Several significant changes to the season-ending TOUR Championship were announced late Tuesday as the PGA TOUR’s top players compete for the FedEx Cup.
The TOUR Championship will be played at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, August 18-24, and beginning this year, starting strokes will be eliminated.
The 2025 TOUR Championship will be played as a 72-hole stroke-play event, with all players starting the tournament at even par. The best performer over the course of four rounds at the TOUR Championship will win the FedExCup.
“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,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “The Player Advisory Council led a thorough process to respond to what our fans are asking for: The most competitive golf in the world, played for the highest stakes, in the most straightforward and engaging format.”
In response to data indicating fans want to see winning scores closer to par, the PGA TOUR Rules Committee will also adjust its course setup approach to encourage more risk/reward moments throughout each round, further heightening the drama and competition to determine the season champion.
“We want the TOUR Championship to be the hardest tournament to qualify for and the FedExCup trophy the most difficult to win,” said reigning FedExCup champion and PAC member Scottie Scheffler. “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.”
The TOUR Championship features the top 30 players from the FedExCup standings who have advanced through the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind (top 70) in Memphis, Tennessee, and the BMW Championship (top 50) at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland.
Players who finish in the top 70 will be exempt for all Full-Field Events and THE PLAYERS Championship in 2026, with the top 50 finishers earning Signature Event starts in 2026. The FedExCup Fall, beginning with the Procore Championship (Sept. 11-14) will finalize eligibility for the 2026 season with the top 100 players earning fully exempt status.
The Player Advisory Council continues to study the qualification system of future years to raise the stakes on the entire FedExCup season and reinforce the TOUR Championship as the hardest tournament to qualify for.
“We applaud the PGA TOUR and their Player Advisory Council for listening to fans and are excited to collaborate on one of the premier events in golf,” said NBC Sports President Rick Cordella. “NBC is proud to be the home of the TOUR Championship in 2025 and showcase compelling competition with the PGA TOUR’s top performers vying to become the FedExCup Champion.”
NBC will present this summer’s event, with coverage on CBS planned for 2026.
“CBS Sports has been a proud partner of the PGA TOUR for over half a century, and we’re honored to play a role in presenting the next evolution of the TOUR’s season-ending event, which returns to CBS and Paramount + in 2026,” said CBS Sports President & CEO David Berson. “We appreciate the collaboration with the PGA TOUR and its Player Advisory Council, and we’re encouraged by efforts to focus on and strengthen the postseason to drive even more passion and excitement for fans.”
NBC will carry weekend rounds of the TOUR Championship live in 2025, with early round and lead-in coverage on GOLF Channel. Additional coverage will also be available on PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+, Sirius XM and distributed internationally via the World Feed.
