The PGA Tour is considering a significant change to its postseason finale that could be in place as soon as this summer. Discussions are ongoing about moving from a staggered start to a bracket-style tournament for the Tour Championship, according to The Athletic.
Should the format change come in 2025, neither the field size of 30 players nor the scheduled date of Aug. 21-24 will be changed. The Tour is currently discussing a combination of playing formats for the final event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs with stroke play, match play and byes (based on FedEx Cup standings) all on the table.
The staggered-start format utilized by the Tour Championship has been in place since 2019. The event is handicapped based on players’ standings in the FedEx Cup with the No. 1 player beginning the week at East Lake Golf Club at 10 under and those near the bottom of the 30-man field beginning at even par.
“I talked about it the last few years; I think it’s silly,” Scottie Scheffler said at the onset of the 2024 FedEx Cup Playoffs. “You can’t call it a season-long race and have it come down to one tournament. Hypothetically, we get to East Lake and my neck flares up and it doesn’t heal the way it did at the Players. I finish 30th in the FedEx Cup because I had to withdraw from the last tournament? Is that really the season-long race? No. It is what it is.”
Before starting strokes were introduced, the PGA Tour awarded two trophies at the postseason finale — one for the Tour Championship and one for the FedEx Cup. This had been in place since the inception of the FedEx Cup in 2007, but it was put out of practice following the 2018 tournament when Tiger Woods won the Tour Championship but Justin Rose won the FedEx Cup.
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