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Guide to the 2009 FedEx Cup Playoffs' new rules and points system
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Camilo Villegas' exciting but ultimately meaningless run in the
2008 playoffs was part of what prompted the 2009 rule changes
FedEx Cup Playoffs Coverage
The 2009 FedEx Playoffs feature new rules and a new points scoring system, designed to make the playoffs increasingly competitive and compelling.
Ever since the playoffs debuted in 2007, the PGA Tour has worked to refine the system and increase competition. 2009 may finally be the year they got it right.
There are three major changes to the playoffs in 2009 that stand to have the greatest impact on the competition: points awarded for a win are worth quintuple the regular season; The Reset won't occur until the Tour Championship; and field size has been radically reduced in the first two events.
Points Awarded
A win in a PGA Tour event during the regular season was worth 500 points in 2009. A win in any of the four playoff events will be worth 2,500 points, five times a regular season win. In fact, second place in a playoffs event will earn three times a regular season win, and third place will be worth double a regular season win. First place in the playoffs earns 2,500 points, second gets 1,500, third 1,000 down all the way to 5 points for 70th place. For the two events that feature more than 70 people, each subsequent position beyond 70th will be worth 0.1 points less each.
This will give players far down on the list a chance to make a big move in the standings leading up to the Tour Championship.
To put this in perspective: Tiger Woods amassed 3,431 points playing in just 13 events in 2009. His nearest competitor, Steve Stricker, played in 18 events earning 2,155 points but still trailed Woods by over 1,200 points heading in to the playoffs. One win in the playoffs is worth more points than what Stricker was able to earn through 18 events (click here for a breakdown of the points distribution for the 2009 Playoff events).
Troy Matteson, who earned the 125th and final spot in the playoffs with his performance at the Wyndham Championship, could leapfrog over Stricker and into second place with a win in a playoff event. Of course, no one wants to play for second place, and the Tour recognized that. In 2008 everyone was basically playing for second by the time we got to the BMW. The Tour Championship was so meaningless that even Jack Nicklaus went on record saying he thought the playoffs were yawners. The PGA Tour sought to fix that with the other major change to the playoffs this year: the point in time when players' points are reset.
The Reset
Players will enter the playoffs ranked according to their regular season point totals, and then continue to build upon those totals until the Tour Championship. Players' point totals will then be reset prior to the Tour Championship, with the points leader being reset to 2,500 points, 2nd place 2,250, third place 2,000 all they way down to 210 points for 30th place.
In the two years prior the reset took place at the beginning of the playoffs which yielded many unintended consequences. Most obvious was the fact that the playoffs could be won early, rendering the Tour Championship moot.
In 2008, Vijay Singh was able to roll into the playoffs on a hot streak and wrap up the FedEx Cup with two early playoff wins. All Singh had to do at the Tour Championship last year was finish the tournament with a pulse and he was guaranteed the win. Never had such a big tournament felt so meaningless, such a big win so hollow.
The other issue with the old reset was that many of the world's best players were eliminated before the Tour Championship. Padraig Harrington missed the cut at the Barclays and the Deutsche Bank Championship, finished the BMW poorly and didn't make the final cut.
Resetting the points before the Tour Championship will ensure the top 30 players a mathmatical chance of winning the Cup. It will also give every player in the field a chance to move up in to the top 30 with a series of strong performances in the first three playoff events. And move up players must, or they'll be watching the presentation of the cup from the comfort of home, because this year the fields have been drastically reduced.
Reduced Field Sizes
In 2008, 144 players got a shot at the playoffs. In 2009, only 125 players will tee off at the Barclays. Competition just to get in to the playoffs got tougher, evidenced by some of the names who won't be competing. Rocco Mediate, Tom Watson, Stuart Appelby, Ricky Barnes, Tom Lehman, Andres Romero and Corey Pavin will all be sitting out the playoffs in 2009, and they were all in the top 144 players at the end of the regular season.
After the Barclays things just get tougher, as the field will be reduced to just 100 players for the Deutsche Bank (last year it was 120). The field size for the BMW and the Tour Championship will remain the same this year, at 70 and 30, respectively.
The reduction in the overall size of the first two events, coupled with regular season points carrying through the BMW, should result in compelling competition up and down the leaderboard throughout the playoffs. Simply qualifying for the playoffs won't give anyone breathing room, as every week will be a battle for anyone coming in to the playoffs outside of the top 10. And with the quadrupled points for a win in the playoffs, a player outside of the top 20 could shake up the standings with a win at either the Barclays or the Deutsche Bank.
Only time will tell whether or not the PGA Tour got it right this year, but the fact that the rules are easier to understand, and players are committing to participate both bode well for fans. Just the fact that Tiger Woods has committed to playing all four FedEx Cup events underscores just how important the playoffs have become to winning the Cup, and how volatile the scoring looks to be in the postseason.
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