The Fed Ex Cup     Alternative Final 30 Scenarios - - - - 2007 to 2022
Frank's Humble Abode at frankosite2020.com ... Top 30 ... FedEx Cup ... Fed Ex Cup ... PGA Tour Playoffs

Introducing The "Alternative" Scenarios And Their Purpose

The primary purpose herein is to point out issues and oversights of the PGA Tour's Fed Ex Cup Playoff System. The author argues that
the practice of employing a fixed set of points (2007 to 2018) or scores (2019 & after), pre-defined months ahead of the actual Tour
Championship event, does not ensure competitive fairness for the Top 30 or so pros who tee it up in the tournament each year.

The author suggests that the best, most fairest alternative solution would be for Tour Championship points to be defined and assigned
at the start of the very week in which the tournament is played. The current year-to-date standings of the 30 or so pros who qualify
for the tournament (IE, relation of #1 to #2, #1 to #3, and so on down to #1 to #30) would play a key role in determining the point
values to be used within the Tour Championship event itself.

Each year (2007 thru 2022), actual and alternative Final 30 scenarios are presented, the alternative ones being based on the customized
points process. The final actual and alternative results of the Tour Championship, as well as the final actual and alternative Top 30 Fed Ex
Cup standings, are shown. In some years there may possibly be more than one final alternative result, and this is presented as well.

There will be no further entries for any year after 2022, as this author has elected to retire the series.
However, these pages will remain online so that any interested parties may browse them at their leisure.



Past Fed Ex Cup Results - Choose A Year

2007
   The first year of the X Chase title playoffs. Revealed right away were the flaws of the playoff points system,
   all set up at least some ten months before the playoffs would even begin. Tiger Woods, the #1 player going
   into the playoffs, won both the Tour Championship and the X title in "actual" and "alternative" modes.


2008
   In 2008, X Chase #1 Vijay Singh's playoff success (such as it was!) forced the PGA Tour to "Sing, Sing"
   goodbye to their very obviously messed up playoff points set-up, although their post-2008 "solution"
   would quickly prove to be not much better.

   The "Alternative" mode would reveal the possibility of a much more dramatic 2008 outcome, with the
   potential of up to -FOUR- players competing in a sudden-death playoff for both Tour Championship and
   X Chase titles. As it would actually play out, X #2 Camilo Villegas would defeat X #3 Sergio Garcia in a
   sudden-death playoff for the Tour Championship title.   This provided at least some drama to offset
   the dullness of Singh's runaway X Chase title win.


2009
   In "Actual" Mode, a ho hum intro to the PGA Tour's revised playoff points reset method. Tiger Woods,
   the number one points leader, won the X Chase with ease over # 14 Phil Mickelson, who had to settle
   for winning just the Tour Championship title.

   The "Alternative" mode saw a dramatic turn-around as the customized points adjustment allowed Tour
   Championship winner Mickelson to overtake Tiger Woods and win the "Alt" X Chase Title.


2010
   Pre-Tour Championship points leaders #1 Matt Kuchar and #2 Dustin Johnson wound up near the bottom
   of the tournament's final standings, allowing Jim Furyk to claim both titles (actual and alternative modes).
   There was an unrealized scenario where a potential tie for first place in the final points standings between
   Matt Kuchar and Kevin Streelman could have occurred, requiring a playoff for the X Chase title.


2011
   #1 X Chase leader Webb Simpson was hardly heard from after the opening round. Rising up from the lowest
   pre-tournament points position yet in playoff history, #25 Bill Haas claimed both titles in a sudden-death
   playoff, one that featured a brilliant off-the-green save.


2012
   In both "actual" and "alternative" modes, #5 X Chase leader Brandt Snedeker claimed the X and Tour
   Championship titles.


2013
   "Ho Hum" year as #2 X Chase leader Henrik Stenson takes home all the booty.


2014
   #30 X Chase leader Dustin Johnson did not play in the Tour Championship. Unfortunately for #31
   Stuart Appleby, the "actual" rules did not allow replacements for vacancies among the Top 30.
   #2 X Chase leader Billy Horschel won both titles.


2015
   Once again, the PGA Tour's "no replacements" rule strikes, leaving #31 Daniel Summerhays out of the
   "X Chase" after the pre-tournament injury withdrawal of #16 Jim Furyk. Summerhays had 1,501 pts, while
   #30 Harris English had 1,503. Pre-tournament FedX #1 Jason Day would have only one round in the 60's,
   finishing the tournament tied 10th and seven strokes behind the pre-tournament X # 2 leader Jordan
   Spieth, who won both titles and claimed all the booty.


2016
   Pre-tournament X # 6 Rory McIlroy defeats X # 14 Ryan Moore and X # 15 Kevin Chappell in a sudden-death
   playoff to claim Tour Championship and X Chase titles in both "actual" and "Alternative" modes, while
   pre-tournament #1 Dustin Johnson finishes seven shots out of the playoff.

   A Moore or Chappell Tour Championship win would have given the X title to Dustin Johnson in "actual"
   mode, while in the "alternative" reality either Moore or Chappell could have claimed both the Tour
   Championship and X Chase titles.


2017
   Pre-tournament # 2 Justin Thomas earned more than enough points to claim the X Chase title.
   # 26 Xander Schauffele would settle for winning just the Tour Championship title.


2018
   Tiger Woods' return to the tournament victory circle after a five-year drought would prove to be greater in
   "alternative" mode, where he topped the "actual" mode X Chase champion Justin Rose for all the booty.


2019
   For 2019 and after, the PGA Tour has relegated the Tour Championship to that of title-only, removing its
   longtime status as a mini-season championship unto itself, which was very a nice consolation prize in
   case the X Chase title had been decided by other means.   The status change of the tournament removes
   any and all secondary dramas. Now, only the chase for the X Chase title itself is all that counts.

   The new reset format calls for the pre-tournament Top 30 X points leaders to receive reset scores instead of
   reset points. This has the potential of negatively handicapping many players and quite possibly cheapening
   the final outcome of the X title chase.

   Pre-tournament X # 5 Rory McIlroy would do new format supporters and naysayers alike a huge favor by
   decisively winning the tournament and the FedX title in both "actual" and "alternative" modes.

   Both the "actual" scores reset and "alternative" non-scores reset tournament and shown. Also, the web-page
   author expresses an opinion about the new reset scores format.


2020
   The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an event-shortened 2019-20 season. Otherwise, the tournament format
   for 2020 remained the same as it was in 2019.

   Naysayers of the Reset Score Format would now have something to gripe about. Pre-tournament #1
   Dustin Johnson would win all the booty with a total score of -21 (reset -10 plus tournament -11).
   #14 Xander Schauffle finished tied for 2nd with a total score of -18 (reset -3 plus tournament -15).


2021
   In "actual" mode, Patrick Cantlay (21-under, 269/-11 plus -10 reset) capped off his 2020-21 season by
   winning the Tour Championship, one stroke over Jon Rahm (20-under, 266/-14 plus -6 reset) and, with
   the victory, secured the 2020-21 Fed Ex Cup title. Kevin Na (16-under, 266/-14 plus -2 reset) finished
   in solo 3rd place.

   In "alternative" mode, with the reset score format replaced by a customized points distribution, Rahm and
   Na finished tied for first place in the tournament itself.   If it had not been for the "actual" way in which
   the tournament ended, Rahm and Na would have advanced to a sudden-death playoff to decide both of the
   "alternative" Tour Championship and X Chase titles.


2022
   Rory McIlroy, # 7 in the pre-tournament standings, shot 17-under-par within the tournament itself. Adding
   his pre-tournament -4 reset score allowed McIlroy to edge to Sungae Im (# 10 pre-tournament, -4 reset,
   -16 in-tournament) by one stroke. Scottie Scheffler (# 1 pre-tournament, -10 reset, -10 in-tournament)
   tied Im for 2nd place.

   Those were the "actual" results. In "Alternative" mode,Rory McIlroy finished 1st for both the tournament
   and the X title. Sungae Im was solo 2nd in the tournament, solo 3rd in the X. Scottie Sheffler was tied
   for 13th in the tournament, solo 2nd in the X. Will Zalatoris, who in actual fact had withdrawn from the
   Tour Championship because of injury, would fair much better financially in "Alternative" mode. Patrick
   Cantlay, who did play in the tournament, would also enjoy greater "alternative" financial success.




The Fed Ex Cup
Alternative Final 30 Scenarios - - - - 2007 to 2022



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