The PGA Tour will remove the starting-strokes format from its lucrative Tour Championship due to fan feedback.
This year’s event at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta from August 21-24 – the final tournament in the FedExCup Playoffs – will see all 30 players start at even par.
Since 2019, the FedExCup points leader heading into the Tour Championship has begun at 10 under par, with the player in second at eight under, third at seven under, fourth at six under, and fifth at five under.
The rest of the field then started between four under and even par.
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The Sky Sports Golf team review Scheffler and Collin Morikawa’s final rounds at last year’s Tour Championship
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement: “Our Fan Forward Initiative has helped us evaluate each part of the PGA Tour season and today’s announcement is an important first step in the evolution of our postseason.
“The Player Advisory Council (PAC) led a thorough process to respond to what our fans are asking for: The most competitive golf in the world, played for the highest stakes, in the most straightforward and engaging format.”
World No 1 Scottie Scheffler, who won the Tour Championship by four strokes from Collin Morikawa last season after beginning at 10 under par, was a critic of the old format and says the changes will “bring out the best competition.”
He said in a statement: “We want the Tour Championship to be the hardest tournament to qualify for and the FedEx Cup trophy the most difficult to win.
Scheffler says the changes to the Tour Championship will make it ‘easier for fans to follow’
“Shifting the Tour Championship to a more straight-up format with a tougher course setup makes it easier for fans to follow and provides a more challenging test for players-which brings out the best competition.”
The PGA Tour added that its rules committee will find ways to “encourage more risk/reward moments” for players at the Tour Championship – an event Rory McIlroy has won three times, in 2016, 2019 and 2022.
The field will remain at 30 players for 2025, but the Player Advisory Council is “studying the qualification system” for future years to ensure it is the hardest tournament to qualify for.
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