FedEx Cup Playoffs: Why Getting Hot at the Right Time Matters

The first round of the FedEx Cup playoffs is underway, as players are teeing off at the Northern Trust already.

122 players are teeing off at the Northern Trust this week, and only 70 of them are going to advance to the next round of the FedEx Cup playoffs. With the changes made to this year’s playoff structure, I wanted to take a closer look at how fast the standings can change.

What’s so much different about the playoffs this time around is how many points you get for winning. A regular-season win will normally get you 500-600 points. Currently, Brooks Koepka leads the way with 2,887 points. It might not matter that much, as the winner of each of the first two rounds will get 2,000 points!

This means that someone like C.T. Pan, who currently sits 35th with 900 points, could leap Koepka and be in first after this weekend with a win. Now, multiple other top players would need to perform poorly for him to pass all of them, but that level of a jump is still possible.

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This means that anyone who is playing this week, from Pan in 35th place, all the way down to Pat Perez at 125th, could greatly improve their chances to make it to the final round of the playoffs.

How important and game-changing would a win be to Pat Perez? He would jump from dead last to second place, at least in theory. It would put him a handful of points ahead of the current second-place golfer, Rory McIlroy.

More than ever, the PGA and the FedEx Cup playoffs have emphasized getting hot at the right time, with playoff performance being the most important factor. Rightly so. Like most other sports, playing strong during the regular season puts you into a good position to succeed in the playoffs. Performing well once you get there is what truly matters.

There is another aspect of the playoffs that is much different than last year. Although we won’t know how it works out until we get there, it looks like it is going to be a much better system.

What I am talking about is the finish to the FedEx Cup playoffs. Last year, with the final 30 golfers vying for the cup, Tiger Woods won the final event of the year. Justin Rose, meanwhile, would win the FedEx Cup with a finish of T-4th. This led to some awkward end of tournament photos with Woods and Rose next to each other, each receiving different awards.

There is no chance of that happening this year, thanks to a change in how the final round is going to be played.

Depending on where golfers are at heading into the Tour Championship, they will start their round with a score already next to their name. Based on the final 30 standings after the results of the BMW Championship, the Tour Championship will start as follows.

#1: Start at -10
#2: -8
#3: -7
#4: -6
#5: -5
#6-10: -4
#11-15: -3
#16-20: -2
#21-25: -1
#26-30: Even

This means that whoever has the lowest score at the end of the tournament will be the overall winner. There won’t be a case of a shared podium, as it just isn’t possible under the new format.

There is a chance that the player who shoots the lowest 72-hole score isn’t going to take home the trophy. That is still a much better case scenario than the Tiger/Rose situation from last year.

dark. Next. THE NORTHERN TRUST 2019: Power ranking the top ten at Liberty National

This year should work out much better. With the number of points available during the first two rounds of the playoffs, there is plenty of opportunity for everyone involved to make a run at the title. Play strong during the FedEx Cup playoffs, and that final check of $15 million is much closer than you think.

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