The 2024 Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club will feature a thrilling new format. All competing golfers will start the tournament at even par now in this traditional 72-hole stroke-play format. The PGA Tour implemented this move to create more competition within the player ranks. This year, far more athletes will have the opportunity to compete for the coveted FedEx Cup crown.
Previously, the Tour Championship employed a starting-strokes format introduced in 2019. Under this format, the FedEx Cup points leader began the tournament at 10 under par, providing them a massive jump in the final competition. The second place player began the tournament at 8 under, third at 7 under, and so on. Scottie Scheffler won his first FedEx Cup title in 2024. He noted that all of the changes add up to an improved, more thrilling competition.
“It has the opportunity to be an unbelievable week in the sense [that] you could have 15, 20 guys that have a chance to win on Sunday, which is pretty cool,” – Justin Thomas
This is a point made recently by Tommy Fleetwood, who would agree that launching everyone off at even par gives everyone a level playing field. He pointed out that outside of Scheffler’s view, the majority of players love the fairness or the level playing field.
“I’m sure everybody aside from Scottie Scheffler loves the fact that we’re all starting on a level playing field,” – Tommy Fleetwood
He added that this new format likely boosts excitement for players, who can leave with satisfaction from their performance regardless of their starting position.
“It’s probably more exciting for the players to come here, everybody on a level field, knowing it’s an unbelievable opportunity to have a great week, win the tournament, and obviously leave here unbelievably happy.” – Tommy Fleetwood
The old setup made golfers painfully aware of the weight of their first 18. Even Rory McIlroy did say afterward that he didn’t mind that starting-strokes format. He didn’t like that it essentially dictated results depending on how players did on the first day.
“More often than not, other than a handful of guys, your week was pretty quickly determined [by] not the first nine holes, but your first day,” – Rory McIlroy
He continued by emphasizing that players starting at 2- or 3-under had little chance of overcoming their deficit unless they shot exceptionally low scores in their opening rounds.
According to Scottie Scheffler, the new playoff format is “silly.” It’s safe to assume he favors the old-school tournaments where performance, not agenda, determines who advances, free from any built-in benefits. This year’s amendment is a chance for every one of those participants to show what they can do under a level playing field.
The PGA Tour has, somewhat misleadingly, termed this season’s Tour Championship a “bridge year.” This is a sign that they are ready to propose larger reforms at later events. We could explore moving the tournament to another host golf course each year. Introduce a season-long champion based on an NCAA-style, 64-team match-play bracket.
This week at East Lake, the stakes have never been higher with an extra $40 million on the line. The overall winner will take home the incredible prize of…$10 million! In particular, the PGA Tour has moved its bonus pool around. This policy not only rewards the best golfers of the regular season, it helps create a more competitive atmosphere.
Scottie Scheffler is not a man with modest goals. He’ll try to be the first to win the FedEx Cup in consecutive seasons, and this year’s changed format creates an interesting crossroads – for players and fans alike. The competition is intense, but the opportunities for glory are greater than ever. It’s shaping up to be the most exciting championship we’ve had in years!
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