If You Hate the TOUR Championship's Staggered Start, We Have Some Great News For You

The PGA TOUR has yet to nail down the perfect format for its season finale, the TOUR Championship at East Lake in Atlanta. Rumors swirled about the possibility of making it match play, but that isn’t happening. One thing we do know, however, is that the staggered start is a thing of the past.

The TOUR announced on Tuesday that the TOUR Championship will now have all players start at even par, and the winner come Sunday night will be both the TOUR Championship winner and FedEx Cup champion.

Here are the three big changes directly from the TOUR's press release:

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.

“We want the TOUR Championship to be the hardest tournament to qualify for and the FedExCup trophy the most difficult to win,” reigning FedExCup champion and PAC member Scottie Scheffler said in a statement. “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.”

For right now, I think this is the right call. The staggered start, which was implemented in 2019, never felt quite right. I don’t know what the final answer is, but I do know the TOUR Championship needed some changes. Hopefully we see more through 2026.