PGA Tour Pros discuss the impact of FedEx Cup changes and events during the Fall season
The FedEx Cup Fall on the PGA Tour was very different this year. There were more events added to this section of the schedule, which added more for fans to watch, but it required more activity on the part of golfers. There were, however, some really good matches added to the schedule, and they didn't disappoint.
Sahith Theegala got a debut win in Napa. Tom Kim earned a repeat victory in Las Vegas and Collin Morikawa ended his long winless drought in Japan. Camilo Villegas returned and excited fans in Bermuda, and Ludvig Aberg’s 61-61 showing at the RSM Classic were among the highlights.
However, not everyone was pleased with the denser schedule. Jimmy Walker, a Tour pro who was in danger of losing his card, lamented the fact that he had to fight for even longer during the year to maintain his card.
PGA Tour players express opinions on revamped fall schedule
Mark Hubbard, who is one of six players to have the responsibility of competing in all seven fall tournaments, said this via Golfweek:
“It’s tough for me to see how it’s going to be sustainable. For me, I think there was a noticeable difference in the tournaments and just like how much the course kind of rolled out the red carpet for us and what not, you know, just little stuff like courtesy cars or hotel room blocks or the food. Everything just kind of felt like they were probably trying to save a little bit of money because they’re not getting, you know, the turnout, they’re not getting the big names.”
Doug Ghim said there may be an unintended consequence:
“More guys would show up for Vegas, for Napa, it’s unfortunate for the events, for the fans and at least locally, it kind of sucks."
Davis Love III added that in his lengthy career, he's seen the fall schedule shift a lot and he doesn't expect that to change moving forward:
“It hasn’t looked the same in any five-year period for a long, maybe my whole career. Hopefully, it just continues to improve, they come up with new ideas … I think it’s just going to continue to improve, but I don’t know what that is.”
Not everyone disagrees with the new schedule. Veteran Ryan Armour said there are "a lot of great events" during the fall period and that they should be allowed to host a PGA Tour event if they want. He said that several top players were looking for time off and this can be a way to get it.
It adds more excitement to a very dull period in golf. Normally, where there are precious few things happening, the Tour was arguably in full swing even though the biggest stars are enjoying some well-earned time off.
For those who can't do that, it is more stress and more work. Those like Walker have to contend with more risk of losing membership, which is far less than ideal.