Radical Idea for the Future: The Double Cut

[Frank-0-Sport]

Greetings ...

Imagine that you are a PGA Tour professional, and you have just put yourself among the Low 70 Scorers, plus any ties, after the first 36 holes (or 54 if Pebble Beach, or 72 if Bob Hope) of this week's tournament.

But just as soon as you sign your scorecard, some official comes by and says to you --

"Sorry to tell you, but some players in the last two groups just finished with birdies, so you are now outside the Low 50 Cut line, and as such will not be in this weekend's field. However, you will be credited with a Low 70 finish and receive $xx,xxx - the same as offered for 50th place - and it will count as official money."

WHOA - Excuse Me? Low 50 advance to weekend, but not the Low 70 - and yet you still get credit and official money equal to that for 50th place?

What the !#!'s going on here?

You've just been introduced a radical new concept - the Double Cut.

The proposed Double Cut concept works essentially like this --

In a given tournament, the traditional cut to the 70 scorers plus any ties would be made first. This would then be followed by a second cut to the Low 50 scorers plus any ties. The Low 50 and ties would advance to the remaining holes of play, with each pro guaranteed to receive at least as much money as is offered for 50th place. Each of those pros not among the Low 50 and ties would be credited with an official finish and receive an official money prize equal to that for 50th place.

To achieve the money payouts, a modified 50-place purse distribution system would replace the PGA Tour's current 70-place purse system. There would then be an extra purse to handle the 20-or-more remaining places, and this extra purse would worth at least 8% of the main purse.

And just what is 50th place worth in the modified purse. Let's say it's a $5-million event, with a 1st prize of $900,000. 50th place in such an event would be worth $20,000 - or 45 times less than what 1st is worth.

Compare that with 50th place in the PGA Tour's current 70-place system. In a $5-million event, it's $12,600, or 71.42857+ times less than what 1st is worth. And 70th place of course is worth $10,000 - 90 times less than what 1st is worth, and half of what 50th place - and each place beyond - would be worth in the modified 50-place system.

By now you realize that an odd thing is being proposed - to give out more money to all the players who successfully make the Low 70 Cut, while keeping 20-or-more of them from playing on the weekend!

Why in the world would the PGA Tour - or any other tour - want to even consider doing this?

For the answer to that, you are invited to click-on to this link --

Tale of the Double Cut and 50-Place-Plus Purse System

-- it will repeat much of what's just been said here, with added details. Plus you'll be able to read the reasons why this concept might be attractive to the pro tours.

As a bonus, the web-page presentation will use each event in the actual 2006 PGA Tour season to illustrate how the Double Cut concept might play out.

Thanx-A-Lot and Enjoy, Frank-0-Sport

[iacas]

It's an interesting idea. Would you be available to talk about it on our podcast this Friday?

[jeffgladchun]

This proposal has both pro's and con's, but I don't think there are enough pro's to warrant the switch. You would have to raise more money to pay people who won't even be playing during the weekend. However I do like the idea of being able to watch the trophy presentation, but I think there are other areas to look to in order to speed up play.