A new PGA Tour match play format was announced as the new structure for the Tour Championship, beginning in 2028. The event has undergone multiple layout changes in the past few decades in an effort to drum up fan excitement.
Top Names In The Sport Are Supportive Of The Changes Made To The PGA Tour Championship
The Tour Championship altered its structure for the first time in 2007 after two decades of a typical stroke-play format. Since then, the tournament has struggled to find its footing in terms of format. Within the last decade, the format has changed several times, including having certain players start with different amounts of strokes.
Changes made to the structure of the tournament have been frequent in recent years, but top players seem to be appreciative of the efforts. Six-time Major Championship winner Rory McIlroy said in a PGA Tour article that he thinks this change is what the fans wanted.
“I think the PGA TOUR and the Future Competition Committee and Brian and everyone involved have really taken on board what the fans have been calling for and have wanted, which is match play,” said McIlroy. “Two weeks, two different venues. But it’s cool. I think they’ve taken a big swing, and conceptually, I think I really like it.”
The structure change when it comes to the actual golf is important, but almost equally as impactful is the location of the tournament. The new format will see a change in venues, instead of being at East Lake in Atlanta, Georgia every year. Two-time U.S. Open Champion Wyndham Clark said in the same PGA Tour article that he thinks the different layout will benefit fans and players alike.
“Going to new venues is going to be, I think, great for the fans, great for us, especially iconic ones,” Clark said. “I think it will be amazing.”
The New PGA Tour Match Play Structure Will Garner Excitement From Fans
A major problem that has faced the overall structure of the PGA Tour is the lack of a notable final event that fans actually care about. The biggest event of every season is The Masters, which takes place in April, months before the season comes to a close. When looked at through the context of other sports, this layout leaves fans perplexed. It is as if the NFL had the Super Bowl in October.
According to Yahoo Sports, 14 million people watched the final round of The Masters in 2026. Golfweek at USA Today reported that crunch time during the Tour Championship in 2025 saw an average of 4.49 million viewers. Having all the golfers start at even par resulted in a 34 percent increase from 2024’s viewership. While it was the most-viewed non-major of the season, the viewership pales in comparison to something like The Masters.
Head-to-head formats are used in the Ryder Cup, which hit a 25-year low in viewership, according to Front Office Sports. The valleys of a head-to-head structure (3.22 million, Golfweek) being on par with current Tour Championship viewership bodes well for the future of ratings after the format change. There is a lot of ground to cover if the PGA Tour wants the Tour Championship to reach Masters’ numbers, but the high ratings for majors prove that the viewership is attainable.
Appointment-viewing for the Tour Championship would fill the void golf fans feel after the conclusion of the year’s fourth major. Tournaments are still happening, but fans know there is nothing to look forward to until the next season. An exciting, head-to-head match play format may add the jolt of excitement to properly round out the structure of the entire season.
