Midway through the first FedEx Cup regular season, it’s tough to tell if the FedEx Cup is half full or half empty.
Fans have seen commercials and read stories about the PGA Tour’s new format, which involves a point race, playoff series and a $10 million bonus to the champion. They have checked out the new standings too.
And still they wonder: Where is the money list?
You don’t make a dramatic change without a little confusion. Having studied NASCAR’s Nextel Cup, tour officials knew it would take time for players and fans to understand the new format.
“At this stage, there’s nothing absolutely identifiable that we think needs changing,” said Ric Clarson, a PGA Tour senior vice president and key strategist for the FedEx Cup. “But we won’t know until we get done and evaluate in the fall.”
Seasons have been judged by earnings since winners started receiving those big check placards.
Money makes the golf world go round. Whether it’s Phil Mickelson playing a practice round with Vijay Singh, or Joe Six Pack playing with his buddies, the first ball can’t be struck without a wager.
So the world’s best have had as much trouble as the fans at grasping the point concept.
“I think it’s got to start with the players,” Mickelson said at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last month. “Players are still in the mind-set of money list, and it’s going to take a while for the players to change the way they view it. But in the end I think it’s good that we have a season that culminates with some type of finale.”
That’s why the tour made the change. It wanted a more dramatic conclusion.
With the tour entering the 18th of 36 regular-season events, it’s hard to argue that the standings don’t reflect the results. Even traditionalists will find little variation between points and earnings.
Singh and Tiger Woods, the only players with two wins, are Nos. 1 and 2 in FedEx Cup points. Their position on the money list is flip-flopped. Masters champion Zach Johnson is the only top-10 player who has a major difference in points and earnings; he is ninth in points and fourth in earnings.
The top 70 in each event earn points. The winner gets 4,500, fifth gets 1,000 and 70th gets 50.
The change will be most evident as the regular season winds down. Players will feel some urgency to improve their position and seeding in the playoffs.
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Although the point system mirrors NASCAR’s, the tour’s playoffs are more like the NCAA tournament. Players get eliminated at each stage.
The top 144 make the playoffs, which begins at The Barclays. The field trims to 120 for the Deutsche Bank Championship and then to 70 for the BMW Championship. Golf’s Super Bowl, the Tour Championship, will have the final 30.
“We want to make sure we continue to award winning and top-five finishes,” Clarson said. “But the point system allows for the Cinderella story or somebody who gets hot during the playoffs, which is what you see quite often in March Madness. You can have an 11 seed, George Mason, get to the Final Four, but most years you’re going to have UCLA, Georgetown, Florida and Ohio State.”