PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup Provide Late-Season Drama

The way in which the PGA TOUR concludes the main part of its season changed dramatically beginning in 2007 when the FedExCup, a season-long points competition, made its debut, culminating with the four-event PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.

The basic concept was simple: Beginning with the first event of the season and running up to the first Playoff event, The Barclays, players would compete for FedExCup points, scrambling to make the top 125 list to qualify for The Barclays—the first step toward winning the series’ $10 million bonus.

For the record, Tiger Woods won the competition in 2007 and 2009, with Fiji’s Vijay Singh taking the 2008 title.

“We decided to create a season where every week meant something very special, so players didn’t just concentrate their efforts on the big tournaments but on their entire performance over the season, making the Regular Season mean something much greater than it currently does. We also need to focus on having a stronger finish,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem when he introduced the FedExCup in 2006.

The PGA TOUR Regular Season provides the most points for the four major championships (the Masters Tournament, the U.S. Open, the British Open and the PGA Championship) and THE PLAYERS Championship, followed by the World Golf Championships events and then the other weekly TOUR events.

The fields are reduced as the Playoffs continue. They drop from 125 at The Barclays (August 23-29, Golf Channel/CBS)—following the same configuration as was introduced in 2009—to 100 at the Deutsche Bank Championship outside Boston over Labor Day weekend (August 31-September 6, Golf Channel/NBC). The field at the BMW Championship at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club outside Chicago (September 6-12, Golf Channel/NBC) totals 70 with no cut, and the Playoffs conclude at THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola with30 players competing at its traditional venue, the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta (September 20-26, Golf Channel/NBC).

Beginning last year, the points were reset following the BMW Championship so that any player who is in the top five of the FedExCup point standings coming into THE TOUR Championship will win the FedExCup by winning at East Lake.

As planned, as the Playoffs progress, the competition heats up and the pressure increases, bringing the TOUR’s top players to the fore. That was certainly the case last year, when Heath Slocum—who barely made it into the field—edged Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, Steve Stricker and Woods at The Barclays; Stricker won the Deutsche Bank Championship; Woods won the BMW Championship; and Mickelson won THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, with each winner picking up 2,500 points.

To get a sense of just how close the Playoff competition has been, in 2008 Camilo Villegas missed the cut by one stroke at The Barclays, won the final two Playoff events, and ultimately lost to Singh. That stroke cost him the title. Last year, Woods and Mickelson—the top two players in the world—dueled right to the end in Atlanta.

“This is an exciting time for golf,” says Woods, who, it should be noted, does not get an automatic pass into the Playoffs as defending champion. Nor do the winners of last year’s Playoff events. “It’s certainly more exciting for everyone, not just for us as competitors who will be bucking heads against the best more often, but for the fans as well.”

Photos courtesy of Chris Condon, Drew Hallowell and Andy Lyons/Getty Images; Stan Badz/PGA TOUR/WireImage.com