Will the Tour Championship ever take over majors as the biggest event in golf?

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by jgreen85

Traditionalists are dominating the first page. Certainly, there's work to be done on the FEC regarding the international participation. Perhaps a similar format could end the Euro season, and after the FEC, you take the top 15 from each tour, and have a tournament (stroke or matchplay) to determine the world champion of golf?

Well, they have that "Race to Dubai" for the Euro Tour ... seems pretty similar to Fed Ex Cup, but haven't really followed it clsoely so I don't exactly know.

I like your thinking though.  Another alternative could be a 18 or 36 hole match play event of just the two champions.

Then again, they've already tried something like that with the "Grand Slam of Golf," which I believe was (is? - I don't know if they still do it or not) a tournament of the 4 major champions that never really took off.

[TomK82]

I have to think it will at least be as big someday.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by jgreen85

I tend to think the fed ex cup will rival the majors. It's much more exciting in my opinion. The fields are smaller, so you're always watching your favorite players rather than getting to see two or three in the morning, and then two or three in the afternoon. The majors are all day events, while the playoffs (the later rounds anyway) are a few hours (like football/basketball/soccer games).

Traditionalists are dominating the first page. Certainly, there's work to be done on the FEC regarding the international participation. Perhaps a similar format could end the Euro season, and after the FEC, you take the top 15 from each tour, and have a tournament (stroke or matchplay) to determine the world champion of golf?

If I was a traditionalist I'd be lobbying for the Canadian Open to regain it's place as more important than the previously non-existent WGC events.

[Beachcomber]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

Then again, they've already tried something like that with the "Grand Slam of Golf," which I believe was (is? - I don't know if they still do it or not) a tournament of the 4 major champions that never really took off.

It is more of an exhibition than anything from my vantage point as a fan.  Last year Schwartzel, Clarke, Rory and Bradley played.  And it was pretty much a 3 man tournament as Clarke was never really a factor.

http://www.pga.com/grandslam/2011/

Don't get me wrong... I like the FedEx cup.  But think it would be better if they switched to a Match Play format for the final 30 players.  Then I think it would be more interesting.

[newtogolf]

The FedEx is a PGA Tour event that doesn't have the history of the other Majors.  I also don't see it gaining consideration as a Major when some of the top in the OWGR aren't eligible to compete.

[darkhunter139]

I don't think it will ever be quite as big as the majors but a close second.  So far these last few Fedex cup events have been pretty entertaining.

[Henny Bogan]

Originally Posted by jshots

Since it's only been fairly recently that the FedEx cup started being awarded at this event, will it become bigger than the majors? I feel as though it deserves to be the biggest event, and the more I think about it, the more I don't understand why the Majors have more clout than the tour playoffs and the Tour Championship.

It is truly a competition of the best golfers each year, and it's hard to argue that the winner is not the best player of the year. It is much more comparable to the super bowl, world series, etc, than majors are. I think for that reason, it will naturally take it's place as the biggest event in golf at some point.

I don't see a time when it does, though you never know.  But I suspect the players and even the Commissioner of The PGA Tour, whomever that will be over the next 20-30 years would probably continue to give the same level of importance and respect to the majors that the game always has.  This is really just a format created to get marquee players to play later into the year and to keep fans engaged during football season.

[turtleback]

Originally Posted by jshots

Nice post! There are obviously a lot of reasons that it might not ever be anywhere near the level of a Major, but it definitely has some good things going. There are definitely a few people that aren't answering my question correctly. After long enough it might not be seen as the stupid end of the year TV money maker and in 100 years could be seen as tradition just as the majors. It is set up so that it should have one of the best fields of the year, and it is unique in that it places ONE player above the rest at the end of the season instead of on par with 3 others.

I never feel sorry for asking a good question haha, just because the majority doesn't agree doesn't mean that they are correct!

Due respect, you are also answering your own question "wrong", since in most of your posts you are not arguing for what will happen but for what should happen.

[jshots]

Originally Posted by turtleback

Due respect, you are also answering your own question "wrong", since in most of your posts you are not arguing for what will happen but for what should happen.

I posed the question as a will it happen and have mostly been responding to people who think it shouldn't happen and responded that I think it should happen, both are probably off topic somewhat. The OP said will and should I think but I didn't really provide much of an argument in the OP and so I haven't given a good answer myself and in this particular thread have mostly responded to peoples maybe OT but also slightly relevant answers.

[Golf Man]

I'm a fan of the Fed Ex Cup but it will not and should not overtake the Majors in terms of importance. There are a number of key issues

1) Fed Ex Cup is not a global event - you have to be a member of the USTour to be in with a chance - this in itself is reason enough for it never to have eth same standing as the majors - how can it be the greatest test when its not open to everyone?

2) History - its not the most important thing but the professional game, in all its guises,  has been defined by the majors (how long have people been talking about Woods beating Nicklaus's record). For example I'd be pretty sure that the Fed Ex Cup won't be in existence in 10 years time, there might be a different version or a tweaked version or their might be nothing  - the majors will still be happening as long as golf is happening

3) The majors are a actually a greater test of golf - McIlroy has been outstanding the last two weeks but shooting 20 under two weeks in a row would suggest that the courses are too easy. You have teh same players in the majors and far far harder courses

4) The current format of the Fed Ex Cup is about entertainment and it works in that regard - however this is a completely flawed system with regard to a test of golf, rather than an entertainment offering - for example a player, lets say McIlropy seeing as he has won the last two events, could concievably win all four majors, win the first three comps in the Fed Ex Cup, finish 2nd in the Tour Championship and not win the Fed Ex Cup => with a record like that would teh ultimate winner of the Fed Ex Cup deserve to be Champion Golfer of the year?

5) I have no issue with teh Fed Ex - its entertaining and generally produces good golf by leading players - lets just leave it at that (matchplay idea is crazy).

6) The Fed Ex will never produce a winner like Todd Hamilton, Rich Beem, Ben Curtis, Paul Lawrie, Darren clarke - and teh majors are all teh more appealing for doing so

[Henny Bogan]

Can't really add anything to what you said, which you did in a very good way, except maybe the tradition angle to all of this. One of the things I love about the game is how it always acknowledges its own history, and as far back as we can remember, the majors have been the gold standard.

[MSchott]

Originally Posted by vanpooten

Hell the majors only really gained precedence in the 1960's by the word of Arnold Palmer. Then the media really latched onto that. Yes the tournaments themselves are ancient, but the four of them becoming the pinnacle of golf and the standard by which all golfers are compared is a more recent development (relative to the creation of these tournaments).

Major tournaments were that way well before Palmer. When Bobby Jones won the Grand Slam in 1930 is was celebrated around the world and he was given a ticker tape parade in New York City. It was a big deal in 1953 when Hogan won 3 majors but couldn't compete in the PGA which overlapped with the British Open. Palmer popularized golf in general due to his charisma and the rising popularity of TV.

[MSchott]

OK, it will not happen that the Fedex Cup overtakes the Major's in importance. The Fedex Cup (which by it's name alone being a corporate sponsored series) is a made up concept. Second and more important, ask any professional golfer whether they'd rather win a major or the Fedex Cup. I think we know the answer.

[MEfree]

Originally Posted by Golf Man

I'm a fan of the Fed Ex Cup but it will not and should not overtake the Majors in terms of importance. There are a number of key issues

3) The majors are a actually a greater test of golf - McIlroy has been outstanding the last two weeks but shooting 20 under two weeks in a row would suggest that the courses are too easy. You have teh same players in the majors and far far harder courses

6) The Fed Ex will never produce a winner like Todd Hamilton, Rich Beem, Ben Curtis, Paul Lawrie, Darren clarke - and teh majors are all teh more appealing for doing so

I guarantee that you or I wouldn`t find those courses to be too easy.  Scores were low in large part because of rain that caused soft conditions and a lack of any serious wind.  Soft and no wind and any course is going to get ripped up by those guys.  Even with the easy conditions, Rory didn`t go that much lower than hit did when he won the US Open last year.

Bill Haas is younger, but he doesn`t have that much more of an impressive resume than Curtis or Clarke.  Had Curtis played a bit better at the first two playoff events, he would have had a chance to win it this year in a manner similar to Haas last year.

[Monte the Bear]

Originally Posted by MEfree

I guarantee that you or I wouldn`t find those courses to be too easy.  Scores were low in large part because of rain that caused soft conditions and a lack of any serious wind.  Soft and no wind and any course is going to get ripped up by those guys.  Even with the easy conditions, Rory didn`t go that much lower than hit did when he won the US Open last year.

Just want to point out a bit of a flaw in this argument - at the BMW, you had to go down to 59th place to find a player who shot over par. At the Deutsche, it was 57th. At the British Open, it was 19th and ties. The British Open, like the BMW, suffered from lots of rain and not a lot of wind, yet the way the course set-up, it took players with imagination and touch to win it...a full game in the bag, if you will. Whereas anybody with length off of the tee nailed Bethpage and Carmel...I mean Garrigus...please. Oh yeah, and Lytham was under 7100 yards...

[Golf Man]

Originally Posted by MEfree

I guarantee that you or I wouldn`t find those courses to be too easy.  Scores were low in large part because of rain that caused soft conditions and a lack of any serious wind.  Soft and no wind and any course is going to get ripped up by those guys.  Even with the easy conditions, Rory didn`t go that much lower than hit did when he won the US Open last year.

Bill Haas is younger, but he doesn`t have that much more of an impressive resume than Curtis or Clarke.  Had Curtis played a bit better at the first two playoff events, he would have had a chance to win it this year in a manner similar to Haas last year.

Personally I don't find any course easy

At the Fed Ex Cup eevents we have had 35/50/55 players under par at the Barclays/DB/BMW, at teh majors this year it was 18/0/8/20 - the courses for majors are far far more difficult - simply can't be denied

On Haas - no problem if he won a major like that - all part of the attraction but look at this weekend

McIlroy could come second and have a 24/1/1/2 record in the 4 events

Snedeker could win and have a 2/6/37/1 record in the 4 events

Snedeker would win even those his record over the tournament wouldn't be as good - which is the fatal flaw of the Fed Ex.

By the way Clarke has a major, 2 WGCs, 12 Euro Tor wins, 3 Japanese Tour Wins 5 Ryder Cups

Haas has 4 PGA Tour Wins, and a Fed Ex, 1 Presidents Cup

He's younger but Clarkes CV is miles better

[Monte the Bear]

Much of the end-of-season hype is just that - these courses are set-up for Johnny Miller and Frank Nobilo to swoon over the distance players smash it - it makes great TV, sells a lot of balls and drivers and is the sexy, violent part of the game - where golf nearly becomes a contact sport. And subsequently, the courses are set up wide, with the rough cut back. The only reason the BMW's rough was not cut back to 3 1/2 inches was because of the wet conditions and the mowers could not get through it.

This probably leads us on to the argument of 'which is the best major', but I'll save my opinion for another thread coming to us soon.

[Wally Fairway]

IMO the Tour Championship isn't even the biggest non-major event on the PGA tour - it competes with the WGC events, with different selection criteria.

Going against the Tour Championship is:

- limited field event (top 30 in the FedEx points).

- wrong time of year (competing with football & baseball playoff races).

- I don't think the off week helps building hype towards the finish

- the golfing world (media & competing players) are looking past it to the Ryder Cup.

I think the most prestigious non-major on the PGA tour is the Player Championship.