Ed's Letter: 3 alternative season finales to FedEx Cup

The FedExCup: Bunch of Arse or Helping the Gravy?

Well, there’s certainly a lot of gravy. $10,000,000.00 to be precise. Just ask Billy Horschel, Brandt Snedeker, Henrik Stenson, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy  what they think of the FedEx play offs. They love it. They got new yachts, private planes and haircuts out of it.

But does winning the FedExCup mean you were the best golfer that year? Sometimes... when, by coincidence, the world number one and the FedEx winner are the same person, but probably not. I mean, how can you win it one year and end up 45th going into the FedEx the next year? (I’m talking to you Billy Horschel).

"What have we become people..."

It just goes to show that winning the FedEx doesn’t mean a lot except to the pros' pockets. And, I guess it’s not supposed to mean anything particularly. That’s not what it’s for. The PGA can’t just let the season fizzle out. Or let it end at all. And they can hardly introduce another major so the next best thing is to throw a load of cash at it and hope for the best.

The public understands hard cash and a $10million windfall/bonus – call it what you will for finishing the last four events as the form golfer on the PGA Tour – can certainly get the golf fan’s pulse racing. Well, pulsing a bit faster maybe. Or maybe not.

Do people really care that Dustin Johnson (currently 1st in the standings with $8,392,068 in winnings) will get an extra $10,000,000.00 on top of all the other cash he’s got? Of course they don’t.

And the PGA doesn’t care that the public doesn’t care. They’re the only show in town. It is what it is etc etc. Understandable, but not terribly exciting. Or satisfying. So we’ve come up with some alternatives to this four-week cash gorge.

Alternative Number 1: The Pitch & Putt Option

Take the players ranked 126-150, the players who just missed out on their tour cards for next season, and let them fight it out over nine holes of pitch & putt. If there’s a play off they can go across the road to the local Putt Putt and take their chances with the windmill.

Alternative Number 2: The Rabbit From A Hat Option

Pick some dude at random from the Web.com tour and turn up at his house with a big suitcase full of the $10million. Film it and hope he doesn’t have a heart attack. That’ll get the ratings up.

Alternative Number 3: The GolfPunk Option

Give the $10m to GolfPunk. We promise we’ll look after it.

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