KAPALUA, Hawaii — The PGA Tour is exploring potential modifications to the structure of the Tour Championship in its efforts to better align with fans, television audiences, and corporate interests.
Discussions are currently centered around various concepts, as officials assess their implications on aspects like corporate hospitality at East Lake in Atlanta and effective ways to reward top performances.
Officials have chosen to remain anonymous, citing the confidential nature of these discussions. One source involved in evaluating the possibilities mentioned that none of the proposed changes have yet been presented to the Players Advisory Council.
According to reports, there is movement towards altering the format for the season-ending event, though any changes would require approval from the PGA Tour board. While a decision could happen, it is anticipated that changes would not be finalized before this year’s Tour Championship.
The PGA Tour may adopt a bracketed seeding format not entirely based on match play. While match play is regarded as a quintessential style in golf, it can become less engaging for viewers once the field is narrowed, especially if only one match is happening at a time.
One proposal being considering includes stroke play to reduce the field and head-to-head medal matches that guarantee a full 18 holes will be played. Another possibility is using match play to rank players from first to eighth place, resulting in significant differences in prize money for the competitors.
Scottie Scheffler was the recipient of the FedEx Cup last year, pocketing a substantial bonus of $25 million.
Commissioner Jay Monahan previously indicated that all options are being considered, including the format for the Tour Championship.
Since the inception of the FedEx Cup in 2007, the Tour Championship has struggled to determine the most effective method for crowning a season champion. In 2009, Tiger Woods won the FedEx Cup while Phil Mickelson claimed victory at the Tour Championship, resulting in dual narratives and trophies from a single event.
At one point, officials contemplated keeping the Tour Championship unchanged and adding an additional day for the top players in the standings to compete for the FedEx Cup—a plan eventually abandoned in favor of the “starting strokes” format introduced in 2019.
Under this system, the top seed started the tournament at 10-under par with a two-shot advantage over the second seed, continuing down to the final five players who began at even par.
This approach has arguably provided a singular winner, but only twice since its implementation—Rory McIlroy in 2019 and 2022—has the FedEx Cup champion recorded the lowest score over 72 holes at East Lake. In 2020, Xander Schauffele scored the lowest but did not win the FedEx Cup, which was ultimately awarded to Viktor Hovland in 2023.
Among the various formats for the FedEx Cup was the 2008 iteration, intended to introduce more unpredictability. Vijay Singh dominated the initial playoff events and was able to clinch the trophy at East Lake by merely finishing the required 72 holes.
The PGA Tour has faced a challenging balance between fostering excitement and acknowledging the top performer over the entire season. Since 2009, resetting points for the Tour Championship provided all participants a chance at the FedEx Cup title, though this has occasionally resulted in outcomes where the best-performing player did not secure the championship.
“You can’t call it a season-long race and have it come down to one tournament,” Scheffler stated last year before his FedEx Cup victory.
Meanwhile, the PGA Tour is undergoing significant changes, reducing the number of full playing cards to the top 100 players from the previous 125, while also planning to limit field sizes starting in 2026.
As the tour navigates these changes, it continues to engage in discussions with LIV Golf, backed by Saudi investors, regarding a potential minority investment. The implications of such a partnership, particularly for players who left for LIV’s lucrative opportunities, remain unclear.
Additionally, Monahan is involved in a committee tasked with finding a new CEO for PGA Tour Enterprises.
