The Mercedes Championship launches the start of the PGA Tour’s FedEx series. A primer on what you need to know:
What is it? Modeled after NASCAR’s Chase for the Nextel Cup, this is the PGA Tour’s attempt to pump some life into the end of the season. Players will accumulate points and then qualify for a four-tournament playoff that begins in August.
How does it work? Each week 25,000 points will be at stake, with 4,500 going to the winner. The top 144 players after 33 weeks advance to the playoffs.
What about the playoffs? The players who qualify will be seeded according to point position. No. 1 would have 100,000 points, No. 2 would have 99,000 and so on.
Will it be confusing? Yes. Think about the point system for the Bowl Championship Series.
What are the four events? The finale begins with The Barclays from Aug. 23-26 in New York. The field will be cut to 120 players for the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston, and then to 70 players for the BMW Championship at Cog Hill, beginning on Sept. 6. Then 30 players will compete in the Tour Championship in Atlanta, beginning Sept. 13.
The rewards: There will be a $35 million bonus pool, with the winner collecting $10 million.
