Follow us on Google Discover Brian Rolapp has made some really exciting changes since he was appointed as the CEO of the PGA Tour in 2025.
Rolapp recently announced plans to completely change the way the PGA Tour operate in 2028.
The Championship Series will be implemented at the start of the 2028 season, featuring the PGA Tour’s top 130 players, with the Challenger Series (tier two) comprising of around 140-150 golfers.
The added layer of jeopardy that will be present on the PGA Tour in 2028 and beyond due to the danger of relegation and the hope of promotion will elevate the viewing experience for golf fans.
Brian Rolapp‘s decision to bring halfway cuts back to every single event was also a masterstroke.
The new and exciting PGA Tour schedule, which was announced back in June, has already been a huge hit with the vast majority of players and golf fans.
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However, Rolapp hasn’t got everything right. The format of the PGA Tour playoffs is something that needs a serious shake-up from top to bottom.
Brian Rolapp must implement one change to the PGA Tour playoffs
There is one big problem with the PGA Tour playoffs right now.
A player can be dominant all season long and lead the FedEx Cup standings right up until the Tour Championship.
However, the player in 30th position can then have a strong week, win at East Lake, and be named the FedEx Cup champion.
That does not seem fair whatsoever.
At least in the NBA playoffs the team with the best record during the regular season gets home court advantage throughout the playoffs.
And it’s the same with most other sports as well.
However, if you’ve been the best player on the PGA Tour throughout the regular season, there is no advantage by the time the showpiece event in Atlanta comes around.
That simply has to change in my opinion.
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The starting strokes format didn’t seem to work, and the majority of players were not on board with that system.
So, how about turning the FedEx Cup playoffs into a 12-round event?
There would, of course, still be three separate trophies up for grabs for each individual playoff event.
However, the winner of the FedEx Cup would be decided by whichever player has the best cumulative score over the three playoff events.
Obviously those who miss out on making it through to the next round of the playoffs after the first two events would be eliminated from contention.
The FedEx Cup winner would then be rewarded for consistent play throughout the three playoff events.
As an example, Scottie Scheffler was 44-under par for the three playoff events combined last year, while Tommy Fleetwood was second on 43-under par.
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Cam Young at 30-under par had the third best cumulative score to par, while Sam Burns was in fourth at 28-under.
Interestingly, under the current format, Fleetwood won the FedEx Cup, Scheffler and Young finished in a tie for fourth and Burns ended up in a tie for seventh.
Cumulative score format would add excitement to the PGA Tour playoffs
Under the new cumulative score format, you would have to play in all three playoff events in order to be eligible to win the FedEx Cup.
That would ensure the best players in the world do not skip the first of the three playoff events, as Rory McIlroy did last year at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Switching to a cumulative score format would also mean that the player who leads the standings heading into the playoffs has more chance of winning the FedEx Cup because he clearly would have been the best and most consistent player throughout the year.
Of course, there would still be individual champions crowned at each of the three playoff events. However, the FedEx Cup champion would be the player who performed the best over the 12 rounds throughout the playoffs.
In the interest of balance and transparency, the only real issue with changing the format of the playoffs to a cumulative strokes system would be that you could end up with a runaway leader by the time the Tour Championship comes around.
However, even if a player heads into East Lake with a 10-stroke lead, he would still be under huge pressure to perform.
Meanwhile, those closest to him would be forced into playing a really aggressive brand of golf in order to try and catch him.
The main point here is that every single player would be 100 percent focused and raring to go at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
They would be well aware that every single shot matters on every hole. There would be no throwing in the towel.
And in theory, the cumulative strokes format would prevent players like Rory McIlroy from coasting through the first two playoff events safely in the knowledge that it doesn’t really matter what they do up until East Lake.
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