2010 PGA Tour Fall Series is Shadow of Its Former Self

When the PGA Tour introduced the FedExCup for the 2007 season, they created the Fall Series as a group of tournaments after the FEC was decided where players could duke it out for positioning on the money list.  This was for the rank-and-file and struggling players that needed to get into either the top 30 or 70 or 125 on the money list to achieve goals ranging from getting into majors to keeping their card.

The '07 Fall Series featured seven events.  2008 had six.  This past season featured five, though only four were played due to rain at the Viking Classic.  The 2010 schedule released yesterday has just four, with one TBA.

There are two new events held during the Fall Series, but not a formal part of the series.  One started in '09 with the HSBC Champions becoming a World Golf Championship and, therefore, on the PGA Tour schedule.  The other is the newly announced Asia Pacific Golf Classic, Malaysia 2010.  Both are limited-field invitational events that will not have any rank-and-file in them.

The fact is that that the Tour has had to use the Fall Series as a farming ground to pluck tournaments to fill FedExCup schedule gaps.  For instance, the Turning Stone Resort Championship is now opposite the WGC Bridgestone event because the Reno-Tahoe event had to move up to be opposite the Open Championship.  It is simply easier to improve the standing of existing Fall Series events than try to hash out all of the details in creating a net new event.

But, that comes at a price to the rank-and-file.  I've never been much of a fan of the Fall Series as it exists now.  The golf is good - and Rickie Fowler used it as a six week rock tour this year - but it just seems to be an afterthought for fans and a lot of players.