Johnson Wagner has called for points to be reset ahead of the FedEx Cup playoffs, insisting that the events at the end of the season have got worse over the years.
The FedEx Cup playoffs have arguably proven to be one of the biggest missed opportunities of the last two decades for the PGA Tour. It was initially exciting when the tour’s best were able to play for eye-watering sums over a handful of events.
However, it is surely fair to say that the tour has never quite managed to stumble upon the correct format to deliver the most drama.
And that problem has certainly come to the fore in 2026.
Johnson Wagner calls for a big change to the FedEx Cup playoffsSungjae Im was the only player who began the week of the FedEx St. Jude Championship outside the top 50 in the standings who managed to earn a spot in the BMW Championship.
Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy dropped from 12th to 13th in the FedEx Cup despite finishing 66th on eight over par at TPC Southwind.
With the event having no cut either, you can understand why McIlroy has been prepared to skip it altogether.
Photo by Matthew Maxey/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesAnd speaking on CBS Sports, Johnson Wagner implored the PGA Tour to make a change to the points system to make the playoffs much more interesting.
“If you look back to the Wyndham, we only had one player move inside the top 70 and that was Michael Brennan because he won the tournament. I remember the Wyndham Championship when it was 125 in that first playoff event, there was a lot of guys moving in and out, and it was one of the greatest Friday cutline stories. Sunday, away from the winner, who’s going to move in? Who’s going to move out? And it’s just gotten worse and worse every year,” he said.
“Now that the PGA Tour is paying out regular season bonuses – didn’t Scottie Scheffler just get a $10 million bonus – then they should all start over. It’s the playoffs! Just because you’re the number one seed in the NFL, yes you get a bye, and there’s a way to go about that, but I don’t care if you’re Scottie Scheffler or Rory McIlroy, if you don’t perform in the playoffs, you’re out of there.”
A playoff revamp is desperately needed once the Championship Series startsIt will likely be easier to make the sort of change Wagner is calling for once the Championship Series is up and running.
Unfortunately, the Wyndham Championship does not get the strongest field right now, with the focus largely on those trying to break into the top 70.
But if the PGA Tour marketed the final event before the playoffs as the climax to the regular season, and the tournament where the largest prize is handed out – for the best player of the year – then there would be a lot more buy-in.
The playoffs could then be played for less money – though still a substantial amount, clearly – but it would not reflect badly on Scottie Scheffler’s season if he fell at the first playoff hurdle.
Hopefully, Brian Rolapp’s background in the NFL will make such a change much more likely. But clearly, some will not be holding their breath and expecting the PGA Tour to make what appears to be the smartest decision.
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