The FedEx Cup

The FedEx Cup is an innovative new competition of the PGA Tour which is going into its second year in 2008. For the very first time men’s professional golf will see a series of playoffs, and the last man standing, or rather the golfer with the most points, will win the FedEx Cup.

It was no surprise that the world number one on the Official World Golf Ranking, Tiger Woods, won the inaugural event in 2007.

All PGA Tour events held from the Mercedes Benz Championship in January, to the Wyndham Championship in August will entitle PGA Tour golfers to earn points in each event played. The ultimate goal of the competition is to be among the top 144 point leaders following the Wyndham Championship.

Full-time participation in the PGA Tour is a prerequisite for entry into the incredibly rich FedEx Cup. All points won by each golfer will be ‘reset’ directly after the Wyndham Championships according to the following sliding scale:

• The first placed ‘regular season points’ holder will be allocated 100,000 points.
• The second will get 99,000
• The 144^th points holder will be given 84,700 points

All of the top 144 players will advance to a series of playoffs, and allocated points will carry over to these playoffs. In effect this is very much like ‘seeding’ in tennis – the golfers who perform consistently well throughout the season will more than likely advance past the first playoff of the competition.

FedEx Cup playoffs:

• The Barclays – 18-24 August (top 144 leaders)
• Deutsche Bank Championship – August (top 120 players after the Barclays)
• BMW Championship – September (top 70 after the Deutsche Bank Championship)
• The TOUR Championship – September (top 30 after the BMW Championship)

If any of the eligible golfers should have to withdraw from any of the playoffs, no alternative golfers will be allowed.

The ‘Filthy Lucre’

The winner of the FedEx Cup will pocket a cool $10 million, the runner-up $3 million and even the 144^th golfer will walk away with $32,000.

The prize money is, however, placed in a tax-deferred retirement account which can only be accessed by the winner once he is over the age of 45. Even then the golfer may choose to defer payment until he is 60, or he is playing in fewer that 15 PGA Tour events each year. Payment will be made to the golfer each month, over a period of five years.

It was decided to change the ‘money rules’ for the 2008 event – the top ten finishes will now receive the bulk of their prize money in cash up front. Of the $10 million, the winner will receive $9 million in cash and $1 million will be held in a tax-deferred account. All other winners will follow the 2007 regulations.

The FedEx Cup playoffs feature the cream of golf talent worldwide, and some excellent betting opportunities. We recommend William Hill for the ultimate *golf betting experience.

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