What do top players think of TOUR Championship changes?

The TOUR Championship will look different this season.

The PGA TOUR announced Tuesday that the tournament will no longer implement a Starting Strokes format, which gave an advantage to the higher-ranked players in the FedExCup entering the final event of the postseason. Under the previous format, the No. 1 player began the tournament at 10 under, No. 2 began at 8 under, and the Starting Strokes descended from there to even-par for the last players in the field.

Under the new policy, all players will start at even-par, like any other event on TOUR, and the winner of the 72-hole stroke play event will win the TOUR Championship and the FedExCup.

PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan said the changes were born out of feedback by fans and players, which broadly supported the elimination of Starting Strokes. That sentiment was echoed unanimously among the players who were asked about it at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday.

“At the end of the day you have to perform when it matters the most. I think now with the format we have, we have a great format of a 72-hole golf tournament,” said reigning FedExCup champion Scottie Scheffler. “If I want to win the FedExCup, I have to play well at the last week of the season, and it's just simple as that.”

Scheffler was the biggest benefactor under the Starting Strokes format, three times entering the tournament at No. 1 in the FedExCup and with a two-shot lead on the nearest competitor. He failed to hold that lead in 2022 and 2023 before finally breaking through and winning his first FedExCup last August. Despite the advantage Scheffler received, he was part of the Player Advisory Council and its push to move to the new format.

“I didn't love the previous format of starting strokes,” Scheffler said, “and I really like the direction where we're going.”

Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele also voiced their support for the new policy, notable given that both players would have won recent playings of the TOUR Championship had the entire field started at even-par. Morikawa shot the lowest score to par in 2024. Schauffele shot the lowest score to par in 2023 and 2020.

“Like every other sport, you have a chance to win essentially your championship. And that's what you get here,” Morikawa said. “It's just golf, golf's really tough because, you know, how do you reward that in a way that someone had played really, really well from January through August essentially for however many events we play, but this is what they're making it, and I love it because it's one tournament, you want to be there, and you want to win it.”

“Everyone is trying to hoist that trophy and that part hasn't changed at all,” Schauffele said. “It's just the way we're going to go about it is a little bit different, and I think it will be easier to follow for fans now that everyone is starting at level. And, shoot, if you make it in as 30th – I made it in as 27th before, you really have a nice look at trying to win this thing.”

Max Homa said he’s glad to see the format reflect other sports, where all sides start on equal footing, upsets are more possible and can create dramatic and memorable moments, a la the New England Patriots losing to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.

“I really like everyone starting at even,” Homa said. It's still incredibly hard to make it to that final 30. It is the sign of an amazing year. So if you're there you know you should have a chance at the title, in my opinion. So I like what they have done.

The PGA TOUR also announced two other meaningful changes to the TOUR Championship:

• Adjustments to course setup: In response to data indicating fans want to see winning scores closer to par, 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.
• Toughest tournament to qualify for: Already the most elite field in golf, the TOUR Championship field size will remain at 30 players in 2025. The Player Advisory Council is studying the qualification system of future years to raise the stakes on the entire FedExCup season and reinforce the TOUR Championship as the hardest tournament to qualify for.

With the elimination of Starting Strokes, the FedExCup bonus distributions for the top 30 positions through the TOUR Championship will be balanced for 2025 to account for the increased volatility, reward season-long performance and recognize the significance of the FedExCup.

The TOUR Championship features the top 30 players from the FedExCup standings who have advanced through the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind (top 70) in Memphis, Tennessee, and the BMW Championship (top 50) at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland. Players who finish in the top 70 will be exempt for all Full-Field Events and THE PLAYERS Championship in 2026, with the top 50 finishers earning Signature Event starts in 2026.