The second edition of the FedEx Cup fall on the PGA Tour is over. While there were memorable moments – Rafael Campos' win at the Bermuda Championships, Joel Dahmen's final-round 64 at the RSM Classic that retained his full-time status – the eight-tournament swing series was not without its flaws.
Competing for attention with the start of seemingly every major sport, including college football and the NFL, the FedEx Cup case inevitably fades into the background of sports fans, if it gets noticed at all.
The only surge in interest comes during the annual international team event, be it the Ryder Cup or the Presidents Cup, and even the latter struggles to compete due to the one-sided nature of the competition.
So where should the PGA Tour turn to keep sports fans interested through the fall and winter?
For starters, it may have to take a step it hasn't wanted to take: shortening the schedule. The PGA Tour switched to a calendar-year schedule at the start of 2024, introducing a 36-event regular season after which the top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings qualify for the postseason.
Compete in eight FedEx Cup fall tournaments, three FedEx Cup playoff events, as well as the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup, ideally capturing nearly 50 fan-attracting tournaments in 52 weeks. Of course, this total does not take into account the DP World Tour, the LPGA Tour, LIV golf, the multitude of exhibition events or the PGA Tour's TGL Indoor League, which will make its debut in early 2025.
Some true die-hard fans will be able to eat a bite of every dish served, but the majority will be full by the end of the summer. It's okay to let the product breathe – like any other major sport – and it's also okay to experiment and keep the sport fresh.
That's exactly our goal as we outline four modifications that could breathe some life into the FedEx Cup fall.
Create a sprint to the goal
This proposal might prove unpopular with PGA Tour officials (and players in the bubble), but shortening the schedule would benefit the sport as a whole. See, PGA Tour members have eight months and about 25 playing opportunities until the fall to secure their jobs for the following year. Instead of a slow slog like the regular season, the FedEx Cup fall should turn into a sprint.
Halve the number of tournaments, increase the pressure and put these players under the microscope. The fall's most intriguing tournament is always the RSM Classic due to the finality of it all, but movement in and out of the top 125 is minimal at best – only Henrik Norlander and Daniel Berger moved within the cut-off limit in the season finale.
Take #125, Sam Ryder, for example. After finishing the regular season ranked 127th in the FedEx Cup standings, Ryder competed in six events this fall and missed the cut in half of them. A top-five finish at the Bermuda Championship – his second top-20 finish of the season – was a welcome result that secured him enough points that he didn't even have to compete in the RSM Classic. That doesn't seem right.
Mix the formats
Outside of the Zurich Classic in the middle of spring, every PGA Tour tournament is stroke play. The days of WGC Match Play are over, much to the dismay of fans. So why not reintroduce the format in the fall? Influence on match action has always been the barrier to television product in the late stages of the tournament, but it is clear that TV ratings are not given much consideration at this time of year. Make it a round-robin event, halve the field after the group stage and reward FedEx Cup points based on placings. Sports fans are simple: they love brackets.
Go international
Fighting for attention on Saturdays against college football and Sundays against the NFL is an unenviable situation, but there are ways to change that. In the world of golf, the DP World Tour wears the crown throughout the fall, not only because of the host golf courses, but also because of the television windows in which it airs. The perfect morning appetizer for those on the East Coast of the United States, international golf can lead to, rather than compete with, these larger sporting events.
Limit sponsor exemptions
The biggest point of controversy this fall was the week of the Zozo Championship, where Dahmen and Zac Blair received sponsorship exemptions for the tournament. Because the field was limited and there was no cut at halftime, the Zozo Championship awarded guaranteed FedEx Cup points to players who wanted to secure full-time status.
It turned out to be quite important. Dahmen earned 13 FedEx Cup points at the Zozo Championship and finished the year in 124th place with 425 points. Meanwhile, in Japan, Blair gained 8.75 points and finished in 126th place with 417 points. Hayden Springer, the man, who lost out (i.e. did not receive a sponsor exemption), finished the year in 127th place with 414 points – 11 points behind Dahmen.
As golfers compete for a living on the PGA Tour, the playing field must be fair for everyone involved.
