Gentlemen Start Your Engines

I am not a NASCAR guy and frankly I wouldn’t know the NEXTEL Cup from any other athletic cup, and as of this moment, I feel exactly the same way about the FedEx Cup. Perhaps it is because I have never experienced the excitement of a FedEx Cup fight to the finish, and once I do, I will buy the tee shirt. But for now, I’m still skeptical.

I’m not sure why I feel this way, maybe it’s because it feels contrived, like a made for TV stunt that serves no real purpose. A playoff system makes sense for football and other team sports, but isn’t every golf tournament a playoff, and doesn’t the money list tell us who the best golfer was in any given year? Which number is most important: Tiger’s $5,214,385 in winnings, or his 20,899 FedEx points?

Another thing that bugs me is that this exclusive playoff system is limited to the best 144 players, or in other words, just about everyone. The first cut is to 120 players, which means only 24 players are eliminated. Which begs the question: did those 24 ever have a chance in the first place?

A week later, the field is cut to 70 players, or about the same number of players that normally make a Friday cut each week. The following week 70 becomes 30 and we’re ready for the Tour Championship, which if I recall, used to be the top 30 money winners. It will be interesting to see how many of the top 30 money winners and the 30 players making the cut are the same. Sure, there will be a few blind hogs finding an acorn, but I’ll be surprised if the top 30 money winners are not well represented.

Perhaps my skepticism is because I have never believed that this tournament is about trying to identify the best player; it about money, for both the player and the PGA. And the money is big, really big. Each of the four tournaments has a purse of $7,000,000, plus, when all is said and done, the overall points leader picks up a cool $10,000,000. Then there is TV money, sponsor money, ticket sales, concessions, and of course tee shirt sales.

An oddity of the tournament (and NASCAR) is that the winner of the playoffs and the winner of the $10,000,000 points leader bonus may not be the same person, which creates all kinds of interesting scenarios.

Imagine some kid from out of nowhere is leading the Tournament, but the guys in second and third place are dueling for the points lead and the $10,000,000. Now, the kid from out of nowhere can’t possibly catch the points leader, but the points leader could catch the kid from out of nowhere. A birdie ties the kid, but it’s a dangerous shot and brings 6 into the equation. A par retains the points lead and the $10,000,000 prize.

Can you say lay up?

Frankly, I could never imagine a situation where a golfer might get booed, but this could be the case. I don’t like the idea of golfers playing for second place, or trying to stay in the top ten so they could be the overall points winner. I understand that golf is how these guys make a living, but I hate the thought of a business decision deciding a tournament. It’s enough to make Dale Earnhardt turn over in his grave.

On the other hand, if Tiger kicks everybody’s butt, wins the tournament and the $10,000,000 points bonus and all is right in the universe, who cares? Which brings me back to where I started; what’s the point?

But I’m trying to keep an open mind.