2007 Rules

Welcome to the FPGP X!!!

Below are the rules for the 2007 version of the FPGP. Veterans, please note there are some changes, as we “discussed” earlier this summer. As always, the rules are posted in a Q&A format.

Do you have an incredibly cool blog that allows FPGPers to view updates, rankings, etc. as well as chide each other on a regular basis?

Yes. All pool information is posted to our blog at http://fpgp.blogspot.com/. This is done to ensure that email InBoxes are not filled with rants and raves about our picks. If you are interested in the chatter, you can go find it; if not, you can ignore it. I suggest everyone gets a blogger ID so they can post comments and blog posts, as this was a great source of fun in 2006.

How much is the entrance fee?

The same amount as always, $100 US dollars (no inflation in the FPGP!). It's a small price to pay for a year of fun and aggravation. Further, veterans of the FPGP will receive a $10 discount for each new player they get to enter the pool. The goal is to have as many entries as possible. First year players are not eligible for the discount, but if they come back in 2008, they can cash in on new player discounts at that time.

What’s the timeframe?

The FPGP officially starts with the Mercedes Championship beginning on January 4th, 2007 and ends on November 4th, 2007, or the day of the final round of the Walt Disney World Resort Classic. Even though the Fed Ex Cup is completed earlier in the Fall, there are several official PGA Tour events from September thru the Disney, and all of those will be counted in the standings.

What’s the format?

• Each FPGP participant selects 9 PGA Tour players from the men's 2006 Money List (you can click the link provided or see the money list at the bottom of this document). To be as clear as possible: you may not choose a player who is not on this list. So, no picking Michelle Wie. No picking guys who made it through Q-school, but who did not have official earnings on the PGA Tour in 2006.

• Once again, TIGER WOODS is off the board. If there is a player that EVERYONE picks, I will drop him from the picks and allow everyone a re-pick so we can get some variability like we did in 2006 with Ernie Els.

How are points earned in the FPGP X?

There are two types of picks which we call “regular” and “short.”

REGULAR PICKS

For “regular” picks, you earn points based on:

1) Positive (i.e. improvement) changes in the PGA Money List rankings from 2006 to 2007.

2) Actual money earned on the PGA Tour in 2007

Assume you select our FPGP blog buddy Jason Gore, who finished the 2006 season ranked 118th on the money list. Now assume that Jason Gore finishes the 2007 season ranked 50th on the money list. Such movement would earn you 68 points. However, if Jason Gore fell to 150th on the money list you would LOSE 32 points for that pick.

With regard to the “earnings points” you gain 1 point for every $100,000 that your "regular" players earn on PGA tour in 2006. Again, if you selected Jason Gore and he earned $1,243,332 next year, you would gain 12 points under his earnings. Please note that points are rounded up. For example, a player earning $551,000 will earn you 6 points, while a player earning $549,000 will get you 5 points.

So, let’s put it all together… assume you pick Jason Gore at 118th , and he finishes the 2007 with $954,323 and at 62nd on the money list. You’d gain 10 “earning” points and 56 “ranking” points, for a total of 66 points.

As a reminder, you can pick anyone from the list at the bottom of these rules… Q-school graduates are fine, AS LONG AS THEY ARE ON THIS LIST. That is, you can pick a guy who did not keep their card but re-earned it at Q-school, but you cannot pick players that did not make the list last year. The obvious reason for this is that such players have no “starting” position in the rankings.

SHORT PICKS

The so-called “short” pick name derives itself from the stock market. The idea here is that you are able to pick player(s) who you think had a better than average year in 2006, and you anticipate they will fall in the rankings (i.e., get worse) in 2007.

For “short” picks, points are based on:

1) Negative changes in the PGA Money List rankings from 2006 to 2007.

2) Actual money earned on the PGA Tour in 2007, only in this case you LOSE points as that player earns money.

Again, to illustrate, assume that as a short pick you take Chris DiMarco, ranked at 53rd on last year’s money list. Further assume that he falls to 100th on the 2007 money list. That fall would GAIN you 47 points. Conversely, if he finished the 2007 season ranked 20th on the money list, you would LOSE 33 points. Needless to say, you root for your short pick(s) to have bad years.

Also, for every $100,000 your “short” pick(s) earn, you LOSE one point. So, let’s say you picked DiMarco as a “short” and he earned $1,000,000 and finished 61st on the money list. You would lose 10 “earning” points for the million in earnings, and gain 8 “ranking” points, for a net of -2 points for that selection.

To see more examples of how points work, click here to see an update spreadsheet from the 2006 season.

What is the David Gossett Rule?

If a player fails to make a single cut, their earnings are set to $0, and their “ranking” is set to the last player on tour plus one. For example, one of last year’s picks, Paul Casey, did not earn any official money on tour. Because there were 263 players (David Berganio was #263) who earned some money on tour, Paul Casey’s “ranking” was set to 264. Note that the only dollars that count in this pool are official PGA Tour dollars. Paul Casey made plenty of money, and he did so in some events sponsored by the PGA Tour, but because his primary membership was on the European Tour, he did not have any official money in this country.


CONSTRAINTS ON REGULAR AND SHORT PICKS

1. You may take as many as two short picks, but you have to have at least one. So, your line up is either 8 regular and 1 short pick, or 7 regular and 2 short picks.

2. The short pick(s) must meet the following conditions:

1. They had to finish in the top 125 on the 2006 PGA Tour Money List. That is, they must have FULL STATUS ON THE PGA TOUR. NO NATIONWIDE PLAYERS CAN BE USED AS A SHORT PICK.


2. They may not be over the age of 50, or turning 50 this year. That is, you can’t pull a 2006 Loren Roberts, and have your short pick playing on the Senior Tour all season, thus earning virtually no PGA Tour Money despite having full status on the PGA Tour. Simply put, you can’t short Fred Funk, although if you want him as a regular pick, knock yourself out.

3. Only 4 of your picks can be players in the Top 30 on the money list.

TRADES

One trade is allowed and it'll cost you a grand total of $20!! If you make a trade, the points that your new player earns will be counted from that point forward, and the points from your original player will be eliminated whether they are positive or negative. Trade details:

• The trade must be for one of your “regular” picks!!! That is, you cannot trade your short pick(s).
  
• Trade Window. Also known as the Greg Owen Rule, trades will only be allowed between March 5th and May 28th. Trades are registered when I receive notification of the trade via email, and are officially consummated when I receive funds for the trade. If funds are not received within a week of notification, the trade will be null and voided, and the FPGPer will not be allowed another trade. There will be NO discussion on this.

• The person you trade for must be ranked lower than the guy you traded. For example, if you want to trade Ben Crane and, he was ranked 58th at the end of the 2006 season, the trade must be for someone was ranked 59th or lower (worse) at the end of the 2006 season.

How do I ante up?
Checks must be post-marked by Wednesday, January 3, 2007 or you can't play. Send checks to:

Steve Tuholski (stevetuholski@hotmail.com; just email me for my address and I will send it back. I have no desire to have it hanging out there on the internet).

The preferred method of payment is paypal, which can be sent to my hotmail address above. It is quick, easy, and saves me a trip to the bank.

What’s the payoff?

If 15 or more FPGPers are entered, we will award a “duffer prize” of $100 to the last place finisher. The intent here is to keep everyone interested in the pool throughout the year, even if your picks suck.

For the people who make good picks, the awards are as follows:

1st Place = 70% of prize pool (all entry fees and trade dollars, minus the $100 duffer award if applicable)
2nd Place = 20%
3rd Place = 10%

How do I enter?

Send me your picks via e-mail (stevetuholski@hotmail.com). Please send them in the following format to make my life a little easier:

PLAYER NAME 2006 MONEY RANKING REGULAR OR SHORT


Good luck everyone… let the games begin!