FedEx Cup System Remains 'Untweaked'

For the third straight season, the FedEx Cup points system will remain the same. It's like the officials simply like to play with my emotions, because frankly I think the system could be better. I've hoped and wished that an alternative model would somehow appear at the beginning of the new PGA season, but alas this is not to be.

According to a recent article in the New York Times, the PGA TOUR did at least test a few different point models to see if there was a better system than the current one in place. That means that situations like this can still presumably occur during the PGA TOUR season:

In the last two years of the FedEx Cup playoffs, a runner-up finish for Martin Laird at The Barclays and for Chez Reavie at the Deutsche Bank Championship was enough for them to lock up a spot in the Tour Championship - and three of the majors - after what had been ordinary seasons.

The debate on whether there is or is not a better points system for the FedEx Cup is very much a broken record at this point. One side of the debate believes that the system is the best we can hope for (which always sounds like a cop-out to me, no matter how many times it is said), while the opposite side believes there are other options. Blah blah blah, we've all heard it before.

But that still doesn't mean that the current system isn't flawed. For example, the current system dictates that points awarded are five times as much for playoff events. For players who sneak into the postseason despite having an average overall year, the playoffs offer a multitude of chances to catapult up the point standings. There are pros and cons to using this model, however most people believe this provides the true "playoff" feel to the tournaments; that is, an underdog has a legit chance at winning the Cup.

If something is considered flawed, why wouldn't officials want to fix what is broken?

This point becomes the basis for my opposition with the current system. Underdogs are always a fan favorite in any sport's postseason. However, that excitement only exists when dealing with a tournament bracket, not a running point system. Beefing up the point values for postseason events not only allow for the rich to get richer, but also for an "average" player to seriously contend for the trophy despite actually winning anything in the process.

The FedEx Cup remains its own animal in a world where sports fans are typically accustomed to tournament brackets. Perhaps this feeling of commonality or normality as it pertains to my idea of a postseason has clouded my judgement on the current Cup system. Then again, maybe that was the point of PGA TOUR officials all along.

The FedEx Cup is not like other playoff systems, so we need to stop pretending that it is.