Alternative 2018 Top 30 FedEx Scenarios the PGA Tour perhaps should have considered

[Frank-0-Sport]

A Personal Opinion

It looks like the PGA Tour has (once again) gotten it wrong with its Top 30 Scenario set-up for the 2017-18 Fed Ex Playoffs.

Submitted for your consideration and comment, an alternative Top-30 scenario that --

1. Does not reset any player's points prior to the start of play.

2. Presents a different offering scheme of Tour Championship points, based on the event's 32-year-old basic money distribution formula. In fact, if you multiply each of the 30 places by 180 you'll get the individual place prize money amounts for the 2018 tournament.

3. In addition to the above, the alternative scenario doesn't tinker with the Tour Championship's scoring format or anything else. The field just plays the event as they would any other. May the best man win.

One additional thought -- consider what the scenarios might be like (especially for Bryson DeChambeau) if the three playoff events offered only 1.0x value points instead of 4.0x.

Edited September 20, 2018 by Frank-0-Sport

[HJJ003]

Hmmmm this is interesting. At first glance...I like it. 

[iacas]

20 minutes ago, Frank-0-Sport said:

It looks like the PGA Tour has (once again) gotten it wrong with its Top 30 Scenario set-up for the 2017-18 Fed Ex Playoffs.

They didn't "get it wrong" because they set the rules and then followed them.

Your "creation" is just a different way of doing the same thing. Maybe this year it makes sense, and maybe other years it makes less sense.

[Frank-0-Sport]

4 minutes ago, iacas said:

They didn't "get it wrong" because they set the rules and then followed them.

Your "creation" is just a different way of doing the same thing. Maybe this year it makes sense, and maybe other years it makes less sense.

I won't disagree with you. Just to clarify the main part of what I think is wrong is that (1) the many scenarios are way too confusing for many in the public to properly figure out and (2) winning the Fed Ex Cup by the current method favors only a few of the Top 30 even if all in the field have some sort of chance. The alternative scenarios I offer here should be easier and straightforward for all concerned.

[iacas]

1 minute ago, Frank-0-Sport said:

I won't disagree with you. Just to clarify the main part of what I think is wrong is that (1) the many scenarios are way too confusing for many in the public to properly figure out and (2) winning the Fed Ex Cup by the current method favors only a few of the Top 30 even if all in the field have some sort of chance. The alternative scenarios I offer here should be easier and straightforward for all concerned.

They’re the same kind of thing. There could be all sorts of scenarios depending on who is winning on Sunday.

Plus they already revised it for 2019.

[Wally Fairway]

All of this seems like to solutions to a problem that is all about money, money being the FedEx bonus and a made up title of FedEx series champion.

I think some people confuse the FedEx series champion with the PGA player of the year; they both recognize season long accomplishments but with vastly different methodology. IMO, FedEx is paying a lot of cash to many player, for the right to name a FedEx champion (good for them, good for the tour and maybe good for golf). They should be able to come up with any method they want, within reason, to name their champion. But that is "all" that it is. It certainly isn't the player who had the best year on tour, because take to an extreme if Hideki Matsuyama were to win the Tour Championship and if everything else fell his way and he won the FedEx series, well it is hard to say he had the best year with his only win being this week and only having 3 other top 10 finishes (footnote - 9 players in the Tour Championship field have not won an event this year).

So no matter what they do with the FedEx Cup, the only names in the Player of the Year conversation really are Koepka (with 2 majors) and BDC, DJ, JT & Bubba with 3 wins on tour, unless Molinari wins this week for his 3rd win this year (including The Open Championship)

[Frank-0-Sport]

Note to Iacas -- I am aware of the 2019 changes. As the text below suggests, I am not in favor of them.

Congrats to Tiger Woods (Tour Championship) and Justin Rose (Fed Ex Cup)

That's how it was in actual fact. Presented below are the final actual fact and alternative scenario Top 30 Fed Ex Cup finishers. From 6th place upwards, there are only minor differences of note. However, among the Top Five finishers, some dramatic differences occur, mainly with Tiger Woods, Billy Horschel and Justin Rose.

Again the main points of the alternative scenario premise -- (1) NO pre-tourney reset of player points; (2) Based solely on the pre-tourney difference between 1st place (Bryson DeChambeau at 5,789) and 30th (Patton Kizzire at 1,432), a modified offering of Tour Championship points. (3) no adjustment of any player's score before, during or after the Tour Championship.

The alternative scenario was no mere fiddling around with numbers. This was a carefully considered enterprise, reflecting my personal feelings concerning many aspects of the current (and future) Fed Ex Cup playoff format. Indeed, IMHO there's no need (and never has been) for a play-off series -PERIOD-!! If the PGA Tour had even given it serious thought back when the playoffs were first being proposed, it could have chosen to --

(1) Not have a play-off series, just a 12-month "wrap" period that concluded with the Tour Championship;
(2) Have -ALL- official events offer only 1.0x value points
(3) Base the Tour Championship point offerings on the difference in points earned-to-date between the 1st and 30th place Fed Ex Cup leaders.

Edited September 24, 2018 by Frank-0-Sport

[Vinsk]

30 minutes ago, Frank-0-Sport said:

Note to Iacas -- I am aware of the 2019 changes. As the text below suggests, I am not in favor of them.

Congrats to Tiger Woods (Tour Championship) and Justin Rose (Fed Ex Cup)

That's how it was in actual fact. Presented below are the final actual fact and alternative scenario Top 30 Fed Ex Cup finishers. From 6th place upwards, there are only minor differences of note. However, among the Top Five finishers, some dramatic differences occur, mainly with Tiger Woods, Billy Horschel and Justin Rose.

Again the main points of the alternative scenario premise -- (1) NO pre-tourney reset of player points; (2) Based solely on the pre-tourney difference between 1st place (Bryson DeChambeau at 5,789) and 30th (Patton Kizzire at 1,432), a modified offering of Tour Championship points. (3) no adjustment of any player's score before, during or after the Tour Championship.

The alternative scenario was no mere fiddling around with numbers. This was a carefully considered enterprise, reflecting my personal feelings concerning many aspects of the current (and future) Fed Ex Cup playoff format. Indeed, IMHO there's no need (and never has been) for a play-off series -PERIOD-!! If the PGA Tour had even given it serious thought back when the playoffs were first being proposed, it could have chosen to --

(1) Not have a play-off series, just a 12-month "wrap" period that concluded with the Tour Championship;
(2) Have -ALL- official events offer only 1.0x value points
(3) Base the Tour Championship point offerings on the difference in points earned-to-date between the 1st and 30th place Fed Ex Cup leaders.

It’s very possible I’m not understanding you. But with that method wouldn’t that allow a break out player to go into the FedEx already having won? If the points gained from the TC were not enough wouldn’t the break out player have it wrapped up before the tournament even started?

[iacas]

3 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

It’s very possible I’m not understanding you. But with that method wouldn’t that allow a break out player to go into the FedEx already having won? If the points gained from the TC were not enough wouldn’t the break out player have it wrapped up before the tournament even started?

Yep.

Like Vijay.

[Frank-0-Sport]

13 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

It’s very possible I’m not understanding you. But with that method wouldn’t that allow a break out player to go into the FedEx already having won? If the points gained from the TC were not enough wouldn’t the break out player have it wrapped up before the tournament even started?

An unusually large difference between the 1st place leader and anyone among the 2nd thru 30th places is always a possibility. However, with the way the PGA Tour is at present, this would not be a huge deal in most years. Furthermore, I have no problem if on a few occasions  the Tour Championship and Fed Ex Cup winners are not the same person. One has to remember that the Tour Championship (at least up to now) is a mini-season championship by itself, offering nearly as many rewards as the Fed Ex title does. In winning the 2018 Tour Championship, Tiger Woods served up one of the best of all reasons why the occasional "two different winner" scenario is not necessarily a bad thing.

[rehmwa]

1 hour ago, Vinsk said:

It’s very possible I’m not understanding you. But with that method wouldn’t that allow a break out player to go into the FedEx already having won? If the points gained from the TC were not enough wouldn’t the break out player have it wrapped up before the tournament even started?

It's likely one reason they hadn't (and next year still won't) just go on season points and a "true" season winner.  it's boring even if it's the best way to objectively select the season's best player.  There's a reason the commercials state "Season long points race to get into the Fedex Cup"

I think of the Fedex Cup as simply the season determines who (based on points alone) qualifies to participate in the Playoffs - that's the real part - if you get in, you're the man.  Afterwards?  Then it's a constructed reset to give those 120 guys a shot at a lengthy mini-season or extended tournament.

At that point, it simply comes down to "making the cut" 3 times (from 120 eventually to 30).  And then those 30 get to play off for the win.  So Fedex Cup winner is really unlikely to be the best player of the year, he's just the guy that was truly good enough to participate, and then after was able to win the points strategy of the playoffs (argue here is "of the best 120 this season, this is guy that's hot enough at the end to win this thing").  So with that in mind, I don't really mind the new rules, I just don't see them any better than what we've already had, and I don't like the idea of the last tournament not getting to be a separate win (but that's just me for that one).

IMO - having two different ways to win big in the season finale added to the entertainment.

Bring on the Ryder - Match Play point comps seem to simplify everything....

Edited September 24, 2018 by rehmwa