf. Play the match on the following Thursday of the Tour Championship. Tee off late in the day and the final 9 holes is played under the lights in Prime Time.

A lot of people might think it's some sort of gimmick, but it would definitely draw interest. TV Ratings would be HUGE. Plus, it guarentees the best player in the world being part of the match. Sponsors would be all over it because you avoid Rod Pampling against Briny Baird. No matter what, Match Play needs to be part of this to make it a true "playoff"