The Playoffs are in the Rough

There has to be a better way. How can you have a winner decided before the playoffs are done? You couldn’t do that in any other sport.

And yet, all Vijay Singh has to do is show up, play four rounds of golf, sign for the correct scores and doesn't get disqualified or hurt and he will walk away with a $10 million bonus check. That's an exciting finish.

Understandably, the PGA is trying to paint a happy face on all of this. They have to.

A few years ago, the golf industry decided that playoffs were needed at the end of the season to generate more interest. Conceptually, that part is fine. But how could the powers-to-be expect that fan interest would be maintained if you took a three-week break between the third and the final playoff event?

Those in charge perhaps should have spent more time getting it right. The points system is a system which most golfers could never explain. Few people understand it.

One of the other issues is timing. It’s bad timing. Here we are with the NFL and college football in full swing, along with baseball heading into the final stretch with four of the six division titles yet to be decided.

And yet the FedEx Cup will be decided this weekend. Will anyone care? Will anyone watch?

The lesson here----what the golf industry is trying to do is commendable. And yes, the PGA did tweak the format but it needs more than tweaking. It needs an overhaul. The PGA needs to take a long, hard look at how the playoffs are structured as well as the timing. And they should be talking to their counterparts in both football and baseball to find the right formula. There has to be a better way.

Richard Bisi
Director of Communications
Hank Haney IJGA