Rory McIlroy criticises FedEx Cup for handicapped scoring system and highly-publicised £15m winning cheque
Rory McIlroy has publicly criticised how the FedEx Cup is run Credit: rex
James Corrigan, Golf Correspondent
21 August 2019 • 6:52pm
Rory McIlroy should not anticipate being named ‘Employee of the Month’ at PGA Tour HQ after posing a few damning questions about the controversial overhaul of the Tour Championship.
First, the world No ?3 asked if the new handicapped scoring system is appropriate for an event which likes to think of itself on the top rungs of the sport. And then he inquired aloud whether the much-publicised $15million (£12.3m) winning cheque is “relatable to the fans”. To many, the answers to these two queries will be a resounding “no and no”.
If the obscene jackpot on offer – and the shameless marketing of the $5m hike from last year – is a turn-off, then the unprecedented new format could manage to cause even more shaking of heads.
The player at the top of FedEx Cup standings, Justin Thomas, will start Thursday’s first round in Atlanta on 10-under. With the 30-strong field handicapped based on their positions in that points list, the player in second, Patrick Cantlay, will tee off on eight-under, and then a sliding scale down to the players in 26th to 30th on level-par.
McIlroy starts on five-under and could, therefore, beat Thomas by four shots over four rounds and still finish behind him. That sort of scenario makes the 30-year-old uneasy.
“We had breakfast with some of the sponsors and what I said to them was if the PGA Tour is trying to do this ‘season of championships’, which starts with the Players in March, then goes through the four majors and culminates with the FedEx Cup at the end, if the FedEx Cup really wants to have this legacy in the game like some of these other championships, is people starting the tournament on different numbers the best way to do it?” McIlroy said.
“I get it from a fan experience point of view, I get it from giving guys that have played better throughout the year an advantage, but I don’t know – come back to me on Monday and I’ll tell you if it has worked. You can shoot the best score of the week and not win the tournament. If that happens to someone it’s going to be hard for them to wrap their head around.”
Ironically, the Tour instigated the changes to the season finale to make it easier for the viewers to understand. Previously there have been two prize-givings on the Sunday, with the winners of both the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup being crowned.
Sometimes the same player lifted both titles, but on other occasions, such as last year with Tiger Woods and Justin Rose, there was the awkward situation of a pair of champions.
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