Adjustment of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, the new US champion is a rookie

Check in every week for the unfiltered views of our writers and editors as they analyze the hottest topics in sports, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @igalofu_com. This week we discuss the first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, the description of Matt Kuchar’s Wyndham, the new US Amateur winner and more.

Scottie Scheffler, the all-time points leader in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, said the proposed play is foolish: “Imaginatively, we get to East Lake and my neck is burning and it’s not healing the way it did. In The Players, I finish 30th in the FedExCup because I had to withdraw from the final tournament? Is that really a season-long race? No.” Do you agree? But more importantly, what is being fixed?

James Colgan, news and features editor (@jamescolgan26): There IS correction, and it’s completely clear: The main event of play was seeded and played like the NCAA Tournament! Hold the event over three weeks at several tournament sites (to delay times to maximize TV viewing power). Bake in 1-, 2- and 3-up advantages to start opening rounds of games for the FedEx top 10 finishers and everyone else plays straight. Take on the elite eight in the finals in one long weekend (two 36-hole days.) Winners take home the spoils!

Jonathan Wall, equipment editor (@jonathanrwall): Personally, I’ve been out of the playoff format for a long time. I remember the days of the Tour Championship closing the season with no additional events built in that no one seemed to care about, except for a few top guys. I would change the current format of three events and go back to the old season-ending event. Throw out different starting points and see what happens when everyone starts on the playing field. I don’t think golf fans need or care about gimmicks. Playing the same game is another option, but in Scottie’s case, uncertainty means that the No. 1 seed could be beaten by someone with a date.

Josh Sens, senior author (@JoshSens): I like Colgan’s idea, although I don’t think you need to start with scoring advantages. The seed itself is designed to give top players an easy way. After that, close it for a long time. There are too many events in professional golf already. Go black for a few months. Give fans a chance to remember you.

The top 50 for the BMW Championship have been set, meaning those players are guaranteed entry into the lucrative Signature Events for 2025. With how important these events are – in terms of money and FedEx Cup points – are you ready with that many players to get the reserved spots? The Tour still has ways for players to benefit from their starts, but is this too generous for the top players while making life more difficult for the rest of the tour?

Colgan: I think it depends on our perception of justice. The PGA Tour has done its best to be fair to players in terms of getting entry fees into Signature Events, but the system naturally favors the stars. The good news is that the program built around the stars puts the PGA Tour on par with the rest of the major sports leagues, making it a great product for fans. I think the profit is fair. Good enough, at least. But I’m sure there is someone who disagrees with it.

The wall: I agree with Mr. Colgan: The turnover is good, but you still need stars in the field. That’s what everyone pays to see. Don’t like the show? Play better and become one of those top stars.

Sens: Making life more difficult for other guys? They compete for the right to play golf for millions of dollars. It must be difficult. I have a hard time feeling like anyone out there is getting a raw deal.

Jordan Spieth tied for 68th at FedEx St. Jude Championship, which means he will miss out on the BMW Championship and will not get automatic spots in those aforementioned Signature events. He will soon undergo another operation to repair a ligament in his left wrist. Spieth had three top 10s this year and hasn’t won since the 2022 RBC Heritage. Do you see better days ahead for him? Or has his form proven to be so unreliable?

Colgan: Seven years is a really long time to go between golf’s qualifying stages, and it’s been seven years since Jordan Spieth’s golf game was qualified to be good. I’m hoping the surgery – and the ensuing time away from golf – gives him the reset he needs from 2018. Right now, it’s hard to say he’s been given.

The wall: I would argue that no one is more electrifying than Spieth when he hustles on every course and finds a way to compete. The problem is that we have seen fights rather than times of conflict. It is clear that he is wrong and has been in need of a reset for some time. The Tour can indeed use a healthy Spieth. Here’s hoping the surgery brings a return to form.

Sens: I’m sure the surgery will help. But recovery like this is not just physical. Spieth will need to regain that magic pixie dust he used to have around him. And that will mean restoring his confidence. Doing that, I suspect, will be the hardest part.

Last week, Matt Kuchar made headlines at the end-of-season Wyndham Championship when he decided not to finish the 72nd hole in the dark and go solo on Monday morning despite being eliminated from the playoff and having no chance of winning the tournament. On Monday, Kuchar explained, saying he thought it would encourage playing partner Max Greyserman, who was one of the frontrunners, to do the same and try to force a playoff game in the morning. Greyserman finished anyway, Kuchar played solo, later saying “I know it stinks. I’m really sorry for forcing everyone to come out here. ” What did you learn from this? Was Kuchar trying to help, or was this just a weird calculation?

Colgan: What a strange situation. Couldn’t Kuchar have discussed this with Grayserman as they walked down the 18th fairway together before he opted to quit? Looks like he might have! Nothing wrong with me, though. A strange move, but within his rights.

The wall: It’s a strange move for sure. The most confusing thing is that the decision was made to help his partner – the boy who chose to finish. Like Colgan, I’m trying to understand why he didn’t discuss this decline properly. If they did, and Greyserman passed on the opportunity, then why didn’t Kuch play it safe and call it a week?! My head hurts trying to figure this out.

Sens: Bizarre for sure but I have trouble believing that Kuchar was trying to help. He looked at himself and did what he thought would give him a better chance of squeezing more money out of the wallet.

The PGA Tour’s 2025 schedule dropped last week with a few changes but one key revelation. When asked if the new plan is an indication that nothing will happen with LIV “at least until next year or ’26 or ’27,” commissioner Jay Monahan said, “I think that’s OK.” Is this bad news for tourism? And what does it mean for the future of golf?

Colgan: If by “is this bad travel news?” you mean “does this undermine the value of professional golf in a way that makes the average sports fan less interested in the sport?” … then, yes, it’s bad news for the Tour. The good news is that the fault lines are so clearly defined (and LIV’s business is so transparent and completely unprofitable) that waiting things out may help the PGA Tour. (Note: I know the Tour has made a decision to align interests with the Saudis, but I hate the way all the talk is being framed about replacing the Tour. LIV’s brand that appeals to literally anyone would go a long way in promoting unity in the game of golf, and yet they continue to be viewed by a small audience than Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation without strong competitive criticism Both sides are wrong!)

The wall: Bad news for professional golf, not just the PGA Tour. Spreading the talent over two tours dilutes the product and makes it difficult for fans to get excited about anything other than the big games. No Tour has juice, and it’s very frustrating. The future doesn’t look rosy, let’s put it that way.

Sens: Wall is right. The Masters can’t come soon enough.

Jose Luis Ballester won the 2024 US Amateur on Sunday at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota, beating Noah Kent 2 up. What did you like about Ballester’s game, and has the professional success of last year’s champion, Nick Dunlap, proven that some of these high school students are ready to win on Tour right away?

Colgan: Golf talent never ends. The most interesting battleground for the LIV/PGA Tour relationship is in the novice game, and it’s perfect for Ballester to improve his bottom line.

The wall: It definitely ensures that high-level ateurs no longer need a long route to get familiar with the professional game. Just look at Luke Clanton’s heater. Ballester is another uber-talented scholarship that could win well on Tour right now. The ASU pipeline continues.

Sens: It’s hard to keep up with the tide of young golf talent these days. Whether they are all ready to win immediately is another matter. Not everyone can. But Ballester has looked like a stunner this week. The young man’s wedge game and short game suited Seve. If he keeps it up, we’ll see him raise some lips before long.