Is the FedEx system fair?

 

 Let me first start by saying I am a huge fan of the FedEx cup Playoffs, I think they provide some added excitement to what could easily be a drab end of season affair, and with the top five in the points list all able to win it, it can have a “Major” like feel, however I do think they have some issues to grind out.  The whole point of the FedEx is so that the PGA tour players have something to work towards; the players spend all year trying to put themselves in contention but for it to end with Brandt Snedeker winning this year doesn’t sit right with me.  While a fan of the drama that comes with having at least five people in contention for one of the biggest prizes in golf, I firmly believe that if someone has totally outplayed the rest of the Tour then this should be reflected in the final standings.  This has not been the case with Snedeker claiming the FedEx cup. This is not an anti Snedeker piece, but to say that he has had the most successful year out of everybody is quite frankly, WRONG.   Snedeker has had a fantastic season; I just don’t think it has been the best season out of everyone on Tour.  Snedeker is a fantastic golfer, a great putter, a major contender in the future without doubt and his Ryder cup place is justified and in a time when slow play is a major issue in both the pro and the amateur game it is nice to see someone who just gets on with it. However for him to win the FedEx shows there are flaws in the system.  It’s also nice to see someone win a big event without those hideous belly putters but that debate can be saved for another time. 

No one can say that McIlroys achievements this year have not been fantastic, or that he has not dominated the Tour, especially in the second half of the season.  Many a commentator has likened it to Woods in 2000 and those statements are justified. He won 3 events in 4 weeks including a major and if it wasn’t for the points reshuffle before the Tour Championship, it would have undoubtedly been a one horse race.  I understand completely that for this event to have the crowd appeal and the atmosphere of a Major then the PGA need to make sure that multiple players are in with a chance of winning it, I am for example in favour of the fact that all 30 players who make it to the Tour Championship have at least an outside chance but I think more advantage needs to be given to those, like McIlroy this year, who have clearly played the best.    It is not unfeasible to suggest that in years to come, even without the points reshuffle, the Fed-ex cup becomes an immensely close contest. If they were to do away with the reshuffle but add more points on to the final event this might solve the problem.  This way, if a player such as McIlroy or Woods or anyone for that matter has a dominant season they are aptly rewarded for it and only a win from maybe the person in 2^nd would have a chance and likewise, in a year where it is very close, a phenomenon which is looking likely to be more common as the seasons progress, then the final event will be the showdown that the PGA Tour want it to be.  While the PGA are adamant about making the final event a spectacle rather than just an end of season event they seem to be forgetting the purpose of the FedEx;  to show who has played consistently the best all year, I’m not sure they achieved that this year