golfrewind.com

Check this out.. New points system.



• The establishment of the FedEx Cup, a prestigious and lucrative season-long points bonus program for players and the centerpiece to the entire PGA TOUR season;

• A conclusive PGA TOUR Championship Series of four tournaments that focuses on the final push for the FedEx Cup title. The Championship Series will culminate with THE TOUR Championship Presented by Coca-Cola, which will move from early November to a mid-September slot in the schedule;

• The creation of the PGA TOUR "Quest for the Card" Fall Series, which follows THE TOUR Championship Presented by Coca-Cola and determines the remainder of the 125 players who will become eligible for the next year's FedEx Cup.



http://www.pgatour.com/info/company/story/9018648

Greetings ...

Before they give their blessings on the 2007 PGA Tour Season and beyond, both the TV executives and corporate sponsors should do some serious historical research.

In the early 1970s, it was proposed that there would be these 10 "SuperEvents", offering purses 35%-60% larger than normal, where the top players would compete. The season was to conclude around Labor Day with the Players Championship.

Didn't Happen. Only 3 events in 1974, and 1 event each year from 1975 to 1978, were "Designated" for mandatory participation by the top players. The Players Championship moved to March.

In 1976, the 4-man unofficial money World Series of Golf became the 20 (in later years 26,36,44,48,43,47, etc)-man official money World Series of Golf. It was intended to be the Tour season's last big hurrah, even though some official events were played afterwards. The winner of the World Series received a 10-year exemption, same as for the Majors and Players Championship.

From 1976 to 1982, the World Series requirements were tough - Winners of the 4 Grand Slam Majors, the Players Championship, Canadian Open and Western Open got in, as did winners of 2-or-more PGA Tour events since the previous year's World Series. Also getting in were winners of PGA Tour Season Segments (Fall, Spring and Summer). Also, the top 2 (later 3) leaders from five different International Orders of Merit (or Money Lists) were invited. Later, the Top 10 (then 15) PGA Tour Money Leaders were invited.

From 1984 until 1998, the World Series was open to winners of ANY official PGA Tour event, plus selected International events. The other categories were dropped.

The World Series was played on Labor Day weekend (76 and 77), end of September (78 and 79), then end of August (1980-1998), and the PGA Tour season continued on for several weeks after the event was played.

In its early years, the expanded World of Series of Golf boasted such winners as Jack Nicklaus, Lanny Wadkins, Tom Watson and Craig Stadler. But then undistinguished vets and minor leaguers like Lon Hinkle, Dan Pohl, Roger Maltbie, Mike Reid, David Frost and Fulton Allem became World Series winners. The games of these winners immediately went south, and the next 10 years after their World Series wins were spent in obscurity.

Oh yes - For many years the World Series first prize was the biggest in golf, until surpassed first by the Players Championship, then by the Las Vegas Invitational, then by the Sun City Million Dollar Challenge.

In sum, the World Series didn't catch on as well as hoped.

In 1987, the Tour Championship was introduced, offering a first prize greater than any other PGA Tour event, including Majors and The Players Championship. From 1987 thru 1990, a year-end bonus pool, which counted as official money was also awarded. NOTE: The Tour has smartly decided NOT to count FedEx Cup Bonuses as official - a rare moment of sanity indeed!

The Tour Championship was intended to be the season's last big hurrah, the place to decide Leading Money Winner and Player-of-the-Year. In most years, the Tour Championship has been the season's sole remaining event, but the "last big hurrah" part has been noticebly absent, because the Player-of-the-Year and Leading Money Winner Titles usually get decided well before the event is played.

In 2005, it's the same old story!

If I remember right, a famous quote goes like this -- "Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it!"

Thanx-A-Lot, Frank-0-Sport

I saw the opinion stated elsewhere, and it makes sense to me, that the PGA Championship be the last event of the year. Sure, they'd have to move the event from its current slot, but what better way for the season to go out than with a major? Make it the last week of August or whenever the last week before the NFL season opener is, and that'll be it. Well, except the Ryder or President's Cup...the other events can just fill in at the end of the season, but be used primarily to determine who makes gets their card the next season.

Hey, whatever works and makes the "silly season" more interesting.

I think there are still a lot of details that have to worked out like how the points system will be set up. And the criteria for being eligible for the Fed-Ex Cup Title. It will also be interesting to see what the financial incentives are for winning the title. And will these incentives be enough to get the top players to play more tournaments than they do now.


Until more details come out about this I really can't say one way or the other weather I'm in favor of it or if it's going to work.