Welcome back to SI Golf’s Fact or Fiction, where we're sad that Gold Zone is gone but excited for the return of RedZone.
Once again, we’re here to debate a series of statements for writers and editors to declare as “Fact” or “Fiction” along with a brief explanation. Responses may also (occasionally) be “Neutral” since there's a lot of gray area in golf.
Do you agree or disagree? Let us know on the SI Golf X account.
The PGA Tour’s regular-season finale saw no one move in or fall out of the FedEx Cup playoffs for the first time since 2013. There are only 70 spots now in the playoffs in a format that began only last year, but more volatility needs to be built into the end of the season.
Bob Harig: FICTION. There was plenty of drama despite nobody moving in at the last minute. A lot of that was down to the fact that those closest all missed the cut. That is going to happen. These guys have all year to earn their place. To skew it at the end would not be the right path.
Jeff Ritter: FICTION. To add extra weight to the Wyndham just to sprinkle in some volatility would feel gimmicky. The bubble players had their shot this year and just didn’t make a move—so it goes.
John Pluym: FACT. What makes any playoff race great is always the opportunity for some team or individual to break through on the final week. It’s why Week 18 of the NFL’s regular season is so fun with multiple tiebreakers for teams to make the 14-team playoff field. So I disagree with Bob and Jeff. Bring on some volatility.
John Schwarb: NEUTRAL. I don’t have a solution but it’s a buzzkill to have to hear about the FedEx Cup cutoff constantly in the last week of the season and then have nothing happen. Though that’s sports sometimes.
Davis Riley won a full-points PGA Tour event this year (Charles Schwab Challenge), but did not make the playoffs. Anyone who wins during the season should automatically receive a spot in the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Bob Harig: FICTION. There are numerous perks that come from winning a Tour event, including a Masters invite and a two-year exemption. But if you can’t finish among the top 70 even with a win, what does that say about the rest of the year? You should need to do more than just get a victory, which is a huge boost toward that goal anyway.
John Pluym: FICTION. It’s not about playing great one week. It’s about being consistently good throughout the season. One win does not make a season.
Jeff Ritter: FACT. The signature events have made the Tour more of a closed shop, and a player who wins a non-sig event could absolutely benefit from that extra top-70 spot. There are already perks for winning, yes, but the signature events are such limited opportunities—I think those players that win a non-signature still deserve a chance to play the big-money stops the following year.
John Schwarb: FACT. This is an unintended consequence of the reduced playoff field plus inflated FedEx Cup points for signature events that the Tour should have seen coming. A win-and-you’re-in rule needs to be on the books for 2025.
Lydia Ko needed one more point for induction into the LPGA Hall of Fame and got it with her Olympic win Saturday, as Olympic gold awards one point, the same as LPGA regular-event wins. Major titles count as two points—and so should Olympic gold.
Bob Harig: FACT. The Olympics are so rare and the feat so impressive that it makes sense to give a bigger reward for getting Gold. The LPGA Hall of Fame is so restrictive anyway and this isn’t going to change that.
John Pluym: FACT. Playing for your country and winning Gold is the ultimate for many athletes. Which makes the Olympics as important as a major golf tournament.
Jeff Ritter: FACT. It’s not easy to even qualify for an Olympic field, let alone manage the pressure during the competition to win gold. And it’s quickly become clear that the players feel the heat at the Olympics in a way that’s comparable to the majors.
John Schwarb: FACT. The LPGA Hall is strictly points-based and darned tough to get into—which I find admirable and refreshing—but after three Olympics it’s time to make that tweak. Just getting into the 60-player Olympic field is an accomplishment, and the pressure to win is parallel to a major if not stronger. Ask Ko how this gold feels compared to her two major titles.
Matt Kuchar opted not to finish the 72nd hole Sunday night at the Wyndham, coming back Monday morning—by himself. This was more obnoxious than in 2018 when he severely underpaid a local caddie at Mayakoba after winning the tournament.
Bob Harig: FICTION. Poor Matt has never quite lived down the caddie issue, which was amplified because of his resistance to making it right even in the aftermath of considerable scorn. The Wyndham was a spur-of-the-moment decision and, technically, he was correct in doing what he did. He had that right. And let’s face it, Max Greyserman very well might have 4-putted that 16th green because it was too dark. That was Kuchar’s line in the sand. It just looked bad when everyone else finished.
John Pluym: FICTION. I loved what Kuchar did. He was in the right by walking off and coming back in the morning. It doesn’t matter that he looked bad doing it. He has nothing to apologize for. And I’ve heard enough of the caddie debacle. It’s been six years. Yes, he screwed up, but move on.
Jeff Ritter: FICTION. The Mexican caddie-tip debacle is still king because Kuchar never corrected it when he had the chance. The Wyndham Walkoff wouldn’t have even seemed THAT ridiculous if another player had done it, but Kuchar took a beating because of those previous screw-ups.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Fact or Fiction: FedEx Cup Playoff Qualifying and Ranking Matt Kuchar's Viral Moments.
