Reviewing the viability of a PGA Tour playoff system 8 years into the FedEx Cup

When the FedEx Cup began in 2007, it was met with mixed reaction. Some viewed it as a money grab for already well-paid sportsmen. The final prize has been $10 million since the beginning. Others (including me!) were intrigued and excited by the idea. A season-long points race, culminating in a playoff environment seemed like a good idea. It followed the same basic formula as the other four major sports in the US: play well during the season, prove yourself in the playoffs, become a champion.

And it seemed like a good idea. In theory.

The problem with the FedEx Cup, in practice, was the format. The points system was so convoluted and complex that average fans needed a calculator and math degree to figure it out. And even if you could figure it out, sometimes it didn’t even matter. Take 2007, for example: Tiger Woods won the FedEx Cup without playing in the first event of the so-called playoffs. Seems to me that if you want to win the golf postseason, you need play in all the events. But since Woods had built such a large lead that he didn’t need to play, it was essentially a first-round bye. Woods went on to win the final two events of the playoffs and captured the 2007 FedEx Cup.

As the FedEx Cup continued, the PGA Tour made more changes and tweaks, on what seemed like an annual basis. Most of the alterations came with the points system and qualification process. The most notable change was a point reset in 2008, partially in response to the way Tiger won the inaugural FedEx Cup. At the start of the 2008 playoffs, points were reset at the first event. In each subsequent event, better players moved on and players that finished toward the bottom of a tournament were eliminated. It was a great change and, more importantly, a more logical playoff system.

In 2014, after seven FedEx Cup playoffs, we are at an interesting crossroads for the event. While the rules and qualification criteria may be settled (for now), the playoffs will again be without the biggest star who sparked the most interest in the early Cup days, Tiger Woods.

Casual golf fans can probably recognize the fact that the FedEx Cup crowns a playoff champion, but will they tune in to watch a new generation of golfers try to capture the FedEx Cup? Has the FedEx Cup reached a point that it can attract casual sports fans in the way the major championships do?

The next few weeks will go a long way toward helping answer those two important questions. The fact is that casual interest in golf has not been high. The U.S. Open landed ghastly TV ratings, and so did the Tiger-less Masters, which is always the highest-rated golf broadcast of the year.

But maybe we are turning a corner. Rory McIlroy is coming off of a fantastic summer and on a Tiger-like run, winning his last three tournaments. He has done well to generate interest in the game if television ratings data are your indicator. The PGA Championship two weeks ago captured its largest Sunday audience since 2009, when Tiger battled with Y.E. Yang at Hazeltine.

Perhaps the PGA Championship could be the start of a new run of mainstream popularity for the Tour, which could use that Rory-PGA boost during the FedEx Cup.

And Rory isn’t alone. Stars like Rickie Fowler and Phil Mickelson were in contention at the PGA and are playing well at the right time. Adam Scott, Henrik Stenson and Sergio Garcia, also playing well, should add an international interest as well. It will be interesting, and probably at times disheartening, to follow the ratings for these four events as football season begins.

In the past, this was where the PGA Tour season, for all intents, would have ended. Golf would become an afterthought until the Masters. With a crowded fall schedule of sports, it’s only logical to move on from golf with no major championships left on the docket.

But since the beginning, the FedEx Cup has aimed to be an another month of noteworthy golf, trying to compete with the fall sports schedule. And while it will never come close to competing on a crowded NFL Sunday, the opportunity still exists to attract more golf fans with an exciting playoff format. In 2007, when Tiger won the first FedEx Cup, ratings and ticket sales were great. With the young talent on the PGA Tour being in top form, there is hope that the PGA Tour can attract new fans during a time of the year that was generally devoid of golf coverage.

The FedEx Cup may be far from perfect. The points system is still confusing at times and casual fans might not understand it completely, but the ubiquity of the season-long race and this next four-week stretch have pushed the Cup into becoming the most important event on the PGA Tour. If it generates more interest in the game and legitimately crowns the best golfer of the PGA Tour season, the FedEx Cup will flourish. This year’s edition during a time of Tiger-less transition is the most critical test yet.