Golfers who finish in the Top 144 on the points list make the "playoffs" and the field at The Barclays. Only the Top 120 after The Barclays advance to the Deutsche Bank Championship; then the Top 70 move on to the BMW Championship; and finally, the remaining Top 30 play in the Tour Championship.
Ideally, the PGA Tour wants to see players moving up and down the points list during the playoffs; for a player way back to finish high in an event and jump way up the points list; for a higher-ranking player to tumble down the list if he has a bad week during the "playoffs."
But volatility is something that was lacking in Year 1 of the FedEx Cup playoffs. The point structure as it existed in 2007 - the starting points going into the playoffs, and the amount of points available during the playoffs - kept the standings a bit more static than the Tour - and probably most fans - wanted to see.
There was, in short, no dramatic movement during the 2007 FedEx Cup "playoffs."
And that's why the PGA Tour tweaked its points formula for 2008. The result, the Tour hopes, is more volatility within the standings during the playoffs, and therefore more excitement for the golfers and their fans.
What's new? There are two changes for 2008:
- When points are reset prior to the first playoff tournament (The Barclays), the gaps between players are smaller. For example, in 2007 the gap between first and second following the reset was 1,000 points; in 2008, it is 500 points. Similar reductions are made down to 144th place.
- And more points are available in each of the four playoff tournaments; specifically, 2,000 more points per placement. For example, in 2007 a third-place finish was worth 3,400; in 2008, it is worth 5,400 points.
These two changes make it more likely that there'll be more week-to-week movement within the point standings throughout the playoffs, while also maintaining the advantage held by those who did best during the "regular season."
The PGA Tour provided some examples of how the changes might affect golfers' standings during the playoffs:
- In 2007, only two golfers moved up from outside the Top 120 to get into the field at the Deutsche Bank Classic following The Barclays; and only two players moved up from outside the Top 70 to get into the BMW Championship field following the Deutsche Bank. Had the two changes outlined above been in place in 2007, 11 players would have jumped into the Deutsche Bank field, and then 17 would have leapfrogged into the BMW Championship field.
- In 2007, only six players entered the Tour Championship with a mathematical chance to win, and only four of those had a realistic chance. With the changes, there would have been 12 with a mathematical chance and six with a realistic chance.
- Rich Beem started the 2007 playoffs in 134th place, then finished seventh in Week 1 and moved up only to 113th. Under the new system, he would have improved to 68th.
- Vijay Singh started 2007 as the second seed, missed the cut at The Barclays, and fell only to sixth. Under the new system, he would have fallen to 23rd.
