2018-19 PGA Tour Season
2019 Fed Ex Cup Playoffs
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1 .. Pre-2019 Tour Championship Leaders
The PGA Tour re-vamps both the Fed Ex Cup playoff schedule and Tour Championship format for 2019 and beyond. There is now one less playoff event, and the Tour Championship's finish date is moved from late September to late August. The Tour Championship's new format has the Top 30 players receiving reset scores instead of reset points points prior to the playing of the tournament. It is now possible for a player to have the best 72-hole score within the tournament itself and -NOT- be the Fed Ex Cup champion because another player with a better reset score, combined with their in-tournament score, could overtake any in-tournament-only leader and be named the Fed Ex Cup champion. 2017 Fed Ex Cup Champion Justin Thomas is the #1 player heading into the 2019 Tour Championship, leading #2 Patrick Cantlay by 318 pts; #3 Brooks Koepka by 358 pts; #4 Patrick Reed by 529 pts; and #5 Rory McIlroy by 633 pts. With one less playoff event in 2019, the difference between #1 Thomas and #30 Jason Kokrak is only 2,221 pts. Full Top 30 Fed Ex Cup leaderboard going into the 2019 Tour Championship .....
-- Normal Reset -- Normal Reset
Rank Player Pts Score Rank Player Pts Score
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1 Justin Thomas 3,475 -10 16 Paul Casey 1,768 -2
2 Patrick Cantlay 3,157 -8 17 Justin Rose 1,739 -2
3 Brooks Koepka 3,119 -7 18 Brandt Snedeker 1,709 -2
4 Patrick Reed 2,946 -6 19 Rickie Fowler 1,637 -2
5 Rory McIlroy 2,842 -5 20 Kevin Kisner 1,635 -2
6 Jon Rahm 2,517 -4 21 Marc Leishman 1,587 -1
7 Matt Kuchar 2,339 -4 22 Tommy Fleetwood 1,479 -1
8 Xander Schauffele 2,030 -4 23 Corey Conners 1,476 -1
9 Webb Simpson 1,946 -4 24 Sungjae Im 1,407 -1
10 Abraham Ancer 1,940 -4 25 Chez Reavie 1,394 -1
11 Gary Woodland 1,912 -3 26 Bryson DeChambeau 1,371 Par
12 Tony Finau 1,911 -3 27 Louis Oosthuizen 1,355 Par
13 Adam Scott 1,874 -3 28 Charles Howell III 1,345 Par
14 Dustin Johnson 1,840 -3 29 Lucas Glover 1,337 Par
15 Hideki Matsuyama 1,821 -3 30 Jason Kokrak 1,254 Par
2 .. Pre-2019 Tour Championship:
Actual and Alternative Fed Ex Cup Points
Because of the reset scoring format being used, there will be no points distribution at the 2019 Tour Championship. Shown below are the reset scores assigned to each of the 30 positions.
1.. -10 6.. -4 11.. -3 16.. -2 21.. -1 26.. Par
2.. -8 7.. -4 12.. -3 17.. -2 22.. -1 27.. Par
3.. -7 8.. -4 13.. -3 18.. -2 23.. -1 28.. Par
4.. -6 9.. -4 14.. -3 19.. -2 24.. -1 29.. Par
5.. -5 10.. -4 15.. -3 20.. -2 25.. -1 30.. Par
Now, we will assume that, in our "alternative" scenario, the non-reset points-to-date are being used instead of the
pre-tournament reset scores. On this basis, a calculated total of 24,000 Tour Championship points are approved and announced on the Monday before the start of the tournament. The complete 30-place distribution is as follows ....
1.. 4,000 6.. 960 11.. 624 16.. 544 21.. 472 26.. 432
2.. 2,200 7.. 840 12.. 608 17.. 528 22.. 464 27.. 424
3.. 1,680 8.. 720 13.. 592 18.. 512 23.. 456 28.. 416
4.. 1,280 9.. 680 14.. 576 19.. 496 24.. 448 29.. 408
5.. 1,120 10.. 640 15.. 560 20.. 480 25.. 440 30.. 400
With the alternative points distribution in effect, a few of the potential scenarios it creates are as follows ....
»» Players #1 thru #18 ........ JUST WIN, BABY! »» Players #19 thru #23 Combination of winning Tour Championship (4,000 pts) -AND- Justin Thomas finishing no better than a two-way tie for 2nd (1,940 pts) »» Players #24 thru #30 Combination of winning Tour Championship (4,000 pts) -AND- Justin Thomas finishing no better than a three-way tie for 2nd (1,620 pts) -AND- Patrick Cantlay finishing no better than a two-way tie for 2nd (1,940 pts)
The customized alternative Tour Championship points makes the 2019 Fed Ex Cup winning scenarios less complex and
easier to understand. Also, a sense of real urgency to play as well as one can rather than just coasting along is created, especially for the leading players who, in the right scenario, can easily be surpassed by any player in the field. Now, on to the actual 2019 Tour Championship results, which will include the alternative points distribution and the various potential scenarios which have been created by such points. One can compare and contrast both Tour Championship reset and non-reset scores, as well as the final "actual" and "alternative" Fed Ex Cup standings. |
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3 .. The 2019 Tour Championship:
Part 1 - Actual results
NOTE ... This section shows the actual final results using the pre-tournament reset scores. Rory McIlroy did many folks (naysayers of the reset scores, mainly) a huge favor with his winning 72-hole aggregate score of 267, which was three strokes better than Xander Schauffele's 270. Now to present some important "What If's" -- 1 ..... If both McIlroy and Schauffele had shot the exact same 4-round aggregate totals (say, 270), then McIlroy's combined score of -15 (10-under for 72 holes plus -5 reset), vs. Schauffele's combined score of -14 reset (10-under for 72 holes plus -4 reset), would have given McIlroy the Fed Ex Cup Title. 2 ..... If McIlroy had finished with a 72-hole aggregate of 271 vs. Schauffele's 270, then, with the original reset scores incorporated, the two would be tied at 14-under-par (McIlroy -9 for 72 holes plus -5 original reset; Schauffele -10 for 72 holes plus -4 original reset). Both players would have then gone to a sudden-death playoff to decide the Fed Ex Cup title. 3 ..... If McIlroy had finished 72 holes with an aggregate score no better than 272, versus say 270 for Schauffele, then the Fed Ex Cup title would belong to Schauffele. THIS AUTHOR's PERSONAL OPINION The use of the pre-tournament reset scoring raises serious questions about competitive fairness. The above examples with McIlroy and Schauffele illustrate what happens with just one reset stroke difference between two players. Imagine situations where two or more players may have the same 72-hole aggregate total, or where the 72-hole aggregate totals of two or more players are within two to three strokes of each other. Then imagine what happens in those situations when one of the players has a pre-tournament reset score of two strokes or greater (three, five, up to ten) than any of the other players. Up to now, the outcome of any PGA Tour event has been decided solely on the basis of what a player shoots within just the confines of the 72 holes of competition -- honest competition! Using pre-tournament reset scores takes away that honesty, negatively handicaps many of the competitors in the field, and cheapens the overall results of both the Tour Championship and the final Fed Ex Cup standings. So! -- Is this how you would like for any future major professional golf competition to be decided ??
-- -- Scores for 72 holes Under-Even-Over Par
Player Finish including non-reset Final Original Fed Ex Cup
-- -- under-even-over par Combined Reset Bonus Money
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Rory McIlroy WINNER 66, 67, 68, 66 = 267/-13 -18 -5 $ 15,000,000
Xander Schauffele 2 64, 69, 67, 70 = 270/-10 -14 -4 $ 5,000,000
Brooks Koepka T3 67, 67, 68, 72 = 274/-6 -13 -7 $ 3,500,000
Justin Thomas T3 70, 68, 71, 68 = 277/-3 -13 -10 $ 3,500,000
Paul Casey 5 66, 67, 68, 72 = 273/-7 -9 -2 $ 2,500,000
Adam Scott 6 68, 70, 71, 66 = 275/-5 -8 -3 $ 1,900,000
Tony Finau 7 70, 69, 70, 67 = 276/-4 -7 -3 $ 1,300,000
Chez Reavie 8 71, 64, 70, 70 = 275/-5 -6 -1 $ 1,100,000
Kevin Kisner T9 71, 70, 68, 68 = 277/-3 -5 -2 $ 843,334
Hideki Matsuyama T9 66, 75, 66, 71 = 278/-2 -5 -3 $ 843,333
Patrick Reed T9 70, 70, 73, 68 = 281/+1 -5 -6 $ 843,333
Bryson DeChambeau T12 68, 71, 67, 70 = 276/-4 -4 Par $ 682,500
Jon Rahm T12 68, 72, 68, 72 = 280/E -4 -4 $ 682,500
Jason Kokrak 14 71, 67, 72, 67 = 277/-3 -3 Par $ 620,000
Gary Woodland 15 68, 73, 69, 71 = 281/+1 -2 -3 $ 595,000
Tommy Fleetwood T16 69, 70, 71, 70 = 280/E -1 -1 $ 551,668
Webb Simpson T16 74, 70, 68, 71 = 283/+3 -1 -4 $ 551,666
Matt Kuchar T16 66, 72, 71, 74 = 283/+3 -1 -4 $ 551,666
Sungjae Im T19 67, 71, 73, 70 = 281/+1 E -1 $ 512,500
Rickie Fowler T19 71, 71, 70, 70 = 282/+2 E -2 $ 512,500
Louis Oosthuizen T21 70, 71, 70, 70 = 281/+1 +1 Par $ 478,000
Abraham Ancer T21 72, 69, 72, 72 = 285/+5 1 -4 $ 478,000
Patrick Cantlay T21 70, 71, 75, 73 = 289/+9 1 -8 $ 478,000
Marc Leishman T24 71, 73, 72, 67 = 283/+3 2 -1 $ 450,500
Brandt Snedeker T24 73, 72, 67, 72 = 284/+4 2 -2 $ 450,500
Corey Conners T26 68, 71, 71, 74 = 284/+4 3 -1 $ 430,000
Justin Rose T26 68, 74, 71, 72 = 285/+5 3 -2 $ 430,000
Charles Howell III 28 68, 73, 71, 72 = 284/+4 4 Par $ 415,000
Lucas Glover T29 73, 75, 70, 72 = 290/+10 10 Par $ 400,000
Dustin Johnson T29 73, 72, 75, 73 = 293/+13 10 -3 $ 400,000
4 .. The 2019 Tour Championship:
Part 2 - Alternative results
PURSE: $ 9,250,000 1st Prize: $ 1,665,000 No-Cut Field of 30 30 of 30 finishers Showing herein final tournament results using an alternative points method, instead of the actual reset scores format. It is also assumed that the tournament itself offers a regular official purse, separate from actual Fed Ex Cup Bonus Pool money.
Player Finish Scores Alternative Tournament
-- -- -- Points Money
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Rory McIlroy WINNER 66, 67, 68, 66 = 267/-13 4,000 $ 1,665,000
Xander Schauffele 2 64, 69, 67, 70 = 270/-10 2,200 $ 999,000
Paul Casey 3 66, 67, 68, 72 = 273/-7 1,680 $ 638,250
Brooks Koepka 4 67, 67, 68, 72 = 274/-6 1,280 $ 444,000
Chez Reavie T5 71, 64, 70, 70 = 275/-5 1,040 $ 351,500
Adam Scott T5 68, 70, 71, 66 = 275/-5 1,040 $ 351,500
Tony Finau T7 70, 69, 70, 67 = 276/-4 780 $ 305,250
Bryson DeChambeau T7 68, 71, 67, 70 = 276/-4 780 $ 305,250
Jason Kokrak T9 71, 67, 72, 67 = 277/-3 648 $ 263,318
Justin Thomas T9 70, 68, 71, 68 = 277/-3 648 $ 263,316
Kevin Kisner T9 71, 70, 68, 68 = 277/-3 648 $ 263,316
Hideki Matsuyama 12 66, 75, 66, 71 = 278/-2 608 $ 236,800
Jon Rahm T13 68, 72, 68, 72 = 280/E 584 $ 220,150
Tommy Fleetwood T13 69, 70, 71, 70 = 280/E 584 $ 220,150
Gary Woodland T15 68, 73, 69, 71 = 281/+1 536 $ 193,325
Sungjae Im T15 67, 71, 73, 70 = 281/+1 536 $ 193,325
Louis Oosthuizen T15 70, 71, 70, 70 = 281/+1 536 $ 193,325
Patrick Reed T15 70, 70, 73, 68 = 281/+1 536 $ 193,325
Rickie Fowler 19 71, 71, 70, 70 = 282/+2 496 $ 181,300
Webb Simpson T20 74, 70, 68, 71 = 283/+3 472 $ 173,900
Matt Kuchar T20 66, 72, 71, 74 = 283/+3 472 $ 173,900
Marc Leishman T20 71, 73, 72, 67 = 283/+3 472 $ 173,900
Brandt Snedeker T23 73, 72, 67, 72 = 284/+4 448 $ 162,800
Corey Conners T23 68, 71, 71, 74 = 284/+4 448 $ 162,800
Charles Howell III T23 68, 73, 71, 72 = 284/+4 448 $ 162,800
Abraham Ancer T26 72, 69, 72, 72 = 285/+5 424 $ 154,475
Justin Rose T26 68, 74, 71, 72 = 285/+5 424 $ 154,475
Patrick Cantlay 28 70, 71, 75, 73 = 289/+9 416 $ 151,700
Lucas Glover 29 73, 75, 70, 72 = 290/+10 408 $ 149,850
Dustin Johnson 30 73, 72, 75, 73 = 293/+13 400 $ 148,000
5 .. Final 2019 Fed Ex Cup Top 30 Standings -- Actual and Alternative
It is readily acknowledged that the alternative results do raise or lower the fortunes of many within the Final 30. However, the final alternative results are -NOT- decided with the inclusion of pre-tournament reset scores. Instead, they rely solely on the singular skills of each and every competitor all within the confines of the 72 holes of play.
ACTUAL 2019 RESULTS ALTERNATIVE 2019 RESULTS
** = Each player's score in the actual results is the combination of the pre-tournament
under-even-over par reset score and the player's in-tournament 72-hole under-even-over
par total.
-- Fed Ex Cup -- Alternative Fed Ex Cup
Rank Player Scores ** Bonus Money Rank Player Points Bonus Money
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1 Rory McIlroy -18 $ 15,000,000 1 Rory McIlroy 6,842 $ 15,000,000
2 Xander Schauffele -14 $ 5,000,000 2 Brooks Koepka 4,399 $ 5,000,000
T3 Brooks Koepka -13 $ 3,500,000 3 Xander Schauffele 4,230 $ 4,000,000
T3 Justin Thomas -13 $ 3,500,000 4 Justin Thomas 4,123 $ 3,000,000
5 Paul Casey -9 $ 2,500,000 5 Patrick Reed 3,482 $ 2,500,000
6 Adam Scott -8 $ 1,900,000 6 Paul Casey 3,448 $ 1,900,000
7 Tony Finau -7 $ 1,300,000 7 Patrick Cantlay 3,157 $ 1,300,000
8 Chez Reavie -6 $ 1,100,000 8 Jon Rahm 3,101 $ 1,100,000
T9 Kevin Kisner -5 $ 843,334 9 Adam Scott 2,914 $ 950,000
T9 Hideki Matsuyama -5 $ 843,333 10 Matt Kuchar 2,881 $ 830,000
T9 Patrick Reed -5 $ 843,333 11 Tony Finau 2,691 $ 750,000
T12 Bryson DeChambeau -4 $ 682,500 12 Gary Woodland 2,448 $ 705,000
T12 Jon Rahm -4 $ 682,500 13 Chez Reavie 2,434 $ 660,000
14 Jason Kokrak -3 $ 620,000 14 Hideki Matsuyama 2,429 $ 620,000
15 Gary Woodland -2 $ 595,000 15 Webb Simpson 2,418 $ 595,000
T16 Tommy Fleetwood -1 $ 551,668 16 Abraham Ancer 2,364 $ 570,000
T16 Matt Kuchar -1 $ 551,666 17 Charles Howell III 2,339 $ 550,000
T16 Webb Simpson -1 $ 551,666 18 Kevin Kisner 2,283 $ 535,000
T19 Rickie Fowler PAR $ 512,500 19 Dustin Johnson 2,240 $ 520,000
T19 Sungjae Im PAR $ 512,500 20 Justin Rose 2,163 $ 505,000
T21 Patrick Cantlay +1 $ 478,000 21 Brandt Snedeker 2,157 $ 490,000
T21 Louis Oosthuizen +1 $ 478,000 22 Bryson DeChambeau 2,151 $ 478,000
T21 Abraham Ancer +1 $ 478,000 23 Rickie Fowler 2,133 $ 466,000
T24 Marc Leishman +2 $ 450,500 24 Tommy Fleetwood 2,063 $ 456,000
T24 Brandt Snedeker +2 $ 450,500 25 Marc Leishman 2,059 $ 445,000
T26 Corey Conners +3 $ 430,000 26 Sungjae Im 1,943 $ 435,000
T26 Justin Rose +3 $ 430,000 27 Corey Conners 1,924 $ 425,000
28 Charles Howell III +4 $ 415,000 28 Jason Kokrak 1,902 $ 415,000
T29 Lucas Glover +10 $ 400,000 29 Louis Oosthuizen 1,891 $ 405,000
T29 Dustin Johnson +10 $ 400,000 30 Lucas Glover 1,745 $ 395,000
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2019 Fed Ex Cup Playoffs