The FedEx Cup Playoffs
Well a lot has happened in the past month. The LIV Tour has acquired more and more players, Tony Finau won two events in a row, last week a 20 year old won on tour, and 11 players on the LIV Tour have filed lawsuits against the PGA Tour. There is a ton to unpack but let’s start at the beginning with Tony.
For years we have been waiting for the Tony Finau floodgates to open and I think they just might have. Tony has been known to fall just short of winning, as he done it far too often. Between playoff loses and lackluster final rounds he has struggled to seal the deal. Before his back to back wins he has only found the winner’s circle twice, The Puerto Rico Open, and last year’s Northern Trust. While four wins on the PGA Tour is an impressive achievement Tony has the ability to win week after week. Don’t be surprise if Tony notches another victory in this years FedEx Cup Playoffs. However the lead up to this year’s FedEx Cup has been much different than past years.
This year’s FedEx Cup will be overshadowed by a lingering lawsuit put forth by 11 LIV players. These players are seeking action against the PGA Tour because they believe the tour violated certain antitrust laws. On top of those 11 three other golfers Matt Jones, Taylor Gooch and Hudson Swafford. These three filed a separate lawsuit against the PGA Tour. These three players are seeking action to compete in the FedEx Cup playoffs because before they left for the LIV Tour they gained enough points to compete. However the tour has already banned them so these players are now seeking a temporary restraining order that would allow them to play. However it doesn’t seem like this will happen due to the fact that they knowingly breached their contract when they left so at this point these players are up a creek without a paddle so to speak. Throughout this whole process many tour players have been vocal commenting “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” Comments like these are not only warranted but they are encouraged by PGA Tour officials. Commissioner Jay Monahan has outwardly encouraged many players to be vocal on this matter and many players have chose to speak up and many have decided to put their focus elsewhere. Nevertheless this years FedEx Cup could potentially be tarnished and diminished with all these problems arising.(Mike)
As entertaining as the playoffs are, I think they could be so much better if they went to better golf courses. I understand that FedEx is the sponsor, but TPC Southwind should not be hosting a playoff event nor should the city of Memphis be hosting a golf tournament of this nature in the middle of August. There are almost no memorable holes there and nothing that is very unique to the course like a handful of the best courses we get to see every year have. There are so many great tracks in this country that never even get a second thought about for a Tour Stop. We have so many different areas of the country that do not even get hit during the Tour season and the fans are left watching a pretty boring course in one of the biggest non-majors of the year. I hope eventually the Tour will decide to showcase its best events at the best courses it can, not just courses to make sponsors happy. Currently, the fans are losing big time in this equation.
It is hard to imagine writing this a few weeks ago, but Cam Smith appears to be another greedy coward. He has been on record many times saying he already has enough money over the years, but something has clearly changed recently. Reports suggest he will be heading to LIV and the contract has already been signed. This would truly be the first big loss for the PGA Tour. It is quite sad because Cam is clearly a fan favorite and what he did at St Andrews will be in tbt history books forever. I hope he sees LIV getting beat up in court and decides to stick with the Tour. As a fan of golf, I hope we are able to see many more iconic Sundays from him. However, if he joins LIV he will just be a very rich coward who fades into obscurity. (Tyler)
The FedEx Cup playoffs is a fun stretch of weeks. The tours best battle it out for the ultimate of prize of 18 million. These days 18 million is nothing, but to the PGA Tour members this is their big payout and these guys will hold nothing back in order to get it. This week, the FedEx Cup playoff will kick off at TPC Southwind in Tennessee. The first week you typically might not see the top points leader because they have gained enough points Oliver the season that it won’t matter, however this week the field is filled with all the top points leaders including Scottie Scheffler who has over a 1200 point lead. The idea of players taking the first playoff event off seems ridiculous to me, the idea is to build your lead up as much as possible and im not surprised Scottie has that same mindset. This week, tony Finau will make a serious run. The way Tony has been playing I think he’s got a great shot to win the whole thing. The most lethal part of his game right now is his confidence. Nevertheless this is a very competitive field with guys fighting for a lot of people. The playoffs always provide fireworks no matter what. (Mike)
Pick’s of the Week:
Tyler: My pick to win this week is Jon Rahm. I think he has flown under the radar for someone as good as he is. TPC Southwind is a course that sets up well for him. I do not think Rahm will win the playoffs, but I do think he will put his name in the hat with a win this week.
My dark horse for this week is Rickie Fowler. Somehow some way he found his way into the first playoff event. However, he has a lot of work cut out for him if he wants to make it to next week. I think we will see Rickie play more loose now that he secured top 125. Southwind is a course that could play favorably for Rickie if he sees some early putts drop on Thursday.
Personally I believe that Scottie Scheffler will win the Playoffs at East Lake, but I would love to be wrong about that. Scottie has held firm control in the standings for most of the season so to have that change in the final few weeks would be incredible viewing for us fans. (Tyler)