An analysis of the design of the PGA Tour's FedExCup

Alan Cinnamond ()
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Alan Cinnamond: Department of Management, Birkbeck University of London

No 12, Birkbeck Sports Business Centre Working Papers from Birkbeck College, Department of Management

Abstract: The FedExCup is a professional golf championship on the PGA TOUR that includes the first playoff system staged on any of the world’s professional golf tours. The FedExCup, incorporating elements of theory on the design of individualistic sports competitions in its organisation and structure, enhances the PGA TOUR season by providing an additional competitive element and has to date been effective in meeting a number of its objectives. However, despite having the largest prize fund in golf and the seventh largest first prize in all team or individual sports, the FedExCup is evidently considered neither by top players nor by fans to be the most important competition in golf, thereby conflicting with theory on prize incentives in sport competition. The FedExCup cannot currently match the inherent importance and tradition of the major championship tournaments; however, its importance may be enhanced with a reorganisation of the finale tournament, ‘The TOUR Championship’, to a three day tournament and the introduction of new matchplay playoff competition between the top four players in the final standings after The TOUR Championship. This would serve to separate the two distinct competitions: (a) the competition for the event, and (b) the competition for the ‘league title’, and make them complementary rather than embedded. The objective of this restructure is to maintain all of the existing positive elements of the design of the FedExCup, but to also add a more dramatic context to its conclusion; critically it would make the competition more attractive to spectators and as a consequence, increase the perceived status of the FedExCup to a level more befitting of its prize fund.

Pages: 45 pages
Date: 2015-02
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