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Originally Posted by DoubleK
I just re read the banter/your position on the way they do the playoffs.
My $0.02. It's miles better than the previous two winner format. Not having to deal with points on Sunday of the Tour championship is so much better than it was previously.
The playoffs aren't stand alone events especially the Tour Championship, but rather a culmination of a season long points race.
The PGA Tour (and their sponsors) had to do something to attract eyeballs more than 4 tournaments a year. The WGCs helped a little bit, but I would suggest it helped more globally than it did in North America. This market loves their playoffs more than any other.
The tour also had to do something for the "lesser" events, too. Making them worth the same amount of points has lead to stronger fields consistently throughout the season. Go look up the ratings for the Wyndham Championship
The FedEx Cup has ticked all of those boxes and more.
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I don't disagree with saying that sports fans are playoff obsessed and get excited about crowning a champion every year. What ruins it for me and probably other fans is that the playing field should be equal for all the competitors. Certainly an advantage should be granted for better performance during a season going into the playoffs but spotting a player or team points or games is a little ridiculous. This is why I personally believe that the Championship would be better served as a match play event.
I think a match play format provides a lot more excitement for the fans as they have more individual matches to cheer for, there is the possibility for underdogs to go deep (who doesn't love a Cinderella story) and all the players are competing at a level playing field. Match play is also great in that players have to play to win as opposed to playing safe and protecting a lead.
I think the PGA still has some work to do in terms of nailing down a suitable playoff/championship format. For me it doesn't work and it doesn't legitimize the crowning of a champion.