Any of the top stars can now prioritize rest during the playoffs at no cost to their FedEx Cup campaign.
Notwithstanding the widespread commentary mocking bunched panties at Casa Malnati, it wasn’t “very concerning” — nor surprising, or even particularly impactful — that Rory McIlroy skipped the first FedEx Cup playoff tournament this week. It was arguably even advisable since Memphis in August sees heat indexes that the Northern Irish seldom experience this side of the crematorium door. But Peter M. (a thoughtful director on the PGA Tour’s Policy Board) was really looking beyond McIlroy to the prospect of copycats, high-performing stars opting to miss important events because the Tour has yet again made the tenderfoot error of hoping its members act in the interest of the organization rather than themselves.
McIlroy had said he wouldn’t be competing in the FedEx St. Jude Championship, so his absence is hardly cause for pearl-clutching. The surprise is that he’s the only eligible player who stayed home.
Last year, the world No. 2 tied 68th in a 70-man field at TPC Southwind but dropped only two spots in the FedEx Cup standings. The year prior, he tied for third but didn’t improve his rank at all. His chances of winning the Cup were barely impacted, positively or negatively, which doesn’t make a compelling case for slogging through a scorching week in Tennessee. The Tour’s latest tweak to the playoff system not only doesn’t disadvantage stars who stay home, it damned near incentivizes them to do so.
At the conclusion of the regular season, the top dozen or so players in the points race are effectively guaranteed spots in the field at the Tour Championship. But as long as the finale in Atlanta employed the much-ridiculed staggered scoring system — in which competitors were spotted strokes on the field based upon their points rank — guys could be helped or hurt by their performances in the two playoff events preceding East Lake. Those starting strokes were eliminated in May and everyone begins the Tour Championship from a level playing field. The implications of that were obvious even before McIlroy sat out.
Any of the top stars can now prioritize rest during the playoffs — or even dodge an unappealing venue or draining weather — at no cost to their FedEx Cup campaign, other than the week’s paycheck. For FedEx and BMW, who sponsor the first two playoff stops, that’s a scenario that requires a lot of faith in players to do the right thing, and that bet hasn’t exactly paid off in recent years.
The PGA Tour is already in the position of not being able to guarantee its product. The game’s biggest stars have filled their pockets with candy: enormous purses, hefty bonuses, equity grants, smaller fields with no cuts, fewer competitors amongst whom the riches must be shared. And what have they given in return?
Bugger all.
Signature events were mandatory during their first year of existence, but players quickly vetoed that obligation. “I think it’s too hard of a thing to make guys have to play,” said Policy Board director Webb Simpson. “We’re still a sport where you can play when you want to play.” Contracting the talent is the only thing LIV Golf has gotten right, but the PGA Tour is a long way from enjoying the same leverage over its players. And it’s difficult to see how that doesn’t become a flashpoint between those who think they own the Tour (the players) and those who’ve actually invested a billion-five into it (Strategic Sports Group).
At the Open, Scottie Scheffler said he felt no responsibility to grow the sport by traveling internationally while he has a young family at home. Fair enough. But that’s an alarm bell for the Tour’s new CEO, Brian Rolapp, and the Whiz Kids of Greater Fenway who hired him. It’s tough to realize ambitions for a more global footprint if one of your biggest assets wants to remain at home.
Last year’s Tour Championship ended September 1. Apart from the Presidents Cup and the exhibition Hero World Challenge, Scheffler didn’t compete again until January 30 in Pebble Beach, only the last month of that absence owed to injury. It’s suboptimal for the Tour to have a star of McIlroy’s stature skip the tournament underwritten by FedEx, but commendable that he’s committed to playing later this year in India and Australia (blessed be appearance fees!). Conversely, it’s great that Scheffler supports every playoff event, but not ideal that he largely ghosts the sport for a few months afterward.
Short term, Rolapp needs to secure the playoffs. He clearly can’t do that by contractually obligating his members, so that leaves two options. He can hope for player goodwill and responsibility (the gust of wind you just heard with that sentence was a howl of laughter from Jay Monahan’s new cubicle), or he can force them to comply competitively.
Seventy guys qualified for the first playoff stop in Memphis. Fifty will survive for next week. Instead of determining those 50 based on FedEx Cup points — which should be discarded after the regular season — let performance under pressure decide who advances. The top 50 finishers on the leaderboard at the FedEx St. Jude should qualify for the BMW Championship, and the 30 best scores move on from the BMW to the Tour Championship. Sitting home ceases to be an option.
On paper, it’s an easy fix and would guarantee a product for important sponsors and partners. But not much seems to pass muster at the Tour these days unless it caters to the convenience of the top players. Rolapp says he will spend his first few months on the job listening to his constituents. He should spend some of that time telling those same constituents a few home truths, too.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Lynch: Rory skipping playoff event is canary in Brian Rolapp’s coal mine
Category: General Sports
