Is the Fed Ex Cup just plain bonkers?

DO YOU ever wonder about the relevance or timing of the FedEx Cup playoffs? The playoffs consist of four tournaments, starting with a field of 125 and gradually whittling the number down to 40, with some fortunate individual picking up $10m at the end of it all.

Last year, that man was Billy Horschel, who won two of the playoffs events and yet wasn't a member of the US Ryder Cup team - despite being the hottest player in his country at the time. But was Horschel the best player on the PGA Tour last season? No, he was not. Not even close. Yes, for a short period of time he hit the form of his life, and it was good enough for him to pocket the $10m bonus.

But has he kicked on this year? No. And he still wouldn't make the US Ryder Cup team - in 2014, there was a furore in the USA that the selection process had been completed before the playoffs were finished. And that meant Tom Watson, the captain, had no idea what Horschel was about to achieve. If there was a Ryder Cup match this year, Horschel wouldn't get close to the team. And quite rightly, because his form hasn't been good enough.

By the end of September, the FedEx Cup playoffs will all be over, somebody else will earn $10m and the PGA Tour begins its 2015-16 season. And unless Jordan Spieth picks up the bonus, once again the player who wins the money will not be the best player on tour. So, really, what's the point of it all?

There's more. The top 125 players are meant to play in the first tournament, The Barclays and yet the likes of Dustin Johnson and Rory Mcilroy decided they wouldn't play. And one of the reasons for that is because they can win the playoffs without playing in all four tournaments. I ask again: if that is the case, what's the point of it all?

In the meantime, the European Tour will still be playing out towards its climax, ending the Race to Dubai at the Dubai World Championship. And let's not pretend that the European Tour has got it right either. Two years ago, an injured Joost Luiten was forced to hit a tee shot at the BMW Masters in order to qualify for the Dubai World Championship, even though he immediately withdrew after hitting that shot - and everybody knew that was going to be the case.

Bonkers! Just plain bonkers!