The chase for the FedEx Cup
October 5, 2015
For the last time this year, golfers will be hitting 300 yard drives, striking inch perfect approach shots, and sinking long birdie putts. This fall Jordan Speith, Bubba Watson, Phil Mickelson, and 122 other golfers will be competing to win the FedEx Cup Playoffs and the 10 million dollar grand prize that goes along with it.
The FedEx Cup playoffs are four additional golf tournaments that the top 125 players in the world qualify for. The four tournaments that make up the FedEx Cup are The Barclays, the Deutsche Bank Championship, the BMW Championship, and the Tour Championship. These tournaments are worth four times the amount of ranking points that a regular season PGA tournament is worth. These ranking points are used to determine who makes the FedEx Cup and who is cut after each tournament. This allows for the world golf rankings to shift more dramatically than during the regular season, and makes it possible for even the lower-ranked players to make a push for the 10 million dollar prize.
After each playoff event, the number of players who can play in the next tournament in the playoff is reduced. After the Barclays, only the top 100 players qualify for the Deutsche, and the top 70 for the BMW Championship, and just the top 30 players in the world can compete in the Tour Championship.
Jason Day is currently the first ranked golfer in the FedEx Cup. He has been dominant the past few months, winning both the PGA championship and the Barclays this August. Meanwhile, Jordan Speith, a young American golfer, is drawing comparisons to Tiger Woods. He is poised to challenge Day for first prize. Speith is ranked second, and appears to be the most likely to catch Jason Day.
Tiger Woods was unable to qualify for the playoffs because he was ranked 186 when the season ended, despite making a push for the top 125 towards the end of the season. After battling injuries and dealing with mental struggles, Woods finally seemed to be finding his form at the end of the golf season at the Wyndham Championship. Unfortunately for Tiger fans, he came up short.
Looking towards the last two tournaments, the BMW championship and the Tour Championship, the top 5 golfers on the FedEx Cup standings are: Jason Day, Jordan Speith, Rickie Fowler, Henrik Stenson, and Bubba Watson. Although any of these golfers have the quality to win it all, I believe Jason Day should be the heavy favorite. Day has won three of the last five tournaments he has entered, and he has looked great thus far in the FedEx Cup. His length off of the tee sets him apart, and I can’t see anyone beating him this year. I fully expect Jason Day to continue his excellent golf, and pocket the FedEx- Cup trophy as millions of viewers tune in from across the globe.
