Knuth Tournament Point System
Background:
One of the MGA Board’s primary goals each and every year is to increase the enjoyment and competitive nature of our MGA tournaments. After careful consideration and monitoring tournament results over the past year, the MGA Board is proud to announce the adoption of a Modified Knuth Tournament Scoring System (“Knuth System”) for MGA tournaments.
The reason the Knuth System is being adopted is simple: It is clear that some members play better in competition than they do in everyday casual play, and many other members achieve the opposite. This results in some members regularly finishing near the top of the field on a NET basis despite never seeming to play well enough to have their handicap reduced pursuant to USGA Section 10-3.
In reviewing past tournament results, the indication is that USGA Section 10-3 is not doing enough to ensure that competitors have an equal footing. If we assume that all golfers are abiding by the score posting guidelines by the USGA Handicap System, then each competitor should have the same chance as the next to win tournaments. Where USGA Section 10-3 has fallen short, the Knuth System will offer a needed correction in our tournaments.
The Knuth System will assign points to members finishing in the top of the entire tournament (not flight), on a NET only basis. A player’s handicap reduction will be based on (1) the number of events the player plays in and (2) the number of points he has accumulated over two years.
*Note that the USGA Handicap Index is not reduced, only the handicap that is assigned to the player for that event.
Point Assignment Table (Individual events):
|
Finish |
Up to 20 players |
21-49 players |
50-99 players |
100+ players |
|
First Place |
3pts |
4 |
5 |
6 |
|
Second Place |
2 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
|
Third Place |
1 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
|
Fourth Place |
0 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
|
Fifth Place |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
Point Assignment Table (Team events):
Example: Player A finishes 1st in a 80 person tournament and subsequently finishes 2nd in the following tournament with only 30 players in the field. He will be awarded 5 points for the first event, and 4 for the second event totaling 9 points. Based on the table below, Player A will receive a handicap reduction of 3 points as he has played in less than 8 events over a two-year period and has 9 Knuth Points.
|
Hdcp Reduction |
8 events or less |
9 to 15 events |
16 to 22 events |
23 to 29 events |
|
2 |
7 |
10 |
13 |
15 |
|
3 |
9 |
12 |
15 |
17 |
|
4 |
11 |
14 |
17 |
19 |
|
5 |
13 |
16 |
19 |
21 |
|
6 |
15 |
18 |
21 |
23 |
|
7 |
17 |
20 |
23 |
25 |
|
8 |
18 |
21 |
24 |
26 |
It should also be noted that in team competitions, all members of the team will receive the same number of points. This will prevent “sand baggers” from hiding their individual scores inside team scores. An “innocent” partner isn’t so innocent if he repeatedly teams with an individual who gives him a high finish.
Current Knuth Points: (Apr. 16 2024)
* If you don't see your name above that means you have not yet accumulated any Knuth tournament points.