PGA Tour notebook: Commissioner Tim Finchem announces in-season rule changes

From WorldGolf.com News Services

A pair of in-season changes were announced this week by the PGA Tour, which has decided to amend its cut policy and tweak the playoff portion of the FedEx Cup race.

The new cut policy, which will start with this week's Honda Classic, is actually a return to the traditional 36-hole cut that includes the top 70 players and ties for most events. If more than 78 players make the cut, there will be an additional cut to the top 70 and ties after round three.

Initially, the PGA Tour changed its cut policy this year to try to limit large weekend fields, which led to rounds that lasted nearly six hours and wreaked havoc with TV coverage. When the cut numbered more than 78 players, the closest numbers to the top 70 were able to play the weekend, while the others received last-place money.

Complaints started to arise when players — many of whom said they weren't even aware of the new rule — found out that they made the cut, but they wouldn't be playing on the weekend. A Players Advisory Council comprising 16 players made the recommendation to change the cut rule back, and the PGA Tour's board voted on the matter Monday.

"I just think we didn't think through the new rule," PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem told reporters. "It's hard to understand. People see players making the cut and not playing. Nobody's happy with that."

In another change, the PGA Tour announced that it has altered the playoff portion of the FedEx Cup to give more players a chance to claim the $10 million first-place check. The final effect is that 12 players, instead of six, will have a mathematical chance to win the FedEx Cup in the final playoff event at the Tour Championship.

The change was made in part because of the way Tiger Woods dominated the FedEx Cup playoffs last year. Even though the world No. 1-ranked player didn't play in the first playoff event, he would've been able to skip the final event (the Tour Championship) as well, and still win.

One other change is that players can earn 2,000 more points, regardless of where they finish. The move would allow other players who finish near the top in playoff events to climb more rapidly in the standings.

"The effect of these two changes will be some improvement in a player's ability to make substantial gains in position, based on excellent play in the playoffs, while also increasing the number of players who will have a shot at winning the FedEx Cup," Finchem said.

Presidents Cup captains named

Fred Couples will be the U.S. team captain, while Greg Norman will take on the same role for the International squad in the Presidents Cup, which will be played in October of 2009 at Harding Park golf course in San Francisco.

"I think it's a great time in my life to be able to take the U.S. team to San Francisco in the next year and a half and have a good time," Couples said during a press conference Tuesday. "And then to be going against Greg, who I played a lot of golf with and admire what he does, it's just going to be fabulous. We'll do everything we can to have a great time."

Norman said he's taking his role as International captain very seriously. Before accepting the position, Norman said he phoned International players like Adam Scott, Vijay Singh and Ernie Els to ask them their opinions on him accepting the captaincy.

"They made me feel good that three players of that stature would kind of endorse me the way they did," Norman told reporters. "So from my perspective, it's an honor like you to be captain of The Presidents Cup for 2009.

"I'm going to have some fun being a leader with the international players, who I believe have been great for the game of golf on a global basis."

The U.S. leads the all-time Presidents Cup series 5-1-1.

Briefly

• The next four PGA Tour events in the Florida swing will present the golfers with a string of some of the most difficult tests of the year. The Honda Classic, which begins Thursday on the Champion Course at PGA National, was the eighth most difficult course on tour last year out of 55 courses. The Copperhead Course at Innisbrook will host the next event and is ranked 15th, while Bay Hill is No. 17. Doral is 16th.

• Following his victory Sunday in the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship, Tiger Woods moved into the lead in the FedEx Cup standings. Woods is the fifth different person to lead the competition in the first eight weeks of the season and the third different player in the last three weeks.

• American players recorded a strong showing last week at the Match Play Championship, posting a 21-12 record in matches against players from outside the United States. The U.S. players held an 8-7 lead over European players and won by a 13-5 margin over the rest of the International field.

• Former PGA Tour standout Hal Sutton made it clear that he believes there's absolutely no way Tiger Woods can win every event he plays this season, including all four majors. "Laughable," Sutton told the New York Post Monday when asked about Woods' chances of finishing 2008 unbeaten. "Anybody who knows golf knows it ain't going to happen."

February 27, 2008