Rory McIlroy's blunt chat with sponsors as PGA Tour change controversial rule
The PGA Tour have announced that they will scrap the starting-strokes format from the Tour Championship following negative feedback from players, including Masters champion Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy may have influenced a significant change in PGA Tour policy, after officials listened to backlash and scrapped the controversial starting-strokes format at the Tour Championship. The tour veteran and thrice-crowned champion of the event has long been vocal with his distaste for the system.
The ruling allowed the FedExCup leader to begin at 10 under par, with the rest staggered behind depending on their ranking since its introduction in 2019. Commissioner Jay Monahan has listened to the discontent and confirmed a shake-up.
From this year onward, all entrants will tee off on an equal footing with the traditional even-par start. The top scorer will not only clinch the FedEx Cup but also secure a hefty bonus and an extended five-year exemption on the tour.
Not one to hold back, McIlroy expressed his frustration in 2019. He said: "You can shoot the best score of the week and not win the tournament. If that happens to someone, it's going to be hard for them to wrap their head around.
"I get it from a fan experience point of view, I get it from giving guys that have played better throughout the year an advantage, but I don't know.
"We had breakfast with some of the sponsors, and what I said to them was 'if the PGA Tour is trying to do this season of championships, which starts with the Players in March, then goes through the four majors and culminates with the FedEx Cup at the end.
"If the FedEx Cup really wants to have this legacy in the game like some of these other championships, is people starting the tournament on different numbers the best way to do it?'"
PGA star Sam Burns also chimed in earlier in April, expressing his dismay, saying: "Right now, it's a bit confusing for fans to have a tournament where we start even all year and then in our biggest tournament of the year, there are starting strokes. There's a bit of a disconnect."
Last year's winner, Scottie Scheffler, began the event at 10-under and finished on 30-under to beat fellow American Collin Morikawa by four strokes. Morikawa began the competition at four under. Speaking in Atlanta last August, Scheffler shared his concerns in a statement, as per the Mirror US.
"Shifting the Tour Championship to a more straight-up format with a tougher course setup makes it easier for fans to follow and provides a more challenging test for players-which brings out the best competition," he said.
"We want the Tour Championship to be the hardest tournament to qualify for and the FedEx Cup trophy the most difficult to win."
Monahan has declared that "the announcement is an important first step in the evolution" of the season finale. A whole host of suggestions have been made over recent years on how the Tour can better recognise the season-long standings.
One of those had been a knockout matchplay event, with players entering the event at different stages according to their ranking heading into the final tournament of the campaign.
Other ideas included a similar playoff-based system. The new format will be played in this year's Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta from August 21 to 24.
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