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Rethinking Bracket Tournaments

• luckyclicker 2 Posts

  Thu, Jun 30 2016 8:42 AM

  I'm not sure if any similar proposals have been advanced, but I think WGT should rethink the way the bracket tournaments are structured. The main problem with the bracket structure is that you can have a score of 63 losing to a score of 60 and not advancing, while a 70 advances to the next round because it beat an 80. Usually the way brackets work in real life is that whoever you go up against is based on a predetermined seeding, and obviously that isn't the case with the bracket tournament. This means that in the first round you can technically have the two strongest golfers pitted against one another, which is bad for the way a bracket is supposed to develop. 

  My proposal is this: since it would be incredibly difficult and painstaking to pre-determine seeds based on golfers' strength, the top half should advance to the next round for every round. Meaning, 16 players compete in the bracket tournament, and at the end of the first round, the golfers with the top 8 scores advance to the second round, then the golfers with the top 4 scores advance, etc. 

  This means that it will be MORE skill-based instead of in part being determined by the luck of the draw. 

  Thoughts?

• K7JBQ 1,468 Posts

  Thu, Jun 30 2016 10:59 AM

  I say, leave it like it is. Brackets are match play tournaments by nature, not stroke play.

• alosso 21,072 Posts

  Thu, Jun 30 2016 11:04 AM

  It is like it is in many "ladder" types of competition, with the luck of the draw. You describe a different competition IMHO, like a regular tournament with numbered cut lines.

  And, why change anything? Changes mean game errors, the less changes, the more undisturbed playing.

• 1,866 Posts

  Thu, Jun 30 2016 2:47 PM

  luckyclicker:

  This means that it will be MORE skill-based instead of in part being determined by the luck of the draw. 

  Sure, I suggest the same is done with March madness... Just don't call it a bracket any more, cause it won't be. (face palm)

• Lutjanid 697 Posts

  Thu, Jun 30 2016 5:32 PM

                    I don't mind the structure, I'm prone to having the odd meltdown on the greens and sometimes still get lucky and advance. I think the RG's may provide a better fit for what your looking for. Best score wins every time.

                    What I would like is for WGT to introduce some bigger money brackets, say a 500cr and 1000cr entry fee. May lure the big dogs away from us small fry and give me a better chance.  :-)

• luckyclicker 2 Posts

  Thu, Jun 30 2016 11:04 PM

  If you actually read my post, you will realize that it isn't the same with March Madness at all! Like I said, in March Madness they determine seedings for the brackets based on the teams' ranking in the polls and also as a result of conference tournaments. 

  My point isn't so much a "bad luck one" as it is that the lack of a seed-ranking system naturally undermines the very way a bracket is meant to develop - with the stronger teams advancing (yes, I know there are upsets, and that's predictable and great and exciting) so that the PREDICTABLE outcome is that the two strongest teams battle in the end. 

  In short, when you have a bracket like WGT that is completely random in terms of first-round positioning, you could have the top two golfers matched against one another in the first round, which isn't the way a bracket is supposed to be set and develop. 

• 1,866 Posts

  Tue, Jul 5 2016 4:45 PM

  luckyclicker:

  In short, when you have a bracket like WGT that is completely random in terms of first-round positioning,

  You may think that, but this kind of thinking makes you a part of the fish. Which is ok, cause there's been a lack of those lately. In basically all credit brackets there are a lot of sharks, who mostly know who will enter where. That way they can avoid each other until the later rounds.

  I use a different approach though. Playing a ton of brackets and studying them, I know at what times the opposition will be easier (with less sharks) and I know the majority of the better players, who will enter it. Then it's down to knowing your strengths and their weaknesses and positioning yourself in the part of the bracket, that will put you up against them on the course, that gives you a better shot at the win.

  Sure, there's some skill and luck involved as well, lol. But strategy is the biggest reason I've managed to do reasonably well in the brackets so far.

  @ your proposal: What you're suggesting is a stroke play tourney with a cut line. It has zero similarity to what brackets are, so it's fairly pointless. Study the game, the courses and the opposition and you'll like the bracket version we have much better ;-)

• tuxedo2 5,293 Posts

  Wed, Jul 6 2016 12:05 AM

  Brilliant was going to mention something similar.... add three scores from 3 games then advance? WTF?

  mkrizan86:

  luckyclicker:

  This means that it will be MORE skill-based instead of in part being determined by the luck of the draw. 

  Sure, I suggest the same is done with March madness... Just don't call it a bracket any more, cause it won't be. (face palm)

   

• BirdieBandit0 1 Posts

  Mon, Oct 3 2016 12:34 PM

  I agree with the original poster. I believe the bracket system should be changed. Currently there are 2 flaws in the system. 1 a lot of players WD because of a poor round(this round could have been something like an 85), this gives a player who could have had an even worse round(possibly an 87) a chance just because they finished the round without rage quitting even though they had the worse score in reality. This is not how a bracket is suppose to work. The better players should be advancing, not players who got a lucky match up. Flaw number 2 is exactly what the poster was referring to which is actually the flip side of problem #1. You shouldn't have a player shoot a 65 in a round and get knocked out first round by a 64. You have taken out one of the best players and it is not due to an "upset" it is due to a bad match up since the 2 best players were matched against each other. This ruins the actual outcome of the bracket as the final game is suppose to be the 2 best players playing against each other. 

  Granted I understand seeding is far too difficult to figure this out and make it completely fair but consider this...

  16 teams compete, best 8 scores move to the 2nd round of the bracket at which time they are reseeded based on their 1st round score. Easily done by simply adding 8 positions in the game top score plays the bottom score and so on as a normal bracket would do. Placing the 1 seed on one side of the bracket and the 2 seed on the other side of the bracket and continuing on alternating. This then creates a more realistic BRACKET and allows for a more challenging final game as well as giving some of the lower players a chance to upset the higher players if they make the 8 player cut.

  I think this would improve the WGT brackets and make it more realistic and fair. I hope they consider this option. 

• K7JBQ 1,468 Posts

  Mon, Oct 3 2016 10:27 PM

  Once again, bad idea.

  Brackets are match play, period. Some days you eat the bear, some days the bear eats you.

  If you have a bad round and your opponent withdraws, smile and move on.

  Brackets are always a bit of a crap shoot; that's what makes them fun.