ATLANTA — PGA Tour players are mostly supportive of the new season-ending Tour Championship format, which will have a World Cup feel featuring groups and sudden-death match play for the first time beginning in 2028.
“It’s cool—I think they’ve taken a big swing,” Rory McIlroy said shortly after the announcement of the format on Tuesday. “And conceptually, I think I really like it.”
Nearly $100 million of bonus money has been paid out this season after last week’s BMW Championship—the second of three playoff events. The 30 players at this week’s Tour Championship are competing for a $40 million purse, including $10 million for the eventual tournament winner and FedExCup Champion.
Under the new structure—which will come alongside the PGA Tour’s shift to a two-track scheduling model—a regular-season champion at the top-tier Championship Series will be crowned and season-long bonus money will be paid out after the final regular-season event. The top 32 players in the season-long points list will advance to a revamped two-week Tour Championship, which will have its own prize money pool.
“I think all the incentives are there, and the regular-season champion is going to be adequately rewarded after that final stroke-play event,” McIlroy said.
