Come 2025, the PGA Tour will ditch its current scoring system at the Tour Championship. All 30 players who make it to East Lake will start at zero, going back to basics.
The PGA Tour Policy Board made this decision at the Memorial Tournament. It ends a six-year stretch where top FedEx Cup players got head starts - some leading by as many as 10 shots.
"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," said Scottie Scheffler to Sky Sports.
While the $100 million prize pool will be adjusted, officials haven't revealed the exact details yet. Last time, the winner walked away with over $25 million.
East Lake Golf Club, which has been home to this tournament since 2004, will get tougher with several changes to its Atlanta course.
The previous system gave leaders a huge advantage. The top player kicked off at minus-10, second at minus-8, third at minus-7, fourth at minus-6, and fifth at minus-5. The rest started between minus-4 and zero.
Jay Monahan, PGA Tour commissioner, explained: "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."
This change comes just months before the August 21-24 tournament. The tour still needs to figure out the qualification process for upcoming years.
Last year, Scheffler grabbed the win by four shots over Collin Morikawa after starting with a 10-shot head start. The new setup aims to level the playing field.
After fans called for a simpler format to follow, the Player Advisory Council backed these changes. The tour hopes to encourage more aggressive play and excitement on the course.
