The 2017 Zurich Classic looks likely to be the first PGA team event in the last 25 years. Personally, I think that this is a great idea since it gives the tour 3-4 years to work on the format before the next Olympics in 2020.
Will they pull off a flawless event the first time out of the gate? Not likely, but that’s ok because they can tweak it the next year and the next — and keep in mind that perfection is the enemy of greatness.
As far as FedEx points are concerned, why not just give the same amount to each team member based on finishing position with the total points equal to 1.5 times what a prime, non-major event would be. This would give players an incentive to participate in the event without reducing participation in some other event later in the season.
Also to keep players interested, the event would need to keep prize money equivalent to a singles event. To accomplish this, they would need to reduce the number of players in the field by more than half — a good total would be a 20 team start with a hard 12 team cut after Friday with an additional 4 teams cut after Saturday. Sunday’s “final four” teams would start from scratch (scores reset) to battle for the title.
