Tour Championship Format Needs Less Strokes And Some Mulligans

While we’re trying to grasp the incredible fact that the PGA Tour is giving birdie-machine Dustin Johnson 10 shots today as the Tour Championship gets going at East Lake, we’ve been lying awake at night trying to come up with the DogLegNews formula that might make this season finale a bit more sensible.

How about less strokes for talented players and, drum roll please, — Mulligans!!

Yes, you read that right, the hacker’s delight — Mulligans, with a capital “M.”

Ten shots for D.J.?  Eight shots for Rahmbo (aka Jon Rahm) and seven shot for J.T. (aka Justin Thomas)?  Houston, we’ve got a problem!

Well, seven shots might not be enough for J.T., he got 10 last year and didn’t win.

But with D.J. going first-second the last two weeks, well, 10 shots sounds like spotting Usain Bolt thirty meters in a 100-meter race or giving Michael Phelps a 25-meter start in the 100-meter freestyle.

Something ain’t right.

Back to the DogLeg formula.

Here’s how it would shake out:

D.J. would get five shots and five mulligans, Rahm four shots and four mulligans, J.T. three shots and four mulligans, Webb Simpson, three shots and three mulligans, Collin Morikawa, two shots and three mulligans.

There’s a catch to the mulligans.  D.J. is allotted two in the first round then just one per round over the final 54 holes.  Rahm gets one per round, J.T. one per round, Simpson gets one for the first three rounds only, same for Morikawa.  Now sit back and imagine the strategy involved as to exactly when to use those mulligans.  Talk about creating some suspense.

But what about the rest?

The players six through 10 get two shots and two mulligans.  Use the mulligans anytime but they don’t carry over.  You can’t keep them on ice until the final 18 then have two.  Only one mulligan in the final round if you haven’t used them.

Players 11 through 15 get one stroke and two mulligans.  Same rule on the mulligans.

Players 16 through 20 get one stroke and one mulligan.  Save the mulligan for any round.

Players 21-25 get no strokes and one mulligan, use it anytime.

Players 26 through 30:  Well, as Judge Elihu Smails said to grandson Spaulding:  “You’ll get nothing and you’ll like it!”

Alas, The Sheriff Of Nottingham and his Sinister Band Of Henchmen (aka Tour Commish Jay Monhan and his underlings), would never go for such fun and games.

So here we are, stuck with giving the best players in the world strokes.

So let’s handicap the event:

Championship Flight:

Dustin Johnson should run away with this, unless he doesn’t.  Rahm can catch him but will have to play well.  Justin Thomas hasn’t shown much lately and fell flat on his face here last year.  Webb Simpson is well rested, that’s for sure but can’t see him winning.  Collin Morikawa?  Is he good enough to make up all those shots on D.J.?  Probably not.

You gotta like Dustin Johnson to win it all.

First Flight:

Daniel Berger — sorry, not happening.  Harris English — no.  Bryson DeChambeau — only wins the long drive contest.  Sungjae Im — nope.  Hideki Matsuyama — Chansu wa nai (look it up).

Sorry, no one’s coming out of the First Flight to win the club championship.

As for the rest of the field, well, the top five simply have too much of an advantage.  One of those guys will play really well.

That’s our prediction.

Our other prediction?

The Sheriff Of Nottingham will say no to our “Mulligans” proposal.

Fancy that!

Friday Tee Times For East Lake: