PGA Tour Should Offer Special Exemptions for The Barclays

The Barclays tournament represents the first round of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs.  In order to qualify for the event, a golfer must finish in the top 125 of the FedEx Cup standings.  Non-PGA Tour members, such as Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood, are ineligible for qualification.

In order to avoid compromising the validity of the playoff system, exempted players would have a special status.  They would be added to the field of 125.  No player who would have otherwise qualified will be excluded.  

They would not be counted towards determining the cut, which is the top 70.  They would also not be included when distributing FedEx Cup points.  This way, the point distribution will remain unaffected by the presence of exempted players.

The reason special exemptions should be awarded is because The Barclays has excellent timing and location for a PGA Tour event.  The New York City metro area is obviously an excellent market for sports.  The Barclays has sold out this year despite a lack of star power.  

Both Golf Digest and GOLF Magazine rank Plainfield Country Club as one of the top 100 courses in the country.  Next year's venue, Bethpage Black, is even more acclaimed.  

Last year's venue, Ridgewood, was for years considered by the USGA for the US Open. Opposition by club members kept it from ever materializing.  Liberty National doesn't have the same course quality, but its views of the Manhattan Skyline and the Statue of Liberty are unlike anything else seen in golf.

The Barclays is the last chance for the PGA Tour to remain in the mainstream spotlight.  College football starts the following week and the NFL follows in the next week.  Golf is not capable of generating the same interest once the two biggest sports in the country begin.

In order to fully take advantage of this, exemptions should be given to certain players.  Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are the obvious top candidates.  Woods failed to qualify for the event due to injury and poor play.  However, his presence would undoubtedly generate more interest in the tournament.  

McIlroy is another name that can generate more interest, and he won the US Open.  Perhaps Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke should also get exemptions to play.

An issue could arise if an exempted player won.  Would it be fair to award a player first-place points for a second-place finish?  Probably not, but it would be more fair then awarding no first place points in one of the playoff tournaments.  The $10 million prize for the FedEx Cup winner should create pressure for getting the top spot among qualified players.

The casual fan also could care less about any effect an exempted player would have on the actual FedEx Cup.  For the enthusiasts, there are already a number of issues that can be raised regarding how the FedEx Cup is awarded.  I watch every golf tournament and to be honest, I really do not care who wins the FedEx Cup.  The strong fields the playoffs create are the draw for me, not the chase for the cup.

The PGA Tour needs to take advantage of the opportunity provided by the Barclays.  A tournament outside of New York City in the week prior to football season needs to have players that are big draws.  It is the last week to attract the casual fan.  

A playoff system in golf is never going to be perfect, so who cares if they let in a few extra players for the first week?  It is better for the sport to take advantage of The Barclays.