FedEx Cup Playoff Structure Remains Flawed - What's Its Intended Purpose?
The FedEx Cup Playoffs, a thrilling culmination of the PGA Tour season, has undergone a significant change for the 2025 season. Gone are the manufactured starting strokes for the final tournament, replaced by a more straightforward system that aims to maintain sporting merit while offering increased excitement.
In the current format, the Playoffs consist of three sequential 72-hole stroke-play events with progressively smaller fields: the FedEx St. Jude Championship (70 players), the BMW Championship (50 players), and the Tour Championship (30 players). Points accumulated during the regular season carry into the playoffs, but points awarded at the first two playoff events are quadrupled, offering a significant boost to the winners. After the BMW Championship, the top 30 players qualify for the Tour Championship, where all players start on even par, and the winner of the four rounds at East Lake wins the FedEx Cup outright without points consideration.
Critics argued that the previous format, which included a staggered start for the Tour Championship, was not fair and lacked clarity. However, the new format, which eliminates the staggered start, has been met with approval, with Scottie Scheffler labelling the previous format as "silly."
In contrast, the points distribution model in LIV Golf, a rival golf league, generally awards points directly proportional to finishing positions each tournament, without a playoff structure or a carry-over points bonus system. This model emphasizes a points accumulation model across all events without playoffs, providing a simpler but less dramatic means to decide the individual title.
The FedEx Cup Playoffs, on the other hand, use accumulated points through the season plus a playoff multiplier system to reward season-long performance but culminate in a direct stroke-play showdown for the final title. This aims to balance season consistency with head-to-head competition fairness at the finale. However, critics argue that the quadruple points and cutoff system can penalize some strong season performers if they have an off week during playoffs.
The ideal FedEx Cup Playoffs, according to many, would keep sporting merit intact with slightly elevated points payouts, offering a fair and exciting competition for all players involved. With the changes for 2025, the player with the lowest 72-hole score at East Lake will be crowned FedEx Cup champion, making it easier for fans and players to understand who wins based on actual tournament performance rather than point adjustments.
As the PGA Tour season finishes in August, with the four men’s Majors over by then, the attention shifts to the FedEx Cup Playoffs. The man in 30th position can win the 72-hole tournament to become FedEx Cup champion, raising questions about the purpose of the FedEx Cup. However, the simplified format for 2025 aims to address these concerns and provide a more fair and exciting competition for all.
[1] [Source 1] [2] [Source 2] [3] [Source 3] [4] [Source 4] [5] [Source 5]
In the revised FedEx Cup Playoffs format for the 2025 season, golf enthusiasts can witness a thrilling conclusion to the PGA Tour season as the player with the lowest scores in the 72-hole tournament at East Lake will be crowned the FedEx Cup champion (Source 1). This change, addressing criticisms of the previous format's perceived unfairness, aligns the playoffs more closely with other sports, such as golf, where the competitor with the best performance in the final tournament emerged as the champion (Source 2).
