FedEx Cup Playoffs: Big changes ahead for the 2019 season
It is way too early to be talking about next year’s FedEx Cup playoffs with this year’s cup still in full swing. But the 2019 schedule released by the PGA Tour revealed some interesting changes that will affect the FedEx Cup format.
The FedEx Cup Playoffs have been a fantastic way to wrap up a long PGA TOUR season since their introduction in 2007. However, some big changes are coming up next year, and it could change the way that players position themselves for a run at the championship.
The biggest change that was announced this year was that the FedEx Cup playoff has been cut from four tournaments to three. The FedEx Cup normally consists of four tournaments, The Northern Trust, The Dell Technologies Championship, The BMW Championship, and the Tour Championship. The one event they have decided to get rid of is the Dell Technologies Championship, which was just won by Keegan Bradley.
Golf fans got their last chance to see the event, which was formerly known as the Deutsche Bank Championship, a match that always takes place at TPC Boston. Instead the first event of the FedEx Cup playoffs will rotate locations from the New York, New Jersey, and Boston area and will feature an event at TPC Boston in two years.
It is surprising to see the PGA tour cut a playoff event, because those tournaments are some of the most thrilling and they generate the most excitement and viewership other than the four majors. It is also a slight shock to see which event they cut.
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The Dell Technologies Championship is one of the more unique tournaments of the season because it does not start on Thursday like the rest of the events played throughout the year. Instead it starts on Friday and gives the PGA Tour a chance to have center stage during a holiday weekend by finishing on Labor Day.
The tournament had been a major staple in the FedEx Cup playoffs since 2007, but it was not sponsored by Dell Technologies until last season, and that recent sponsorship switch could be the reason why it was easy to let the event go.
Another big change is that the most of the tournaments at the end of the season have been dramatically moved up. The PGA Championship that normally takes place at the beginning of August has been moved all the way up to be played in May.
This has also forced the playoffs to be played much sooner as well. By Labor Day next year, we will already know the Tour Champion and the overall points Champion because the FedEx Cup playoffs ends on August 25th.
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PGA TOUR commissioner Jay Monahan said in a news release, that the goal of moving the playoffs up is that the FedEx Cup will no longer have to compete with the start of the college and pro football that dominates sports fans’ television screens. With golf’s postseason over by the time football starts, the PGA Tour will be able to showcase its biggest events to a much bigger audience, which makes a ton of sense.
Condensing the season could cause some fatigue and problems for golfers, but it is worth the experiment if it has the chance to grow the game and put more attention on golf.