MatchPlay would be better for The Fed Ex Cup

[JackTheSmuggler]

Why not have a big Matchplay tournament. It would be a better playoff scenerio with eliminations until it gets down to the final two..Theres a chance for everyone to start off equal and you could have seedings and everything..Brackets could even be implemented..Like college Basketball each bracket could have a #1 (ala Tiger in the Red Bracket or West Bracket) and Phil #1 in the East or Blue Bracket..etc etc.....They could have a Sweet 16 and then a Great 8 until the Final 4....down until a championship...Can you imagine Phil,Tiger,Vijay and say a cinderella like Stricker in a final 4 or Tiger having a bad day and getting upset by Stenson and eliminated...One and out is always best in playoff format..Why not bring it to the PGA tour..THINK ABOUT IT........your thoughts

Oh and if your thinking about time constraints for all this golf play...Just like college basketball has March this matchplay tournement could take place over a whole month....

[FIJIGolf23]

I completely agree with this. I wish they would do this instead of a "4 tournament playoff." Players would accrue points throughout the year to earn their rankings just like is done now. Maybe like the top 72 players earn a spot in the "Playoffs" which is a big match play tournament. They are ranked accordingly and just battle it out in 1 week instead of drawn out for 4 weeks. This would take care of players griping about playing 4 weeks in a row, having to participate in EVERYTHING for that weeks tournament, and this would definitely draw huge crowds and ratings.

[Warik]

100% agree. In fact, when I first heard "FedEx Cup points" and "PGA playoffs," the FIRST thing that popped into my mind was a big series of Match Play tournaments. When I realized it was actually a bunch of stroke play events thrown together with a huge field I was greatly disappointed.

Actually, I haven't watched any of it... and it's not because I was too busy watching football this weekend (I don't watch football). I just can't be any less interested.

I'll probably watch round 4 of the final event when Tiger wins and just hope it ends up being exciting.

[play4him]

I like the idea, but the problem is if the "big" name players don't make it far into the playoffs or finals. That has happened in the past, and it definitely hurt the tv ratings. Who wants to see Joe Durant play Chad Campbell. No disrespect to either player, but you know the Tour & TV Execs aren't going to want that kind of final. Now if they took the top 16 or 24 players, and started from there, they would be assured of a pretty solid playoff. But that's not likely.

[JackTheSmuggler]

One thing you cuold be just about sure of is Tiger making it to the end....As long as Tiger is there ratings will always be solid...Someone like Jason Gore taking out Tiger or Phil wouild make for huge ratings to see if the cinderella kid could go all the way..Imagine it.

[iacas]

Why not? Because:

a) the name players won't always go very far
b) anything can happen over 18 holes (asking them to play 36 for every round is too much)
c) what about the regular season? all it counts for is seeding?

My idea would be this:
0) The top 16 players from the regular season are "in" the playoffs.
1) 144 holes of stroke play determines the next 32 players to get into match play.
2) The top 16 get a day off while the next 32 play 36 holes against each other.
3) The top 16 play the bottom 16 to get back to 16 again, 36 holes.
4) 36 hole matches from there on out.

Taking the top 48 guarantees some names, and giving the top 16 a first-round bye guarantees some names stick around, too. Play all the matches at 36 holes and get good winners.

[Frank-0-Sport]

Greetings ....

I myself have supported the idea of a single 32-player playoff tournament conducted at match play. In fact, I have even worked out "what-if" scenarios for years 2003 thru 2006, and plan to do the same for 2007.

Granted that my suggestion of a Fantasy PGA Tour Playoff event (see link below) may be an intensely complex read for some, but hopefully all will find it entertaining and enlightening.

Thanx-A-Lot, Frank-0-Sport ..... Click-on here for »» Fantasy PGA Tour Playoffs

Disclaimer -- The "Fantasy PGA Tour Playoffs" link is to a web-page authored by me. This is not intended to be a promotion of my site, but rather a means of providing information and insight relevant to this particular SandTrap.com discussion.

[Cleveland Gunmetal]

I agree. I too initially thought the playoff system would be a match play event until I found out about the 4 tournaments. It would be so much more exciting if it were match play. I'm for whatever number works... 48 with byes, 64 without byes. I do like the idea of rewarding the top, say, 16 on the regular season points list bye's. But I don't necessarily see why they have to guarantee certain players advance far. The "name" teams don't always go far in the NCAA tournament, Roger Federer isn't guaranteed a spot deep into a tennis tournament. He just gets there because he's that good. But, one bye week per say makes a lot of sense to reward the top players.

[iacas]

The "name" teams don't always go far in the NCAA tournament

No, but they don't have to earn their way into the tournament to begin with. That's what their "regular season" counts towards (as well as the seeding).

Roger Federer isn't guaranteed a spot deep into a tennis tournament.

The tennis tour doesn't have a "playoffs" system, though, and thus no real "regular season" to use as a method of rewarding players with byes. They, like the PGA Tour last year, just had a series of one-off standalone tournaments.

So be careful here... if you're going to try to compare systems and setups, try to compare them in a similar fashion.

[play4him]

What would make it even better was if they had to play for their own money. Now that would get interesting.

[Cleveland Gunmetal]

No, but they don't have to earn their way into the tournament to begin with. That's what their "regular season" counts towards (as well as the seeding).

Be careful? lol, alright.

I'm not sure I totally follow your first part. Are you saying NCAA teams don't have to play their way into the tournament? Obviously they have to have success to get in. Who cares if the tennis tour doesn't have playoffs. The point of the Roger Federer comment was that they are match play tournaments with seedings. Much like a bracket would look like in a golf match play format. Why can't the system be similar to the World Match Play tournament at the beginning of the year? Except have it be the top 64 in fedex cup points. And what's wrong with having the "regular season" count only towards seeding? You seem to be stuck on the idea the regular season has to count for a lot more. Again, as I said in my previous post, I like the one round bye for the top players. No more than that though. Also, I think 144 players (just using the current format) is ridiculous for a "playoff" sytem.

[hurley9192]

the FedEx Cup really doesn't do much except sort of reward a player for a good year. Stricker has proven so far that a decent season with a hot August/Sept can win you the $10M. If Strick wins this weekend and Tiger gets 2nd and just misses out, Tiger still is POY, he just doesn't get a $10M annuity in 20 years or so. The FedEx cup is exciting, but it really doesn't do much for the whole year champion deal. That title doesn't count anyway since most remember who won what major, but not many remember who got POY in golf.

I think making the first tournament match play to reduce the field, but there should be certain exemptions for players that did well during the year. You could essentially have it like the US Open qualifying...first week is players 70-144, which wittles the 2nd week down to players 30-70 and the top 50 from week 1; week 3 is the top 30 from the season, plus the top 40 finishers from week 2, which goes to 30 and winner take all in the Tour Championship. That essentially gets the top 30 byes for the first 2 weeks and gives a break for those that earn the right to have a bye.

[TheNextBen]

Here's my idea.
the top [whatever] players on the money list make the playoffs.
they are all seeded to play best of 7 match play in a bracketsystem including a loser-bracket where all losers from the winner-bracket go. The winner from the winner-bracket faces the winner from the loser-bracket with 1 game up on the winner from the loser-bracket. They play a best of 7 and there we have our champion.

[ericm]

I would like to see Match Play added to the FedEx Cup as well. However, I just don't see the TV Execs buying into the idea unless it would not affect the big name players. Used properly at the beginning of the series could allow for less cutting for the next two events, maybe even no cuts until the Top 30 for the final event.

Now, with that said, I have found the FedEx Cup reasonably entertaing thus far, minus the usual broadcaster problems associated with any tournament on TV. However, going against the NFL on week one was not the best idea Finchem ever thought up.

[CG031]

Match play tournament would be AWESOME and I'm glad someone finally thinks the same way I do.

Can you just think...

Phil/Tiger in the finals on a Sunday afternoon?! Damn!

[iacas]

I'm not sure I totally follow your first part. Are you saying NCAA teams don't have to play their way into the tournament? Obviously they have to have success to get in.

No, I'm saying they have to play their way in. I'm saying, unlike the FedExCup that takes people who won't even be keeping their PGA Tour cards, virtually every one of the 64 teams in the NCAA "playoffs" IS a "big name" or at least a reasonably big name. They take 64 of how many colleges in the country?

The FEC takes 144 of 125. Unless you cut that 144 down to 48 or fewer, there are some pretty good odds you're gonna see some bums in the finals. Look at the finals of the World Match Play in recent years.

Can you just think...

And if it's Tim Clark versus Heath Slocum? Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

[Cleveland Gunmetal]

No, I'm saying they have to play their way in. I'm saying, unlike the FedExCup that takes people who won't even be keeping their PGA Tour cards, virtually every one of the 64 teams in the NCAA "playoffs" IS a "big name" or at least a reasonably big name. They take 64 of how many colleges in the country?

Oh, yeah, 144 is a ridiculous number of players. I'm not sure what we're discussing then because I never thought 144 was a good idea. That's absurd. Heck, 64 is a stretch IMO. In order to make it a true "playoff" it has to mean something. While I want to see the best matchup just like everyone else I don't want to see a system where players get a free pass because it's better for television. I like the first round bye for the better players on the list. But I don't care who you are, you shouldn't be able to skip the second to last playoff event (Mickelson) and still have a spot in the finals.

And if it's Tim Clark versus Heath Slocum? Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Yeah, that would be pretty boring but if they play there way to the finals then they deserve it. Heck, if it's big names and good television you want then let's just cut through the BS and make this an 8 man tournament. 36 holes each match.

[JackTheSmuggler]

Match play tournament would be

That would be awesome...Tiger and Phil for bragging rights and the money..That would attract none golf fans as well as advertisers....That matchcup could probably be as big as Duke vs Kentucky 92