ATLANTA, GEORGIA | The reality may be that there is no perfect solution to the PGA Tour’s intention to create a season-ending event that blends relevance, drama and a meaningful reward. But, at least from the players’ perspective, the match-play format coming in 2028 is promising.
If the existing model has required adaptive thinking because of its many points-based changes, the two-week match-play concept announced Tuesday will require a different understanding.
First, however, is the challenge of being among the 32 players in the two-week match-play Tour Championship.
The final stroke-play event, expected to be the BMW Championship, will culminate by crowning a season-long champion, essentially separating it from what will follow.
By doing that, it adds credence to CEO and incoming commissioner Brian Rolapp’s goal of making each week matter. With the season-long award based on points, it should incentivize players to play most if not all of the 15 Championship Series events in addition to the majors.
“I think any time there’s change, I think it’s something that’s fresh and something that’s exciting,” Tommy Fleetwood said. “One of the biggest points was celebrating whoever … is the best player consistently at the end of the season and having that separate from what will then be playoffs or match-play format.
“So I think separating the two is good and a positive, and it’s what everybody kind of wanted to see.”
From there, 32 players – based on their season-long points total – will advance to the first week of the two-week Tour Championship where they will be broken into eight groups of four players, with each of the four playing matches against the other three. The players with the two best records in each group will advance to the 16-player finale the following week.
Let’s stop there for a moment.
The possibility of a match-play finale has been floated at various times through the years but for various reasons, it was dismissed. What happens if the stars all get eliminated early? How compelling can watching two players be outside a Sunday at the Ryder Cup?
Week 1 is essentially a tournament that is not a tournament because there will be no trophy.
“It’s a little bit hard for me to kind of wrap my head around the group play,” Scottie Scheffler said. “When I show up at a tournament, I love to be able to compete and give myself a chance to win. To have a full-week tournament where there’s not a winner, I think, is a bit unusual for me.”
Scheffler won’t be alone adjusting to the two-week concept but the ultimate goal is to determine 16 players who will go to the final week where they will be slotted in a traditional match-play bracket.
“I think they’ve taken a big swing, and conceptually, I think I really like it,” Rory McIlroy said.
The possibility of a match-play finale has been floated at various times through the years but for various reasons, it was dismissed. What happens if the stars all get eliminated early? How compelling can watching two players be outside a Sunday at the Ryder Cup?
At least for the first week, every player is assured of playing three matches. Those who advance to the second week will play through Sunday as well, though one loss will knock them out of reaching the championship match.
“The match play, I think it’s going to be really good. It’s fun. It’s an interesting, new way to finish the year. I think that’s something our fans have been craving for a long time. To finish off the year the right way is something exciting that our fans and partners can get behind, I think is really important,” Scheffler said.
By separating the Tour Championship, the idea is to create more of a playoff feel, a stand-alone event.
“I think this is a more exciting way to end the PGA Tour season,” McIlroy said.
The other variable is where the Tour Championship will be played. While Rolapp kept open the possibility of returning to East Lake at some time in the future, the tour is actively considering new venues, including celebrated courses that have not previously been part of the tour schedule.
“I definitely like the fact that we’re doing it over two weeks. It’s very different. I like the fact that the tour kind of had the courage to really step outside the box on this one …” – Adam Scott
By playing a small-field, match-play event, it will be possible to go to places that have a smaller footprint, limiting the hospitality buildout while also considering layouts that may lack the requisite distance to handle the modern game, given that match play isn’t about score to par.
Among the places mentioned as possible sites are Los Angeles Country Club and Sleepy Hollow in New York. A West Coast finale would allow the tour to creep into the prime-time TV window on the East Coast as well.
It had the players dreaming about where they would like to play.
“There’s dream venues, but those dream venues I just don’t think are a possibility. Like if you were to say Pine Valley, but I just don’t think Pine Valley are going to want to host the PGA Tour,” McIlroy said.
“If it’s going to be one week on the West Coast, one week on the East Coast, you could do Olympic Club and Baltusrol. I don’t know. But those sort of older, traditional golf courses that have hosted big major championships.”
Asked about Sand Hills in Nebraska as a possibility, Adam Scott said it was brought up in a recent meeting and added, “I’ll start that campaign.”
The “where” comes next; getting to the “how” was the first necessary part of the change.
“I definitely like the fact that we’re doing it over two weeks. It’s very different. I like the fact that the tour kind of had the courage to really step outside the box on this one and not do some sort of contrived variant of what we have or what we have had with a match-play tournament previously,” Scott said.