Tiger Woods has given a thumbs-up to the PGA Tour’s new format for its Tour Championship, which will feature a 32-man match play competition.
PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp announced overnight (Australian time) ahead of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta that the new season-ending format will begin in 2028, featuring the top 90 golfers in a strokeplay event to determine the 32 who will advance to the first of two matchplay rounds.
“The conclusion of the season should be worthy of the journey it takes to get there,” Woods wrote on X.
“Today’s announcement is a result of the hard work and passion of our players. Excited to usher in a new era of matchplay on the PGA Tour.”
The FedExCup Playoffs currently are contested over three weeks, with fields of 70, 50 and 30 players competing in strokeplay events. But in the planned new format, the first week will feature a group stage, dividing 32 golfers into eight groups of four for head-to-head match play. The top two in each group will then move on to a new course in a second-week finale.
In that final week, the remaining 16 players will compete in four rounds of matchplay, with the two finalists battling to be crowned the tour champion.
“From the beginning, the goal of the Future Competition Committee was to create an easier-to-follow competitive model for our fans with greater consequence and a stronger season-long narrative,” Rolapp said.
“Throughout this process, we listened carefully to our fans, players and partners. One message came through clearly: the culmination of our season should be worthy of the journey it takes to get there.
“The result is a season-ending structure that rewards excellence over the course of the year while building toward a reimagined Tour Championship. We are creating something different, something distinct within professional golf that can resonate far beyond it.”
