Scottie Scheffler believes the PGA Tour’s planned match-play overhaul could give its season finale a much-needed boost, even though parts of the new format will take some getting used to. The PGA Tour announced Tuesday that the Tour Championship will become a standalone, two-week match-play event beginning in 2028.
The change separates the season-long race from the final championship, creating a new path to crown both a points champion and a Tour Champion. Scheffler, who has experienced several versions of the FedExCup finale, offered a measured reaction before this week’s 2026 Tour Championship at East Lake.
His comments suggest the biggest question isn’t whether match play can create drama, but how the unusual structure will work for players and fans.
Scheffler sees the appeal of a different finish
Scheffler said the Tour Championship has been something the PGA Tour has repeatedly experimented with, and he understands why another change was needed. He noted that golf’s playoffs differ from those of other major American sports and that the points-based system can be difficult for casual fans to follow.
In his view, if the Tour wants an exciting conclusion, simply carrying points into the final event may not be the clearest solution. That makes match play an intriguing alternative. Scheffler described the concept as “new and fun” and said it could create opportunities for the Tour to finish the season in a more compelling way.
The new format changes what the finale means
Starting in 2028, the top 90 players on the PGA Tour Championship Series points list will advance to a 72-hole stroke-play finale. That event will crown the season-long points champion, while the final standings will determine the 32 players who advance to the separate Tour Championship.
The Tour Championship will then begin with eight groups of four players. Each golfer will play three matches during the opening week, with the top two from every group advancing to a 16-player second week.
The final stage will use head-to-head match play over four days at another venue. The format is designed to create a direct championship battle rather than asking fans to track a complicated scoring system across a traditional stroke-play leaderboard.
Scheffler has one major reservation
While Scheffler likes the idea of match play, he admitted that the group stage is difficult for him to fully embrace. His concern is simple. Golfers normally arrive at a tournament knowing that every round is part of a direct path toward a winner, but the first week of the new Tour Championship won’t produce a champion. Players will instead be trying to advance from their groups.
Scheffler called that aspect “a bit unusual” and explained that he likes showing up at a tournament knowing he has a chance to win it. The PGA Tour believes the structure will create more meaningful competition and stronger storytelling. Scheffler’s comments show that even a player who supports the concept sees a learning curve in how the event will feel from inside the ropes.
Why match play could suit the new era
The switch also brings back a format with a long history in professional golf, but it hasn’t been part of the PGA Tour schedule since the 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. That could make the Tour Championship easier for viewers to understand.
Instead of asking who is gaining or losing ground across 72 holes, fans can focus on which player won each match and who advanced. The head-to-head format could also make every hole feel more consequential, especially when players are fighting to stay alive in the bracket.
Fun fact: The PGA Tour’s new Tour Championship will be the first time match play has been used specifically to decide the Tour Championship.
Scheffler’s timing makes the comments more interesting
Scheffler discussed the future format while competing in the 2026 Tour Championship under the current system. The 2026 event at East Lake remains a 72-hole stroke-play tournament with 30 players competing.
Scheffler entered the week as the No. 1 player in the FedExCup standings, but the current format does not use starting strokes. The PGA Tour removed the Starting Strokes system before the 2025 season-ending event and moved to a conventional stroke-play format.
Fun fact: Scheffler won the 2024 Tour Championship and FedExCup after beginning the week with a 10-stroke advantage under the Starting Strokes format.
The bigger question is whether it delivers
Scheffler’s reaction points toward a broader debate about what the Tour Championship should represent. The PGA Tour wants the season-long race to receive a clear reward while giving the final trophy its own identity. Separating those objectives could make the postseason easier to follow and allow the Tour Championship to become a distinctive event rather than another points calculation.
Scheffler appears open to that idea. His hesitation about the group stage, however, shows why the 2028 launch will be closely watched by players as well as fans. For now, the 2026 Tour Championship remains a traditional four-round test at East Lake.
But Scheffler’s comments make one thing clear: the next version of the season finale could look dramatically different, and the world’s top player believes the change has real potential.
TL;DR
- Scottie Scheffler called the planned 2028 match-play Tour Championship “new and fun.”
- He believes the current points-based finish can be confusing for casual fans.
- Scheffler is less certain about the group stage, calling it unusual because there is no immediate tournament winner.
- The new format will separate the season-long points championship from the Tour Championship.
- The 2028 Tour Championship will feature 32 players, group play and a 16-player match-play finish.
- The 2026 Tour Championship remains a 72-hole stroke-play event at East Lake.
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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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