Tour Championship Qualifying

[bradford]

Did anyone see what Tom Pernice Jr. had to say about the three playoff events leading into next year's Tour Championship? He basically ripped the tour for have three events and not have the fields shrink. I couldn't agree more. I think it would make for much more interesting golf if players were eliminated after each event. Think the players involved would have to be much more focused and as a result we would see much better golf.

[iacas]

I think it's a concession to the fact that Phil, Tiger, and some of the other big-name players won't play six out of seven weeks straight.

In other words, if Tiger skips a week and is thus ineligible for the Tour Championship or the rest of the playoffs, how exciting would that be?

[Thrash13]

I don't think the fields should be 144 or whatever the number is for the playoffs. The top 50 or top 75 should get into the playoffs, with the top 30 moving on to The Tour Championship.

Anything close to 100 or over is just too much. That takes a lot of the "special" feeling out of the entire thing. In Nascar there are only 10 guys with a shot to win the Cup in their playoff system. The PGA Tour is different I know, but I'd put a premium on having a great year before the playoff starts rather than a mediocre year.

As it stands right now, I think the field should be cut down every week throughout the playoff like Pernice stated. If it was done the way I suggested, they wouldn't have to do it every week because the fields would already be unique enough.

Then again, Pernice isn't Vijay's henchman for nothing.

[SSandlin]

How's this for hypothetical scenarios:

Field size over 7 weeks:
144
125
106
87
68
49
30

I would wittle the field down week by week based on their standings within the points system, culminating in the top 30 for the Tour Championship.

Or, if we really want to go outside the box, convert the Tour Championship to a 32-man match play finale. 16 matches on Thursday, 8 matches on Friday, quarters and semis on Saturday and the final match and consolation match on Sunday. While I realize the PGA Tour is pretty much based on stroke play, the hype and intensity could be raised enough among the players to make it a great end to the season.

Just a couple of random thoughts.

[Frank-0-Sport]

Greetings

Quote From SSandlin "Or, if we really want to go outside the box, convert the Tour Championship to a 32-man match play finale. 16 matches on Thursday, 8 matches on Friday, quarters and semis on Saturday and the final match and consolation match on Sunday. While I realize the PGA Tour is pretty much based on stroke play, the hype and intensity could be raised enough among the players to make it a great end to the season." Yo, Scott - I had a similar thought. I have imagined what it might have been like if the PGA Tour had conducted the Tour Championship as a match-play "play-off" event from 2003 to 2006. The 32-man field would be the Top 32 on the Money List up to the start of the event. In case of pre-tournament withdrawals, the next available players on the Money List would be selected. And inside the box below - The Rules of the Chase. Brace yourself, as this is really quite a lot of info

None

[SSandlin]

Wow, that's pretty much got it covered from nearly every angle. If this was posted somewhere else in the forum, then I do apologize for repeating it. I haven't had a chance to search through all of the posts yet.

While I don't really foresee this happening, what would the tour do if a big name like Tiger, Ernie, Retief or Vijay did not do well? I'm still trying to figure out the specifics of the points system that's being used, but if the big names are all at the bottom, how will that affect the tour? Will they use it to their advantage and promote that any golfer can win, or will they tweak the process to make sure it doesn't happen again?

Quickly, off topic and out of courtesy to Frank, there are only 2 more Saturdays to endure heartache and disappointment. Maybe there is light at the end of the crimson tunnel.

[The Turlock Kid]

"While I don't really foresee this happening, what would the tour do if a big name like Tiger, Ernie, Retief or Vijay did not do well? I'm still trying to figure out the specifics of the points system that's being used, but if the big names are all at the bottom, how will that affect the tour? Will they use it to their advantage and promote that any golfer can win, or will they tweak the process to make sure it doesn't happen again?" - Scott

Good Point, Scott. I bet the Tour would cringe if the big players didn't make it. I can't really see Tiger losing a lot of match play tourneys though.

I think it would be cool to see the Tour put the big players through the grinder a bit. I think the big players get off way too easy. The not-so-big guys usually work pretty hard, but why not give Tiger, Phil, etc. (excluding Vij) a little challenge?

I remember the old British Am (I'm sure it's changed) was like 36 holes/day over four days. It seems your week-long qualifying would simulate that toughness a little. Why not watch them all sweat a little like the old players used to? I think the quarters, semis, and finals for that would be pretty intense.

Just a thought.

ps - does anyone know the current Brit Am system?

[golfchief]

Match play would be great. Let the top 50 players in and the final two get spots on the ryder cup.

[Frank-0-Sport]

Greetings ...

I have a couple of critisisms about the "X Kupp" deal.

First - I would prefer that the X Kupp Championship be decided with just one event, rather than with four events.

On the flip side, I can partially understand the PGA Tour's reasoning for the 4-event set-up. When you have one player dominating the Tour every year, and not much challenge from several would-be contenders - some talented, many more middle-of-the-pack - it doesn't make for a great season-ending finish. So the Tour has compensated for the would-bees, wanna-bees and not likely to-bees with this wacky 4-event X Kupp Insane-A-Thon. A peculiar rewarding of mediocrity, you might say.

Second - The First three X Kupp playoff events (excluding the finale at the Tour Championship) will be at the same venue (except the roaming BMW Championship) at the same point on the Tour schedule EVERY YEAR - just like the World Goof (pardon, Golf) Championships (WGC's). No other tournaments will be asked to share in the X Kupp Madness -- Again, just like the WGC's.

In effect, non-X Kupp and non-WGC tournaments are getting a treatment from PGA Tour Commish Tim Finchem that, while not like what has happened with LPGA Tour Commish Carolyn Bievens and some of that circuit's events, will not help in attracting high profile players. Why those tournaments, their corporate sponsors, the TV Networks and Ad agencies haven't figured THAT out is beyond me.

Thanx-A-Lot, Frank-0-Sport