Maginnes: Improved points system will better reward good play

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GREENSBORO, N.C. -- In a conversation after the Wyndham Championship, Jason Gore described the life of a professional golfer as a "hard way to make an easy living." That's a saying I had failed to stumble across in my travels but I like it very much. For guys like Jason, who ended the PGA TOUR Regular Season ranked 130th in FedExCup points, this description may take on added meaning over the next several weeks.

Players such as Jason Gore will have plenty to smile about if they perform well in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. (Morse/Getty Images)

For those who finished outside the top 144 in points the pain of that statement will become very real as they watch the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup from home. Some will go play the Nationwide Tour during that four-week stretch which means that some Nationwide Tour players will be sitting home while the boys from the PGA TOUR take spots in their fields. No one complains, though, because they all know the other adage -- "If you don't like the position you are in, then play better."

A year ago the Playoffs were more concept than reality. No one was exactly sure how things were going to work or what to expect. A year later there, though, is a buzz among the players. Four weeks of playing for $7 million will create some chatter. Don't forget the huge bonus purse -- including $10 million to the winner of the FedExCup. And finally, the champion is not defending this year which leaves us with a race for the Cup unlike any other.

Five players made huge moves at the Wyndham Championship and played their way into the field at The Barclays. All will tell you that their years have been mediocre to bad for them to have been outside the top 144 entering the final event of the Regular Season. But things can change very quickly this time of year. As a matter of fact they can change even faster this year than they did last year.

At The Barclays a year ago Rich Beem tied for seventh and advanced far enough up the list to get into the Deutsche Bank Championship the next week. If you are unfamiliar with the process The Barclays has a field of 144 that is cut to 120 for the following week. The BMW Championship drops down to 70 with THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola awarding the FedExCup to one of the lucky 30 who make it all the way through the Playoffs.

The excitement of the move at The Barclays a year ago for Beem was tempered a bit when it became apparent that he would need to finish in the top three at the Deutsche Bank Championship to advance to the BMW Championship. Eyebrows were raised and grumblings were heard. After the inaugural Playoffs a new system was put into place for this year that will allow for greater movement during the playoffs. Good play is going to be rewarded at a greater rate allowing for further advancement.

If the Playoffs were exciting a year ago -- and they were -- they should be even more exciting this year. And it looks like Beemer may be up to his old tricks again. A pair of 63s on the weekend in Greensboro moved Rich from No. 166 to 114 going into the Playoffs. If he can continue his good play over the next few weeks he could be making quite a few last minute adjustments to his schedule.

That is the nature of this process. There are only about two dozen players who actually know where they are going to be over the next several weeks. PGA TOUR travel, the agency that helps the players with flight and hotel arrangements, has to hate the Playoffs. As a player you don't want to buy multiple tickets and then eat the ones that you don't use. And unless you are having a great year you can't know where you are going to be.

All of these are happy problems if you keep advancing. Obviously if Beemer or Gore advance to the BMW Championship they won't need to pass the hat to take up a collection for a plane ticket to St. Louis. We got a good look at the volatility of this process at the Wyndham Championship when the five players finished high enough to advance to The Barclays. But that is just a microcosm of what is about to occur. Huge moves will undoubtedly be made by names we haven't heard much from this year.

The players aren't preparing any differently this year than they did last year. They just know that if they don't play well there is a really good chance of an unplanned vacation. A hard way to make an easy living, indeed.