Your Match Play Fix: 38% In Favor Of Stroke Play Qualifier

Doug Ferguson reviews the mystery that is the WGC Match Play's future and includes this from Commissioner Tim Finchem:

Finchem also said this would be a good time to "dust it off and see if there's a better way to do it" when asked about the format. A sponsor and TV might prefer a model where players are guaranteed at least a couple of days, and one plan getting the most attention is 36 holes of stroke play to qualify for match play.

As of tonight, 548 of you have voted on the future of the match play and the winner is: 36 holes of stroke play qualifying, cutting the field to 32, with 38% of the votes. Maintaining the current format took 30% of the votes cast, while there was a three way tie at 11% each for double elimination, round-robin 9-hole matches and keeping the current format, only with stymies.

While I get the need to appease a sponsor with a 36-hole qualifier, it just seems like such an uninspired fix coming off a winter games when the contests that stood out where 21st century versions of classic sports.

In this week's Golf World Bunker, I suggest that the IOC serve as inspiration for looking to inject a fresh approach while respecting vital traditions, and most all,the PGA Tour must ignore today's players in this discussion as much as possible because we now know the players will vote for more stroke play every time. And that's just boring.