The PGA Tour announced significant changes to their schedule and competition format on Tuesday, involving the Tour Championship. The organization plans to rotate the venue for the FedEx Cup’s Tour Championship each season.
The golf league also released a statement following their initial message that they plan to keep Atlanta, Georgia’s East Lake in that rotation. However, the PGA Tour’s changes showcase a desire to create more interest in the event.
The PGA Tour said, “As part of the broader evolution of the PGA Tour’s competitive model, the Tour Championship will be played at rotating venues beginning in 2028. Future rotation schedules and host sites are still being evaluated, and East Lake remains under consideration as part of those discussions. The PGA Tour is proud of its history in Atlanta and the incredible support and dedication from the fans, community and corporate partners. Atlanta remains a priority market for the PGA Tour and we look forward to continuing conversations about the city’s role in the future of the Tour Championship and the PGA Tour schedule.”
PGA Tour Changes Tour Championship to Find New Markets
The PGA Tour Championship has remained at East Lake since 2004.
The PGA Tour wants to increase their exposure in different markets that starve for golf competition. They state that the courses potentially involved in the Tour Championship should be new stops for the PGA Tour. That means that these are courses that the PGA Tour has never been to before previously.
Since Brian Rolapp became the commissioner of the PGA Tour, his impact already hits widespread changes across the golf league. With the introduction of the Championship and Challenger series, the new PGA Tour model brings both excitement and curiosity. Although, Rolapp seems persistent of fulfilling his promises since taking the job.
Rolapp said, “You told us you wanted to see the best players in the world competing against each other more often. You wanted clearer stakes as the season unfolds. And you wanted a more dramatic finish to the season that rewards excellence.”
Tour Championship Could Feature Match Play
The changes to the Tour Championship may involve a match play format that revives the atmosphere in the regular season which golf fans adore at the Ryder Cup.
The PGA Tour also declared that the new FedEx Cup postseason features match play at some point. If the Tour Championship becomes a match play event, the change creates an opportunity for a Ryder Cup atmosphere within the regular season. The PGA Tour hosted a match play event with the WGC at Austin Country Club in Texas. However, that event ended in 2023.
Not to mention, this development could mark another change in the Tour Championship. Last season, the PGA Tour got rid of the staggering, starting strokes rule that the FedEx Cup implemented. For years, the players lamented the old format because they felt it created for a boring event.
While there are some critics about the PGA Tour changes, the attempts to make the Tour Championship more exciting are not one of them. The change in location and format should make PGA Tour fans delighted about what the postseason could perhaps bring in the future.
PGA Tour Changes Tour Championship’s Status at East Lake