The FedEx Cup Playoffs system has been a controversial topic among the players. From Scottie Scheffler to Xander Schauffele, all have expressed why they are not a fan of the format. According to the World’s No. 1, the starting strokes format at the Tour Championship reduces a player’s performance throughout the season to nothing. “You can’t call it a season-long race and have it come down to one tournament,” he said.
There have been several changes in the format of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, but the most recent one took place in 2019. From four tournaments, the process was brought down to three. All season long, players are awarded FedEx Cup points based on their performance in official PGA Tour events. The run starts from the St. Jude Championship where only the top 70 are a part of the field and ends with the Tour Championship where the top 30 play for the Player of the Year title.
Despite all the lashes against the format, according to Jay Monahan, it has been working out pretty well, especially after the new format. “If you look at the three playoff events, to be in Memphis at TPC Southwind, for us to have been in partnership with FedEx going back to 1986, our largest partner, and the naming partner on our season-long championship, the FedExCup, and given the incredible connection we have to St. Jude,” said Jay Monahan.
Apart from FedEx, the St. Jude Hospital too is a significant sponsor of the Playoffs. The organization has also helped push the overall survival rate for childhood cancer from 20% to 80% and has been helping golfers with disability to get proper training and be able to shine with trained coaches. Taking to this Monahan added, “Being able to tell the story and showcase the incredible work that St. Jude’s is doing and the inspiring stories of these young kids is important to FedEx. It’s also really important to the PGA TOUR.”
I don't know how many times Jay has used the word "ethos" and I have no idea what it means. but I know I that no one uses that word in an honest/transparent conversation or answer.
That is a word used to deflect from whatever was asked.— Monday Q Info (@acaseofthegolf1) August 28, 2024
While according to him, he has been doing a great job with the PGA Tour, the golf community begs to differentiate, especially with this particular answer. Monday QInfo took to their X account to reflect on the conversation with Jay Monahan at the Tour Championship presser, and mocking him wrote, “I don’t know how many times Jay has used the word “ethos” and I have no idea what it means. but I know that no one uses that word in an honest/transparent conversation or answer. That is a word used to deflect from whatever was asked.”
The golf community isn’t happy with Jay Monahan
The FedEx Cup is the championship trophy for the PGA Tour. Its introduction in 2007 marked the first time that men’s professional golf had a playoff system. Since its inception, the competition has been sponsored by FedEx. While the format has changed, there has been no change in the sponsor list, and one golf fan believes it is time to do that. Taking to this, they wrote, “Maybe a new sponsor?”
Be it trying to bring down a peaceful treaty between the LIV Golf and the PGA Tour with a complete team, or supporting the players by bringing in change in the format, according to the golf community, Jay Monahan has pretty much been absent whenever needed.
He even went on to release the 2025 schedule for the PGA Tour without including LIV Golf, which hints that the PIF merger has not been worked up, and will not be for the next year at least. One clearly frustrated fan wrote, “Jay is as useful as a dull razor blade.”
USA Today via Reuters
From Jon Rahm to Brooks Koepka, some of the best players of the PGA Tour defected to the breakaway league for huge financial deals. Even Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler were offered money, but it was because of their loyalty that they stayed. However, Monahan did not do anything apart from terminating the membership of the players who made the shift.
One fan even made a sleek MCU reference, they wrote, “Ethos is Thanos’ brother…one click of his fingers and half the PGA universe disappears…to Liv (….and you don’t know how many times I checked the apostrophe was correct ‘cos I know you’re all over it!)”.
Furthermore, the LIV Golf players are not entitled to OWGR points. The only way they can get it is through playing at the Majors, which a lot of players are not invited to. The dropping down of the performance was one of the reasons why players like The Scientist and Rahm were suspected to be regretting their move. Additionally, there has been a lot of change in the friendship of the players since the shift.
Be it Tiger Woods ignoring Bryson DeChambeau, or Phil Mickelson’s text messages being dropped down by his old friends on the Tour. One fan surely didn’t seem to like how Monahan was handling the situation. They chimed in, saying, “What do you want to hear? It’s complicated and fluid. Liv at first gave out nonsustainable stupid $. Now PIF saying the $ is stopping for ventures not critical to the kingdom. Equations constantly changing. Phil hints at retiring from playing LIV (see money stops flowing).”
While another fan mocking Monahan and his use of the word ‘ethos’ unnecessarily in the conversation, simply wrote, “I too double down on smart-sounding words when I’ve been doing dumb s__t like mismanaging a billion-dollar enterprise (crying emoji)“.
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