Question of the week [August 12-18]: What do you like and / or dislike about the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup Playoffs?
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I realize the FedEx Cup is a season-long competition to crown a champion. I guess what I don’t like is the finale at East Lake is the only 72-hole event of the year where the lowest score doesn’t win a tournament. Whoever shoots the low-event score may get some kind of mention on TV in passing, which will mean nothing unless winning the tournament enables the player to win the FedEx Cup.
And the staggered start with the leader beginning the week with a 10-shot lead over No. 30 just seems bogus to me. After making several format changes over the years, the players seem somewhat accepting to the staggered start and quadruple points. It just doesn’t seem right to me, but at the same time I don’t have an alternative plan for a season-ending points and money race event.
But I would at least like to see a monetary bonus for the East Lake 72-hole low score and have that player get some recognition and perks for his play like future exemptions, etc.
I know they are already playing for a boatload of money and most any winner may already be well exempt and certainly financially well off for years. But it’s still a high-level event against the highest-ranked field of the year and low score should get a little more recognition.
Barry Duckworth
Knoxville, Tennessee
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It’s unfortunate that it appears to be a Scottie Scheffler lock this year. However, that’s not his fault. Winning six tournaments has a habit of doing that. Having two to three multiple winners and the FedEx Cup takes on a whole new meaning.
Scheffler should be the runaway winner and props to him. He is the undisputed player of the year. Bring on the 2025 season with Big Jon Rahm back in play on the PGA Tour and let’s see what happens.
PJ Vicary
The Villages, Florida
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I like the format of 70, 50, 30 players [advancing] bases on rankings.
I do not like that the winner of the final tournament automatically wins the FedEx Cup. I believe that negates the concept of a seaon-long race for the FedEx Cup. I would like to see the player who has the most FedEx points at the end of final tournament wins the FedEx Cup, even if it is not the same person who wins the final tournament. Would actually be more exciting to me if it is two people.
Nancy Riesz
Cincinnati, Ohio
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I think it’s ridiculous that they limited the field to only 70 players for the first event. It should have been kept to the top 125, as in the past. The PGA Tour keeps thinking people like the smaller fields. They are wrong.
Dennis Burns
Joliet, Illinois
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I do not like a tournament where a player can start a tournament 10-under par. Go back to the model of the Tour Championship, which can have a winner for that week’s tournament. The points earned at the Tour Championship, whatever they may be, can be added to the already accrued points of the players and the person with the most points wins the FedEx Cup. Xander Schauffele won the 2017 Tour Championship as a rookie and finished third in the FedEx Cup, which Justin Thomas won. Under the current system Xander would never have won that important tournament.
James Brock
Atlanta, Georgia
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I don't like anything about the FedEx Cup. No golfer I know understands or, more importantly, cares about how points are awarded. It's just advertising for FedEx to have the brand name constantly mentioned. The playoffs become more and more of a joke as it progresses — to the point guys start the last tournament already below par before swinging a club. Really?
I understand the rationale for rewarding consistent play over a season, but this system fails to engage me in the least. I recall hearing when it was first announced that they had used NASCAR as a model. Sounds about right.
Tom Klabunde
Tempe, Arizona
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I liked the way the playoffs were originally set — the top 125 for the playoffs were also exempted for the next year's tour. The first thing a pro is interested in is being exempt for future years. The second is winning a tournament and being exempt for three years. Livelihood is always the most important thing for anybody, no matter what your profession might be.
JB Ross
Chandler, Arizona
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This is such a blatant cash grab made for TV. Baseball playoff races and the beginning of pro and college football make this even less watchable. All season we’ve been told that the players are playing for FedEx "points," as if the weekly megapurses aren’t the motivation.
As the fields get pared down to the final 30, it only serves to emphasize the weak fields caused by the PGA Tour's childish stand against LIV players. Many on that tour would clearly be among the 30 elites.
Vinny Mooney
Poughkeepsie, New York
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Front: Billy Horschel on the 18th green after winning the 2014 Tour Championship Trophy and the FedEx Cup. Photo: Kenneth E. Dennis