FedEx Cup Playoff Contest Entries

Last week I came up with what I thought might be a better way of conducting the FedEx Cup playoffs. And, I put it out to you to suggest what you thought would be a better way of finding an annual FedEx Cup winner. The result was some very interesting, credible ideas on a golf playoff system.

The suggestions are below, and they are numbered. Please vote for your favourite and the winning suggestion - while not likely to be put into action next PGA season - will net the "suggester" a Hit Down Dammit! Gamut: a bundle of Hit Down products including the CD-Rom, the printed book, the audio CD, and the ebook. On top of this, all the readers who vote will be thrown into a hat (not literally) and one of you will win a Hit Down Dammit! CD-Rom.

So, read the suggestions, then send us a reply email (info@hitdowndammit.com) with your vote in the subject heading of your email (example - Subject: Idea #1). That's all there is to it. The winners (of the Dammit Gamut and the CD-Rom) will be announced next week and we will contact you for your mailing addresses as well, so you can receive your prize.

(In no particular order)

Idea #1

I think the PGA should emulate the "March Madness" in College Basketball.  Possibly using match play instead of stroke play. Double elimination could be used to extend the number of matches to account for four weekends.

Jack Miller

Idea #2

I think the current format for the play-offs is fine.  The only thing that I would change is that all points are set to zero "0".  Have the four tournaments
and you get your points in them.  This would eliminate the no shows.  This would allow as in other sports the Cinderella scenario and give hope to the journeymen.

George Crider

Idea #3

3.       Forget deferrals and pay the FedEx Cup prize money at the end of the fourth tournament just as golf does with other tournaments and just as other sports do at the end of their playoffs.  Take the prize money that would have been awarded for the fourth tournament and add it to the prize money for the first three tournaments - the  FedEx Cup money ought to be enough to inspire people to try to win the final tournament and the FedEx Cup.

Idea #4

Simple playoffs, four tournaments over four weeks:

·         Week 1: Top 16 money winners have the week off (bye). Next 48 (nos. 17-48) play four rounds. Top 32 go on. No ties - sudden death on Sunday for any players tied for 32nd.

·         Week 2: 48 players, the 32 advancing from Week 1 plus the 16 who had a bye. Four rounds. Top 24 go on. No ties - sudden death on Sunday for any players tied for 24th.

·         Week 3: 24 players. After two days , the top 16 continue (plus any tied for 16th), the rest go home. After the fourth day, the top 4 go on. No ties - sudden death on Sunday for any players tied for 4th.

·         Week 4: Four players. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, match play, 18 holes each, so that after three days each player has played each of the others. All 18 holes played each day. Sunday, the two players who have won the most holes go on to a 27-hole, mano-a-mano, winner-takes-all playoff.  (Ties for 2nd on Saturday, of course, have a sudden-death playoff to see who goes on.)

That's the way it works in all other sports - two players or teams, head-to-head, on the final day.  Yes, it's made for TV - but that's where the money is coming from!

Idea #5

I like your idea of the playoff format. I believe that all players must start equal, with zero points to be a true playoff. This will force all players to attend every event, which is the true essence of it all. There can't be much worse that entering a playoff race when you mathematically don't have a chance of winning.  Really what's the point!!!!

Idea #6

My idea is very simple.

During the golf season, players who finish in the top ten places [not majors] in each tournament receive 10 points for first place, nine for second, eight for third, seven for fourth.six for fifth, five for sixth,  four for seventh, three for eighth, two for ninth and one for tenth. All others who make the cut receive one half point.

In Major tournaments, players who finish one through ten receive 20 points for first, 18 for second, 16 for third, 14, for fourth, 12, for fifth, 10 for sixth, 8 for seventh, 6 for Eighth, 4 for ninth and 2 for 10th place. All other who make cut receive one points each.

If you fail to play in a tournament-- tough luck. No points. At the end of the year, the top four point leaders will meet in a 36 hole playoff,winner take all.

This will be a TV knockout.

Idea #7

Even simpler playoffs, two tournaments over two weeks:

·         Week 1: Top four money winners have the week off (bye). Next 44 (nos. 5-48) play four rounds. Top four go on. No ties - sudden death on Sunday for any players tied for 4th.

·         Week 2: Eight players, the four advancing from Week 1 plus the four who had a bye. After three rounds, the top three go on. If players are tied for 3rd, there is a sudden-death playoff for them. The top three play a 27-hole threesome, winner-takes-all playoff.  Yes, winner-takes-all.

This format provides four big benefits. First, it's short enough to keep interest throughout, even among non-golfers, which matters for TV ratings and thus the purse.  Second, it guarantees that there will be big names on the second weekend because of the byes - and it means that finishing at or close to the top in the "regular season" really means something. Third, there are dramatic finishes on both Saturday and Sunday - again, good for TV and the sport.  Fourth, a few select players go head-to-head on the final day, which is the way the World Series, Super Bowl, NBA Finals, and such work, albeit modified slightly - golf can accommodate a threesome with added drama.

And I liked the fact that this week they played on a "regular" course [East Lake] rather than one made super-tough for the pros with four-foot-wide fairways and linoleum greens. It's cool to see them shooting not just at each other but at course records, and it drives home how much better these folks are than even scratch amateurs.

Steve

Idea #8

All year long the Golf Channel has been telling me it's the Race to the Fedex Cup.   At the beginning, Finchem said this was modeled after NASCAR, and the idea was to get the top players and Tiger to play in more tournaments to accumulate points.  To me it sounds more like WWF.  The announcers spend more time trying to get the players  to say something controversial or try to start a controversy, than doing something positive.  One example was the British Open.  They kept reshowing how the STUPID Frenchman lost the Open years ago.  How long will they continue to harp on how STUPID Phil was not to hit the fairway and double bogey to lose the US Open?  OK, Racing does show the big crashes, so maybe that is what sells tickets.  Trying to compare Golf to other sports is a waste of time.  Bowling is probably as close as you will come.  My idea is to leave things alone.  It's all hype for the boys running things to make more money.  The Fedex was exciting, not for who had the most points, but for the great golf that was played in four consecutive weeks.  There are no perfect scenarios, this one worked, leave it alone.  With your idea, Tiger could win the Grand Slam and lose the last playoff and not be the Champion?  Will people buy that?

Idea #9

There should be a 1 week brake between 2nd and 3rd round. Every one qualified must play all 4 rounds.

Eugene Boucher