PGA Tour is discussing revamping the Tour Championship

• The PGA Tour is considering a format change for the Tour Championship, potentially introducing a bracket-style event or medal match-play.
• The proposed changes aim to enhance the prestige of the Tour Championship, which some players feel has been overshadowed by the FedEx Cup.
• The current starting-stroke format, which gives points leaders a head start, has drawn criticism from players who believe it undermines the concept of a season-long competition.
• Television ratings for the Tour Championship have reportedly been underwhelming, prompting a push for changes from the PGA Tour’s broadcast partners.

KAPALUA, Hawaii – PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan keeps insisting that everything is on the table. Apparently, that includes the format of the Tour Championship – possibly as soon as this year. The Athletic first reported on Friday morning that the Tour is in “advanced discussions to revamp the Tour Championship format into a bracket-style event.” East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta has been the permanent home of the Tour Championship, the culminating event of the playoffs for the FedEx Cup, since 2005, and the Tour is committed to keeping the event there but sources say it could rotate to other venues too. Golfweek has learned from sources that the changes also could include medal match-play. Adam Scott, one of the Tour’s player directors, said he is wary of straying too far from a traditional format. “I’m pretty much open-minded to explore anything but I’m unsure about that,” he said of the medal match-play format that NBC/Golf Channel has some experience broadcasting at the St. Andrews Links Collegiate. “It’s hard to see where match play fits into pro golf. We play the whole season one way and then have the final week be head-to-head match play, I mean, we can have a look at it, but you’d have to kind of sell me on that just a little more.” Scott said that winning the Tour Championship used to be a prestigious achievement in its own right but its stature has been diminished as the FedEx Cup has become the primary prize. He envisions a scenario where both titles could carry significant prestige again. “It’s just my point of view that the Tour Championship has been a legacy-type event and that’s kind of been lost in the FedEx Cup,” Scott said. “It went from two tournaments, two trophies in that one week to now just one trophy and I understand why, because it was getting confusing, but there seems to be a feeling like it’ll be nice to kind of reestablish the Tour Championship as that kind of legacy-type event.”