Haas Sudden FedEx Cup Win Highlights Confusing System

Twenty-nine-year-old golfer Bill Haas claimed both the TOUR Championship and the FedEx Cup title with his win on Sunday; this despite his somewhat low position, 25th, in the FedEx Cup standings heading into the final weekend. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The 2011 PGA Tour season ended in dramatic fashion on Sunday afternoon as Bill Haas and Hunter Mahan found themselves knee deep in the most financially lucrative PGA Tour playoff in the history of golf.

They would be going to the 18th hole to have a sudden death playoff for roughly $11.4 million.

The winner would not only claim a victory in the single event, but also be crowned the FedEx Cup Champion and win $10 million on top of the $1.4 million winner’s take. Golf’s FedEx Cup is a newly-implemented season-long points race where the winner is rewarded (big time) at the end of the season and players get eliminated in the playoffs.

Both players fought through a wild Sunday at East Lake Golf Club where it seemed as though half of the players had an impact on the outcome of the FedEx Cup race. It was so confusing that, for once, we needed the golfers to slow down and give us time to think.

Luckily, the playoff between Haas and Mahan was so intense and dramatic that it overshadowed the confusion. After we learned that the winner of the playoff would win the FedEx Cup as well, it became easier to focus on the actual golf rather than trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube full of scenarios.

They tied the first playoff hole with par. Haas was all over the place and found himself in a tough spot on the second playoff hole. He hit his approach into the 17th green and it flew a bit too far, trickling into the lake behind the green.

Mahan hit his ball onto the green and had a decent look at a birdie and a win. Everyone thought it was over. Haas took a look at his ball that was floating near the banks of the water hazard but wasn’t fully submerged. He took off his right shoe, right sock, rolled up his right pant leg, dug his foot in the lake, and hit one of the most clutch recovery shots we’ve ever seen.

In the midst of the mud and water that flew out of the lake, the ball came floating out. Remarkably, Haas was able to control the spin of the ball from the lake and it checked up nicely only a few feet from the cup.

Mahan wasn’t able to convert his birdie putt, which was the story of his day, and didn’t make one for par on the next hole. Haas got up and down, as he did all day, won the tournament, and walked away with all the money.

Even though the golf that was played was fantastic theater, the PGA Tour needs to take another look at how they are running the now five-year old FedEx Cup.

Haas was ranked 45th in the world coming into the final event and he was in 25th place in the FedEx Cup race coming into the weekend. For him to make up that much ground, in the last week of what is supposed to be a season-long accumulation of points, is silly. They might as well just give the winner of the Tour Championship a check from FedEx for $10 million. This gives little incentive for golf fans to follow the progress of the points race throughout the season.

The FedEx Cup points race/FedEx Playoff was implemented to offer some sort of competition with the beginning of football season and attract viewers after the majors concluded.

It hasn’t caught on like they had hoped.