PGA Tour nixes ‘starting strokes’ format for Tour Championship

The PGA Tour has altered the format for the season-ending Tour Championship, doing away with the staggered scoring start and promising to create a tougher setup for East Lake Golf Club.

The tour's announcement Tuesday cited feedback from its "Fan Forward" initiative that said fans wanted to see winning scores closer to par.

"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," PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement. "The Player Advisory Council 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."

The previous "starting strokes" format was introduced in 2019 and rewarded the FedEx Cup points leader by allowing him to start the Tour Championship at 10 under par. The player in second place would begin the tournament at 8 under, the third player at 7 under, the fourth at 6 under and the fifth at 5 under. The rest of the 30-man field would be slotted between 4 under and even par.

The FedEx Cup would be awarded to the winner of the Tour Championship. Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy won it twice under this format (2019, 2022) and Scottie Scheffler won his first last year after starting at 10 under.

But Scheffler was a critic of the convoluted format, and he took part in the decision to change it as a member of the Players Advisory Council.

Now, all 30 players who qualify for the Tour Championship via the FedEx Cup playoffs will start on even footing with the same chance of winning the FedEx Cup, which last year came with a $25 million bonus.

"We want the Tour Championship to be the hardest tournament to qualify for and the FedEx Cup trophy the most difficult to win," Scheffler said in a statement. "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 tour said its rules committee will find ways to "encourage more risk/reward moments" at East Lake, the Atlanta club that's hosted the Tour Championship every year since 2004.

The tour's announcement also said the field will remain at 30 players for 2025, but the PAC is "studying the qualification system" for future years to make sure it is the hardest tournament for players to qualify for.