Miami (AFP) – Starting strokes will be eliminated from the season-ending Tour Championship, the PGA Tour announced on Tuesday, with the 30-man playoff finale being played as a 72-hole stroke-play tournament. Players in past years had been given a staggered lead based on FedEx Cup season points, with last year’s winner Scottie Scheffler starting at 10-under and finishing on 30-under to beat fellow American Collin Morikawa by four strokes after Morikawa began on four-under. Over 72 holes, Morikawa was 26-under and Scheffler was 20-under, but the starting strokes edge gave Scheffler the FedEx Cup playoff crown.
The tour’s player advisory council and policy board approved changes to the playoff format on Tuesday that will have all players starting at level par as in a usual tournament. The new format will be played in this year’s Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta from August 21 to 24. “Today’s announcement is an important first step in the evolution of our post-season,” said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan. “The Player Advisory Council led a thorough process to respond to what our fans are asking for: The most competitive golf in the world, played for the highest stakes, in the most straightforward and engaging format.”
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Other changes to the Tour Championship include changing course set-ups to encourage more risk-reward choices throughout each round to help build drama. The playoff format will narrow the field to 30 golfers, but the player advisory council is studying the qualification system with an eye to boosting the value of season points and keeping the field the toughest to reach on tour. Other ideas are being considered with possible announcements coming later this year.
“We want the Tour Championship to be the hardest tournament to qualify for and the FedEx Cup trophy the most difficult to win,” world number one Scheffler said. “Shifting the Tour Championship to a more straight-up format with a tougher course set-up makes it easier for fans to follow and provides a more challenging test for players – which brings out the best competition.”
This year’s Tour Championship will feature the top 30 players in points who have advanced from two prior playoff events: the 70-player St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis and the 50-player BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland.
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