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Tour Championship Format Changed and Not for the Better

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Alex Miceli | Last updated May 27, 2025 8:32 PM ET

The PGA Tour on Tuesday announced its new format for the 2025 Tour Championship, which will be similar to every other 72-hole stroke-play event on the Tour.

Although the PGA Tour calls it an enhancement to the Tour Championship format, it has been using the same tired format since the event debuted in 1987 until a Starting Strokes format was introduced in 2019.

For the last six Tour Championships, the 30-player field has been seeded according to their finish in the playoff up until that point and then given strokes to match their position.

To say it was an unmitigated disaster is being kind.

The fans are driving the elimination of the old system for the new, which is part of the PGA Tour’s Fan Forward initiative.

Along with eliminating Starting Strokes, the Tour will also look to toughen up the course, as fans want to see winning scores closer to par.

According to the Tour, the PGA Tour Rules Committee will adjust its course setup approach to encourage more risk/reward moments throughout each round, further heightening the drama and competition to determine the FedExCup Champion.

Starting in 2026, the Tour, through the Player Advisory Council, will also consider amending the qualifying system for future years to make the regular season more valuable.

“We want the TOUR Championship to be the hardest tournament to qualify for and the FedExCup trophy the most difficult to win,” said reigning FedExCup champion and PAC member Scottie Scheffler. “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.”

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

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