The FedEx Cup Playoffs are the most lucrative tournament in professional golf, with huge prize money up for grabs in the season finale. Recently, however, the format of the event has changed significantly.
Currently, the tournament format is a staggered start, with your position entering the Tour Championship determining your starting score. Essentially, it was introduced to try and provide drama and attract television viewers.
But now, that could all change, according to a report from The Athletic, which reports that a match play/bracket format is one of the possibilities for crowning a FedEx Cup champion.
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According to reports, one option is to have a stroke play competition to narrow the field of 30 players, with some subsequent games to be decided by head-to-head stroke play.
As of this writing, there is no Match Play format event on the PGA Tour schedule, and the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play Championship has been canceled for 2023. Additionally, television networks are reportedly hesitant to make the playoffs a match-play format because of the potential for games to end early and the longer the tournament lasts, the fewer games will be televised.
As for when the bracket format, or indeed any new format, will be implemented, it could be as early as this year, but according to reports, it will most likely be next season.
The WGC Dell Technologies Match Play Championship has been held for 24 years and is the only match play event on the PGA Tour.
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In addition to the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour also follows a similar playoff format, but in the DP World Tour Championship, all players start the tournament equally instead of having staggered starts in the finals.
If you're looking for a track to use match play in your end-of-season event, LIV Golf combines match play and stroke play in its team championships. Match play was used for the first two days, with four teams advancing to the finals. From that point on, all four players' scores count toward the winner-take-all contest.
