Scottie Scheffler Sends Strong Message After Major Tour Championship Change

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Dibyendu Mondal | Last updated May 28, 2025 8:32 AM ET

Scottie Scheffler is preparing to tee up on Thursday for the Memorial Tournament. He recently got done with the Charles Schwab Challenge, tying for fourth with an 8-under par.

Amid practice sessions, he also gave a strong positive statement in favor of the Tour Championship change.

“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 PGA Tour, on May 27, voted to eliminate the “starting strokes” system at the season-ending Tour Championship, reverting to a traditional 72-hole stroke-play format in which all 30 qualifiers begin at even par.

Introduced in 2019 to align FedEx Cup standings with scoring, the staggered start awarded the points leader a ten-under-par head start, with others receiving lesser advantages based on rank.

Beginning this year, Starting Strokes will be eliminated from the TOUR Championship.@TOURChamp will be played as a 72-hole stroke-play event, with all players starting the tournament at even par.

The best performer over the course of those four rounds will win the #FedExCup.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 27, 2025

Under the old model, Scottie Scheffler began at ten under par in 2024, finishing a total of 30 under, while Collin Morikawa’s four-under-par start meant his 26-under-par performance still left him four strokes behind. Critics argued that this diluted the on-site competition and confused casual viewers.

A tougher course setup at East Lake will introduce more risk-reward holes, encouraging strategic shot-making. Fans should see tighter leaderboard swings and a clearer race for both the tournament title and the FedEx Cup bonus pool.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: