The PGA Tour scored a big win yesterday with the conclusion of the fifth FedEx Cup. It will probably never be able to match the significance or meaning of winning a major championship. But the format is good, the money is there, and those two factors will undoubtedly go a long way to ensure the FedEx Cup retains relevance going forward. What more can the Tour ask for than a jam-packed leaderboard and a three-hole playoff on a Sunday afternoon?
When the last group finished, Hunter Mahan and Bill Haas stood alone at eight-under-par. While Haas had posted first, he had to have been kicking himself just a little bit. Had he not bogeyed 16 and 18 going in, he would have already won by two strokes. On the other hand, Mahan followed a birdie at 15 with two pars before making a clutch birdie putt on 18 to force the playoff. Playing the 18th hole again, Haas hit first and went well right of the hole. It appeared the momentum was heavily in Mahan’s favor.
But he wasn’t able to take advantage. Both men made pars and moved back to the 17th hole, a long par-4 that hugs around East Lake. Trying to avoid the water left, Haas again hit his tee shot well right, this time into a fairway bunker. Mahan striped his ball in the fairway forcing Haas to make a run at the green from the bunker. Unable to get much spin out of the sand, Haas’ ball hit the front left of the green but took a big hop and eventually settled in the water hazard. After Mahan put his ball on the green, it looked all but over.
More of Haas’ ball was out of the water than in it. I’ve seen this situation before, and while I don’t think pros practice it very often, it is certainly a scenario they know might arise. He could elect to play his ball out of the hazard, so long as he didn’t ground his club or otherwise disturb the lie. With Mahan on the green in two already, Haas had to get up and down for par to even have a chance of continuing the playoff. That’s when he hit this shot:
I was stunned. I’ve never seen anyone pull of this shot with that much success and certainly never in a playoff. Johnny Miller was giving him a 1-in-5 chance of landing within 15 feet. I thought it was over. All of a sudden, the momentum swung decisively back in Haas’ favor, even though Mahan still had a birdie putt to win it. But the element of the unexpected was enough to throw Hunter off. He two putted for par and Haas tapped in and the playoff carried over to 18 again.
And yet still, Hunter Mahan had a great chance to win. Haas was inaccurate again, missing long to the back fringe, but in a relatively safe spot to make par. Mahan went for the pin and missed right, landing in the bunker. He made a poor sand shot and couldn’t get up and down. Haas made a nice chip, drained the par, and avoided losing in a playoff for the third time this season. It’s the third career victory for the 29 year old and the future only looks brighter. Oh, and $1.44 million for the winner’s share plus $10 million for winning the FedEx ain’t so bad either.
For all the excitement and drama, there is still something lost on both players and fans with the FedEx Cup format. As I said before, it’s good but it’s not flawless, and at times can be very confusing. As the Tour statisticians crunched the numbers over the weekend, it became clear that whoever won would largely be determined by how well Webb Simpson played. His run of brilliance ended this week and a closing round of 73 opened the door for everyone else. But one of the first things Bill Haas asked as he walked off the 18th green was “did I win the FedEx Cup?”
So it’s kind of weird and pretty confusing, but the basic premise is still good. You have to play well all year to compete in the playoff tournaments. You then have to win at least one of those tournaments to take the final prize. The past two FedEx champions have won by taking the Tour Championship. So as long as guys are splashing shots out of water hazards with $10 million on the line, the FedEx Cup can continue to be an entertaining and worthwhile endeavor.
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