After years of side-eyes, fan frustration, and plenty of grumbling from within the ropes, the PGA Tour is scrapping the much-maligned “starting strokes” format for the Tour Championship. That’s right—beginning this August at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, every golfer in the 30-man field will tee it up at even par.
The old format always felt like someone glued the back nine of a board game to the U.S. Open. Sure, it was an attempt to make the FedEx Cup race easier to follow, but handing players a head start based on points? It turned the finale of golf’s season-long race into a bit of a math class masquerading as a tournament. And it still didn’t sit right for players like Scottie Scheffler—who benefited from the format, mind you.
The Straightforward Shift
The change marks a major shift in tone and presentation. Gone are the arbitrary starting lines—10 under here, 8 under there. This time, it’s pure golf. Everyone starts at zero, and after 72 holes, whoever shoots the lowest score wins. Not just the tournament. Not just a trophy. The whole FedEx Cup. With a mega bonus and a five-year exemption attached.
The Player Advisory Council and the policy board gave this the green light, and according to PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, it’s part of the “Fan Forward Initiative.” Translation? Golf fans were tired of squinting at scoreboards, trying to decipher what was real and what was baked into the format. They want drama, clarity, and true competition—and that’s exactly what this revamp promises.
A New Era for East Lake
For now, East Lake remains the home of the Tour Championship, but whispers suggest the Tour is open to shaking up the venue after 2027. That’s still a few years out, but with the format change already in play, don’t be shocked if they want a fresh stage to match the new script.
As for the course setup, expect a little more edge. The rules committee is dialing up the risk/reward factor, aiming to inject more clutch moments into every round. Think tighter pins, tougher greens, and maybe a few “go-for-it-or-go-home” par 5s. Scheffler summed it up best: this should be “the hardest tournament to qualify for and the FedEx Cup trophy the most difficult to win.”
Why It Matters For the PGA
Look, golf’s not like football or basketball—it’s not built for bracket-style drama or final-second buzzer-beaters. But what it can deliver is tension, momentum swings, and greatness under pressure. Starting strokes muted that. They padded the lead, dulled the chasers, and turned too many Tour Championships into foregone conclusions.
Now? It’s anyone’s tournament. A true battle of nerves, talent, and execution. And when the final putt drops at East Lake this August, we won’t need to decode anything. We’ll just know—plain and simple—which PGA Tour great earned it.
