The PGA Tour is determined to give a twist to its final tournament of the season, the Tour Championship, in which the annual winner of the American circuit is decided. The current format includes handicap, so that players are given certain stroke advantages before the event begins, based on their position in the Fedex Cup rankings. The idea is that they have a better chance of taking the general who has been more consistent during the course, although the official victory of the tournament is awarded to whoever scores the fewest strokes in the four rounds.
The Athletic website was the first to report that the PGA is in “advanced talks to renew the Tour Championship format and turn it into a match play-type event.” Within this framework, the options already vary and what is clear is that there would be some players who would be seeded. For the rest, it is considered from there being a previous group phase, to some previous rounds in traditional format that decide the eight finalists who would go to direct confrontations.
It is unlikely that the changes could be implemented for the 2025 edition, since nothing has been finalized yet and this course is already underway. According to Golfweek, the course could also be rotated and East Lake would no longer be a fixed venue.
One of the players’ directors, Adam Scott, has spoken about the change in format: “I’m quite open to exploring anything, but I’m not sure about that. It’s difficult to see how match play fits into professional golf. We play the whole season in one way and then the last week is a head-to-head match play… I mean, we can take a look at it, but you’ll have to convince me a little more,” he declared.
What does not convince Scott is that the final tournament now barely recognizes its winner, since it does not have to coincide with who wins the Fedex Cup, which is the jackpot. “It’s just my point of view, but the Tour Championship has been a legacy-type tournament and that’s been lost in the FedEx Cup. Now it’s like two tournaments with two trophies. “It may be good to reestablish the Tour Championship as that kind of legacy type event,” the Australian explained.
