Issue: Fed Ex Points at Palmer and Memorial events

[Frank-0-Sport]

Greetings ....

As most here should know by now, beginning in 2015 winners of the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Memorial Tournament receive 3-season PGA Tour exemptions, putting the two events on equal footing with the World Golf Championship Events (WGC's) and the Tour Championship, at least as far as exempt status is concerned. However, the Fed Ex Cup points offered by the two events were -NOT- brought up to the level of the WGC events, meaning that first place is worth 500 points, rather than than the 550 points offered by the WGC events.

Does it strike you as kind of odd that the PGA Tour would grant to winners of Arnold Palmer's and Jack Nicklaus' events a 3-season exemption, but at the same time choose not to raise the Fed Ex point values of the two events as well??

Thanx-A-Lot! (But not to the PGA Tour)

Edited March 14, 2018 by Frank-0-Sport

[iacas]

No.

They're invitationals.

I suspect that in a few years if they don't attract high quality fields, that they might revisit this policy, but for now it makes sense.

[MacDutch]

I think it is more strange to get that many points and 3 years exemption for just an invitational.

[Frank-0-Sport]

Greetings .Iacas and Macdutch

The PGA Tour saw to it that both the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Memorial Tournament would award 3-season exemptions and (something I forgot to mention the first time) have purses comparable to the WGC's and Fed Ex playoff events. I can think of no reason of any kind why both events should not also have enhanced Fed Ex point values as well.

Of course, as you say,  they are both invitational events. But then so are events such as the Masters Tournament, the WGC's, the Players and PGA Championships, and also (even if no one may think such) the four Fed Ex Cup events. All of them have large purses and enhanced points, and all but the first three playoff events offer at least a 3-season exemption. So again, what rationale could there be not to let the Palmer and Memorial events offer enhanced points??

There are of course other invitational events -- the Heritage, the Colonial at Fort Worth, the DC National and also (in my view) two pro-am events, the CareerBuilder and Pebble Beach. But they are considered as regular events, offering standard points, exempt status and money, so there's no need to make a special case about them.

Oh BTW -- I also consider the winners-only Sentry Tournament of Champions to be an invitational event. But it is one that I would seriously consider revamping with a larger purse, 3-season exemption reward and enhanced Fed Ex points. However, all of that would be done -ONLY- on the condition that the field would have at least 50 winners rather than the random 25-35 per year. This can be easily done, and would include an assist from the Official World Golf Ranking Tournament Strength-of-Field stat.

Thanx-A-Lot!

Edited March 14, 2018 by Frank-0-Sport

[iacas]

2 hours ago, Frank-0-Sport said:

Oh BTW -- I also consider the winners-only Sentry Tournament of Champions to be an invitational event. But it is one that I would seriously consider revamping with a larger purse, 3-season exemption reward and enhanced Fed Ex points. However, all of that would be done -ONLY- on the condition that the field would have at least 50 winners rather than the random 25-35 per year. This can be easily done, and would include an assist from the Official World Golf Ranking Tournament Strength-of-Field stat.

I don't support that at all. It's the Tournament of Champions, not the Tournament of Players who Finished High Enough a Few Times.

And AFAIK the other "invitationals" you listed are in name only. The API and the Memorial have a set of criteria that's more than, say, the Colonial. Again, AFAIK.

[onthehunt526]

18 hours ago, iacas said:

I don't support that at all. It's the Tournament of Champions, not the Tournament of Players who Finished High Enough a Few Times.

And AFAIK the other "invitationals" you listed are in name only. The API and the Memorial have a set of criteria that's more than, say, the Colonial. Again, AFAIK.

Colonial is a little easier to get in than the other two. I'm okay with the three-year exemption if the strength of field warrants it.

I don't support the Sentry ToC being any kind of tournament other than one for winners. 

What really stinks is before the WGC were instituted, the predecessor to the Bridgestone Invitational was the World Series of Golf. The World Series of Golf and The Players used to offer 10-year tour exemptions for Winners. It's a different time. I have a different thread topic about something that really grinds my gears.