A golf playoff? Does this mean we’re going to see fans in the galleries with painted faces, barbecuing and tailgating in the parking lot?
PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said yesterday the powers that be are putting the finishing touches on a restructured schedule that will make the season more compact, more intense and with a hopefully exciting finish. It’s about time. The tour season currently ends with a whimper. After the PGA Championship in August, everybody who’s anybody basically takes their golf balls and goes home or to Hawaii.
A playoff – with the top 144 points earners playing three unnamed tournaments – makes a lot of sense. That field is narrowed to 30. Those 30 compete in the Tour Championship, which would be moved from November to mid-September, so it doesn’t go head-to-head with all the major fall sports starting up. The golfer with the most overall points after the Tour Championships wins a windfall that Finchem said would probably be the “largest in competitive sports.”
Of course, this will make the rich richer, but it’s open to anyone who performs well during the season. I predict it will go over extraordinarily well: Americans love playoffs. We love to see a clear winner.
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Comment feed for this post
The Accidental Golfer:
Brandon Tucker:
Mark Nessmith:
Jason Scott Deegan:
"Tiger's good, but until he wins the Tour Championship, he really can't claim to be the best..."
Majors determines who is the best.
If Tiger wins two majors and the other two are split, he is player of the year, regardless of this new system.
I do think this system will make it more exciting for those who are chasing their card, so overall I think it is good. I also like the Tour Championship being moved up.
But I think a "clear winner" will be determined after the PGA, in most instances.
I'd like to see the final few tournaments of the year that come after this new Tour Championship series be reserved exclusively for the players who are outside the top 30 or 50. Then you might see some real exciting races for these guys trying to ensure playing priviledges the following year.