Analyst says PGA Tour “created a new problem” with tweak to FedEx Cup bonus structure

The PGA Tour's recent overhaul of the FedEx Cup bonus structure has sparked many conversations in the golf industry. One golf analyst believes that the new payout structure has unintentionally opened up a can of worms.

Earlier this year, the PGA Tour announced that instead of awarding the entire bonus of $25 million to the sole winner of the FedEx Cup, the bonus pool will be distributed in three separate payouts throughout the postseason. This change came along with the elimination of starting strokes.

While the change rewards consistent performance, Rex Hoggard is skeptical of the long-term impact it may have. The golf analyst stated that a player could underperform in the first two playoff events and still have an equal shot at East Lake, potentially undermining the point of rewarding season-long consistent performances.

Here's what Rex Hoggard had to say about the new changes made by the Tour to the FedEx Cup Playoffs on the Golf Channel Podcast with Rex and Lav:

"When they changed essentially the Tour championship format away from starting strokes, which would have been largely panned and I don't think anybody quite understood it...But what you did when you fixed that particular problem, you created the new problem. That you had three playoff events and the idea was you want to reward season-long performance which was the Comcast Top 10 is...and then transition to whatever the playoffs are. Well now, you've sorta taken that away because it does not matter how well you play (in the first two events)." (47:35 onwards)

Hoggard stated that the PGA Tour's decision to change the payouts could see some big-time players struggle. He explained that players who dominate all year around, like Scottie Scheffler, could see their payout fall as all players would end up at the East Lake Golf Club for the Tour Championship with the same shot.

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Scottie Scheffler speaks out on the PGA Tour's new FedEx Cup rules

The PGA Tour made changes to the FedEx Cup payouts and the Tour Championship after feedback from the Fan Forward Initiative and the Player Advisory Council (PAC).

Scottie Scheffler, who is a member of the PAC and is the reigning Tour Championship winner, stated that the new change is good not only for the PGA Tour and its players but also for spectators and fans.

Scheffler said (via PGA Tour):

"We want the TOUR Championship to be the hardest tournament to qualify for and the FedExCup trophy the most difficult to win. Shifting the TOUR Championship to a more straight-up format with a tougher course setup makes it easier for fans to follow and provides a more challenging test for players – which brings out the best competition.”

The Tour Championship will be played from August 18 to 24 at the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia.