Rory McIlroy has welcomed the PGA Tour's confirmed overhaul of its season-ending play-off series, which will introduce a two-week matchplay event from 2028. The Masters champion has been a critic of the current FedEx Cup format, comprising the St Jude Championship, the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship.
New Format Details
The revamped season finale will begin with a 90-player, 72-hole stroke play event. The points leader at the conclusion of that tournament will be crowned the season-long champion, while the top 32 in the standings will advance to the Tour Championship.
Those 32 players will be split into eight groups of four, with each player facing the other three in their group. The top two from each group progress to the second week, where the final 16 will compete over four rounds of matchplay. Their records will determine the overall standings, with the two unbeaten players meeting for the title.
McIlroy's Reaction
Speaking ahead of the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta, the 37-year-old said: "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 matchplay."
He added: "Brian [Rolapp, PGA Tour CEO] took me through the plan last week for the first time. I didn't really know anything about it. It's certainly different. But it's cool. I think they've taken a big swing, and conceptually, I think I really like it."
McIlroy believes the changes will be welcomed by his peers, saying: "I think they've been great for players. Obviously, we play for a ton of money, and it's sort of like the culmination of the entire season." He also noted that the Tour is "really trying to do is listen to the fans and what they want," adding that the matchplay idea "came mostly from what the people that watch golf wanted, so I think that's a really good thing."
BMW Championship Performance
McIlroy heads to the Tour Championship in high spirits after a strong showing at the BMW Championship. The Northern Irishman started the final round five shots behind overnight leader Wyndham Clark but was level after 15 holes.
While McIlroy bogeyed the 17th, Clark birdied the 16th, 17th and 18th holes to finish the tournament on 17 under par. The two-time US Open champion ended three shots clear of Patrick Cantlay, who edged McIlroy for second.
