Simply put, not every golfer is a fan of the staggered-stroke format the PGA Tour introduced to the Tour Championship in 2019.
Jon Rahm has expressed his disdain for staggered strokes for several years now, this year saying he'd prefer the PGA Tour revert to the old system in which the top player in the FedEx Cup standings heading into the Tour Championship rarely fell from that position. He did also say, however, that the staggered-stroke format is easier to understand as the same player who wins the Tour Championship also wins the season-long FedEx Cup title.
In years past, that wasn't always the case.
Scottie Scheffler joined Rahm this year in saying he doesn't believe this current Tour Championship format is the best the PGA Tour can do to crown a season-long champ. And that was before he coughed up the top spot for the second year in a row.
Scheffler, of course, kicked off this year's FedEx Cup finale at 10-under as the top seed. But as he did a year ago, he failed to maintain his position atop the leaderboard. He was right there in the mix a year ago before ultimately losing by one. But Scheffler couldn't get anything going at East Lake this past week, shooting just 1-under to finish 16 shots back of winner Viktor Hovland, who caught fire and shot 19-under for the week to finish at 27-under.
This marks the eighth consecutive year that the No. 1 player in the FedEx Cup standings heading into the Tour Championship has failed to win the overall championship. The last to do so was Jordan Spieth in 2015.
It's true. At times, the current format seems a bit unfair. And Scheffler and Rahm certainly have a right to be upset with the 2022-23 season now fully in the books.
Rahm won four times this year, including The Masters, but had a lousy week at East Lake and ultimately finished tied for 18th. As mentioned, Scheffler, who won twice this season, shot just 1-under over 72 holes and tied for sixth.
So, again, maybe that's not fair. But that's the way it is.
Rory McIlroy uses an NBA analogy to defend the staggered-stroke format at the Tour Championship
On the flip side, Rory McIlroy says he has no problem with the Tour Championship format and actually likes how the season finale is put together.
Despite failing to add a fourth FedEx Cup title to his resume on Sunday, finishing in solo fourth despite battling back issues all week, McIlroy doubled down on those feelings following his final-round 65. And to get his point across, the world's second-ranked player brought another sport into the conversation.
When asked if Rahm's 18th-place finish was fair given his remarkable run during the first half of the PGA Tour season, the Northern Irishman replied with this: “A basketball team could go 82-0 and lose in the first round of the playoffs,” (h/t Golf.com).
And he's absolutely right. The playoffs must be looked at a bit differently. And during these 2023 PGA Tour Playoffs, Viktor Hovland, who won just once during the regular season, was the best player, taking both the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship. Shouldn't he be rewarded for playing the best golf at the right time?
Rory McIlroy certainly seems to think so.
Were the undefeated New England Patriots just handed the Vince Lombardi Trophy following the 2007 NFL season? No. They still had to get through the playoffs and lost the Super Bowl to the New York Giants.
Were the 73-9 Golden State Warriors just handed the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy following the 2015-16 NBA campaign? No. They still had to get through the playoffs and lost the NBA Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
McIlroy, who's won two of his three FedEx Cup titles under the staggered-stroke format, did say that certain changes could be made to the Tour Championship but didn't offer up any specific suggestions. For now, this is what the PGA Tour has, and everyone will just have to learn to live with it.
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