Breaking News: The FedEx Cup Is Actually Exciting

Up until this season, the FedEx Cup has been about as exciting as a bachelor party without the booze.

The point system was about as well structured as the American health care system, and while trying to defend the FedEx Cup concept over the past three years, PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem has looked about as comfortable as George W. Bush making a speech on effective economic policy.

To say that the FedEx Cup got off on the wrong foot would be a severe understatement. A more accurate account of what transpired in August of 2007 was that Tiger Woods chopped off its feet before the first playoff tee shot was even struck.

Less than a week removed from his PGA Championship win at Southern Hills, Woods decided that he was too tired to attend the inaugural FedEx Cup event at Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York.

Despite all the pleading and begging done by the PGA Tour, FedEx, and Westchester Country Club, Woods wouldn’t budge on his decision.

Woods' refusal to attend the inaugural FedEx Cup event made it abundantly clear where golf’s new playoff system stood on his list of priorities—behind the majors, and not even directly behind the majors.

Surprisingly, Woods was not too tired to make a trip to New York that very same week to promote his latest video game.

The fact that Woods still won the 2007 FedEx Cup despite missing the first playoff event was almost laughable.

Could the Giants have won the 2007 Super Bowl if they had decided to skip the first round of the playoffs?

Things didn’t get much better in 2008.

Those who were still even watching golf after Woods shut it down for the season to undergo reconstructive knee surgery would have seen Finchem forced to awkwardly hand Vijay Singh the 2008 FedEx Cup on national television while Camilo Villegas and Sergio Garcia were still on the course battling it out for the Tour Championship.

The look on Finchem’s face exuded an equal mix of embarrassment and rage.

By this point, fans and players alike wouldn’t have been the least bit disappointed if the entire FedEx Cup idea was quietly swept underneath a carpet never to be heard from or spoken about again.

When the third round of format tweaks in as many years was made public shortly after the conclusion of the 2008 FedEx Cup, all we could do was roll our eyes.

But then something strange happened.

Something as shocking as Y.E. Yang defeating Tiger Woods at the PGA Championship, and even more shocking than Greg Norman's selection of Adam Scott for the 2009 Presidents Cup team.

The FedEx Cup has...well...actually been exciting.

We have had three separate winners in the first three events.

We have had a Cinderella story in Heath Slocum, who is currently ranked fifth in FedEx Cup points and can secure the title and a $10 million payday with a victory at the Tour Championship.

Most importantly, the entire FedEx Cup isn't mathematically over as we head into the Tour Championship, which is a far cry from last year, when Singh needed only to complete 72 holes without being disqualified to secure the cup.

Have the PGA Tour and FedEx finally gotten it right after three tries?

Amazingly enough, they just might have.

Any one of the top five players in FedEx Cup points can secure the title with a win at the Tour Championship.

Players currently within the top five in FedEx Cup points represent a great mix of those who have played well all season and those who have really turned it on during the playoffs.

The new system offers the opportunity for a Cinderella story, which, of course, everyone loves.

Slocum began the 2009 FedEx Cup ranked 124th in the point standings. Following a win at The Barclays, Slocum moved up to third in the point standings. He currently sits in fifth place, which means that he can secure the title with a win at the Tour Championship.

All in all, the new format rewards solid play throughout the entire season but also forces players to perform well during the playoffs if they want to have a chance at controlling their own destiny at the Tour Championship.

Believe it or not, the FedEx Cup is finally approaching what could only be described as a true playoff format.

An argument can be made that the FedEx Cup is still referred to as a season-long point race, yet players such as Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker can win multiple times during the year while Heath Slocum can get hot for a matter of a few weeks and win the FedEx Cup title.

But that’s what the playoffs are really all about. Players can get themselves into a position to win through solid play during the regular season, but when it comes down to crunch time, it’s win or go home.

Another knock on the current system is that hypothetically a guy like Steve Stricker could win twice during the year, win the first three FedEx Cup events, and lose the title to a guy like Jim Furyk (who is so far winless in 2009) if Furyk were to win the Tour Championship next week.

But again, that’s sports.

The Patriots' undefeated record didn’t matter too much during the 2007 Super Bowl, now did it?  

The biggest issue still present under the current format is that it's quite possible for a player to win the FedEx Cup without winning the Tour Championship.

For example, Jerry Kelly, who is currently ranked 29th in points, could win the Tour Championship next week while Tiger Woods could finish third and still win the FedEx Cup title.

That, in essence, would be like handing the New England Patriots the Lombardi Trophy despite their loss to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

Some additional tweaks to the format and scheduling may still be required to perfect the FedEx Cup.

But at this very moment, there are many people, including myself, who stand corrected on their views of the new FedEx Cup format.