PGA TOUR announces enhancements to TOUR Championship format and FedExCup race

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – As part of its ongoing commitment to accelerate innovation on behalf of fans, the PGA TOUR announced updates to its TOUR Championship format. Beginning this year, Starting Strokes will be eliminated from the season-ending TOUR Championship as the TOUR’s top players compete for a chance to win the PGA TOUR’s Ultimate Prize, the FedExCup.

With support of its Proud Partners Accenture, Coca-Cola and Southern Company, the TOUR Championship will be played at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Aug. 18-24.

“Our Fan Forward initiative has helped us evaluate each part of the PGA TOUR season and today’s announcement is an important first step in the evolution of our postseason,” 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.”

The PGA TOUR is announcing three meaningful changes to the TOUR Championship:

• Elimination of Starting Strokes: The TOUR Championship will be played as a 72-hole stroke-play event, with all players starting the tournament at even par. The best performer over the course of four rounds at the TOUR Championship will win the FedExCup.
• 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.

As the PGA TOUR continues to evolve and respond to feedback from fans and players, additional enhancements to the TOUR Championship are being evaluated and will be announced in the coming months.

“We want the TOUR Championship to be the hardest tournament to qualify for and the FedExCup trophy the most difficult to win,” said reigning FedExCup champion and PAC member Scottie Scheffler. “Shifting the TOUR Championship to a more straight-up format with a tougher course setup makes it easier for fans to follow and provides a more challenging test for players – which brings out the best competition.”

Scheffler, who has entered the TOUR Championship as the No. 1 player in the FedExCup the last three seasons, captured his first FedExCup in 2024 following a historic seven-win season. Players to have won the FedExCup include Jordan Spieth (2015), Justin Thomas (2017), Patrick Cantlay (2021), Viktor Hovland (2023) and multiple winners Tiger Woods (2007, 2009) and Rory McIlroy (2016, 2019, 2022).

“FedEx has proudly supported the PGA TOUR for more than three decades, and we embrace the TOUR’s commitment to innovate and deliver the most compelling competition that inspires fans and creates a lasting legacy for players,” said FedEx President and CEO Raj Subramaniam. “The FedExCup was created in 2007 to recognize season-long performance across the PGA TOUR season and now a generation of players have grown up watching the TOUR Championship with dreams of hoisting the ultimate prize.”

NBC, CBS Sports and GOLF Channel have worked closely with the PGA TOUR to review the Fan Forward research and identify opportunities to enhance the postseason. As the TOUR Championship rotates network coverage each year, NBC will present the 2025 event, with coverage on CBS in 2026.

“We applaud the PGA TOUR and their Player Advisory Council for listening to fans and are excited to collaborate on one of the premier events in golf,” said NBC Sports President Rick Cordella. “NBC is proud to be the home of the TOUR Championship in 2025 and showcase compelling competition with the PGA TOUR’s top performers vying to become the FedExCup Champion.”

“CBS Sports has been a proud partner of the PGA TOUR for over half a century, and we’re honored to play a role in presenting the next evolution of the TOUR’s season-ending event, which returns to CBS and Paramount+ in 2026,” said CBS Sports President and CEO David Berson. “We appreciate the collaboration with the PGA TOUR and its Player Advisory Council, and we’re encouraged by efforts to focus on and strengthen the postseason to drive even more passion and excitement for fans.”

NBC will carry the final two rounds of the TOUR Championship live in 2025, with early round and weekend lead-in coverage on GOLF Channel. Coverage is also available on PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+, Sirius XM and distributed internationally via the World Feed.

“GOLF Channel is honored to be home to around-the-clock coverage of the PGA TOUR and the TOUR Championship,” said Tom Knapp, executive vice president GOLF Channel. “As GOLF Channel celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2025, we’re proud to partner and evolve together with the PGA TOUR. I am particularly thrilled that we will be part of bringing their new fan viewing enhancements to life for spectators at home.”

First implemented in 2019, Starting Strokes was a staggered start format with the FedExCup leader beginning the TOUR Championship at 10-under par. 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. The FedExCup Fall, beginning with the Procore Championship (Sept. 11-14) will finalize eligibility for the 2026 season with the top 100 players earning fully exempt status.

About the PGA TOUR’s Fan Forward initiative
Launched by the PGA TOUR in 2024, Fan Forward is the single largest fan outreach in the organization’s history, with more than 50,000 participating fans, inclusive of core, casual and non-golf sports fans. Fan Forward research provides the PGA TOUR with vital data around who its fans are, what they want to see more of and how the organization can deepen fans’ love of the PGA TOUR and the game of golf. The data identified four recurring themes, areas where the PGA TOUR must drive innovation and change to further increase fan engagement: Broadcast Presentation (Deliver More Golf Per Minute), Competition Adjustments (Maximize Drama on Every Hole), Player Profiles & Content (Make Players More Relatable) and On-Site Experience (Give Every Event a Purpose). Fan Forward is an ongoing initiative, as outreach to fans will continue and new innovations will be tested and implemented on an ongoing basis in an effort to create the best version of the PGA TOUR. For more information on the PGA TOUR’s Fan Forward initiative and to view examples of Fan Forward-driven innovation, visit https://www.pgatour.com/fanforward.