After virtually 4 a long time of a event working inside a event, the PGA Tour has simplified the Tour Championship.
This week’s season finale at East Lake in Atlanta, Georgia will likely be a straight shootout between the highest 30 gamers of the yr throughout 4 rounds of stroke play for the eye-watering US$10 million winner’s prize, whereas A$155m in whole will likely be cut up between the sector.
The controversial beginning strokes format, which had been used from 2019 till Scottie Scheffler’s triumph final yr, has been deserted.
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However the Tour has not returned to the unique format the place the winner of the Tour Championship and the winner of the FedEx Cup, or the outdated cash record that ran from 1987 to 2006, might be two completely different golfers.
The equation is now easy: win this week and also you win the FedEx Cup.
It may result in an odd situation the place one in every of Tommy Fleetwood, Robert MacIntyre, Shane Lowry, Colin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay or any of the opposite seven different gamers who certified with out boasting a win all yr, may take residence the highest gong.
However the format change makes the season-ending occasion extra like a serious, the place there isn’t a leniency afforded simply because somebody has performed properly beforehand.
World No.1 Scottie Scheffler would have benefited greater than anybody from the outdated system.
The reigning FedEx Cup champion’s 5 wins in addition to boasting 15 high tens in 18 begins this yr meant he accrued greater than double the factors of second-placed Rory McIlroy.
Scheffler’s unbelievable lead would have made him nearly uncatchable below the outdated guidelines.
Now, the present Open and PGA champion faces the stress of needing to carry his finest golf at a rain-soaked East Lake, with extra thunderstorms anticipated throughout the 4 rounds, to cap off an unbelievable yr that may little question yield Participant of the Yr honours even when he isn’t topped the FedEx Cup champion.
“On the finish of the day you must carry out when it issues probably the most,” Scheffler stated.
“I feel now with the format now we have, now we have an incredible format of a 72-hole golf event.
“If I need to win the FedExCup, I’ve to play properly on the final week of the season, and it’s simply easy as that.”
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That perspective is precisely why Tommy Fleetwood instructed reporters at East Lake that the excitement among the many gamers was arguably higher this week than ever earlier than.
“It’s most likely extra thrilling for the gamers to come back right here, everyone on a stage subject, understanding it’s an unbelievable alternative to have an incredible week, win the event and depart right here unbelievably completely satisfied,” Fleetwood stated.
The Englishman has been the heartbreak story of the season, having not gained a title on the PGA Tour regardless of tens wins all over the world and twice main after 54 holes in latest months.
However he sees the humorous facet within the prospect of him breaking his duck this week.
“I feel it could be fairly humorous if I gained this week after which bought the FedExCup as properly,” Fleetwood stated.
“I feel that will be humorous.”
In the meantime, Fleetwood’s European Ryder Cup teammate Rory McIlroy has the prospect to finish his PGA Tour commitments for the yr in fairytale style by profitable the Tour Championship for a document fourth time, eclipsing Tiger Woods.
The Masters champion believes it could “rubber stamp” a yr that additionally included victories at The Gamers Championship and the Pebble Seaside Professional-Am in addition to claiming his maiden inexperienced jacket, and clinching the profession grand slam.
“It has a distinct really feel,” McIlroy stated.
“Any one of many 30 has an opportunity to win the FedExCup this yr, which is clearly lots completely different than it’s been in earlier years.
“It’s a clear slate for everybody, and it’s an incredible alternative for one of many guys that perhaps wasn’t an enormous a part of the season to place their hand up and have an opportunity to win the large prize on the finish of the yr.
“It’s additionally an incredible alternative for a few of the guys which have had nice years to form of rubber stamp the season a little bit bit and finish on a extremely, actually constructive word. I feel there’s nonetheless lots to play for this week.”
McIlroy shared that he was one of many few who “didn’t hate” the discarded beginning strokes format.
“I believed that the participant that performed the very best through the course of the season ought to have had a bonus coming in right here,” he stated.
“However the majority of individuals simply didn’t just like the beginning strokes.”
An annual debate is staged about what the very best format for the Tour Championship can be.
Off the again of the success of the Ryder Cup, particularly, match play is usually touted as a riveting resolution, however McIlroy defined why most gamers had been in opposition to the thought of head-to-head contests.
“Match play was on the desk, and that bought canned for this yr,” he stated.
“I feel it’s simply laborious for the gamers to reconcile that we play stroke play for each week of the yr however then the season-ending event goes to be determined by match play.”
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Scheffler made it clear that he’s a kind of gamers who’re in opposition to the thought of match-play within the Tour Championship.
“Individuals have tossed round quite a lot of completely different codecs for this event, and I feel quite a lot of discuss — there’s quite a lot of speak about match play and stuff like that,” he stated.
“The truth is we’ve had a match play event for quite a few years. We had a match play event for 4 or 5 years in one of many largest rising markets within the nation, and that event nonetheless didn’t succeed.
“I don’t suppose match play is the easiest way to crown a season-long champion, and I feel altering the format in your final event is type of fairly foolish.
“Individuals love the comparisons to different sports activities, however golf is solely not like different sports activities. I’m simply going to depart it at that.”
This week’s event may even made undesirable historical past for Australia with no Australian qualifying for the occasion for the time since 1998.
Jason Day was the lone Australian to make it to the highest 50, however was unable to play his manner within the closing 30 eventually week’s BMW Championship.
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HOW TO WATCH
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BROADCAST SCHEDULE (AEST)
Friday morning
Featured Teams 1.15am-3am
Spherical 1 3am – 8am
Saturday morning
Featured Teams 1am-3am
Spherical 2 3am – 8am
Sunday morning
Featured Teams 2am-3am
Spherical 3 3am – 9am
Monday morning
Featured Teams 1am-2am
Ultimate Spherical 2am – 8am
TEE TIMES (AEST)
Spherical 1 – Friday morning
1.16am Chris Gotterup, Akshay Bhatia
1.27am Jacob Bridgeman, Sungjae Im
1.38am Nick Taylor, Harry Corridor
1.49am Hideki Matsuyama, Shane Lowry
2am Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland
2.16am Corey Conners, Patrick Cantlay
2.27am Sam Burns, Brian Harman
2.38am Andrew Novak, Keegan Bradley
2.49am Cameron Younger, Ludvig Aberg
3am Harris English, Justin Thomas
3.16am Robert MacIntyre, Maverick McNealy
3.27am Russell Henley, Sepp Straka
3.38am Tommy Fleetwood, Ben Griffin
3.49am J.J. Spaun, Justin Rose
4am Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy
PRIZE MONEY BREAKDOWN (USD)
Win: $10,000,000
2: $5,000,000
3: $3,705,000
4: $3,200,000
5: $2,750,000
6: $1,900,000
7: $1,400,000
8: $1,065,000
9: $900,000
10: $735,000
11: $695,000
12: $660,000
13: $625,000
14: $590,000
15: $560,000
16: $505,000
17: $490,000
18: $475,000
19: $460,000
20: $445,000
21: $430,000
22: $415,000
23: $400,000
24: $390,000
25: $380,000
26: $375,000
27: $370,000
28: $365,000
29: $360,000
30: $355,000