Scottie Scheffler 'Much More Happy' After Tour Championship Format Change

The PGA Tour got rid of starting strokes for this year's Tour Championship, and World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler is pleased with the change.

Scheffler started last year's Tour Championship with a two-stroke lead on the rest of the field under the previous format, but he will start Thursday's first round at even par like the other 29 golfers in this year's tournament. The 2024 FedEx Cup winner said he welcomes the revamped format.

"I guess no more sandbagging for me at the end of the year," Scheffler joked while speaking to reporters on Wednesday, per ESPN's Mark Schlabach. "I was not a fan of it. I didn't think it was a good way to end the year, for a variety of reasons. I'm much more happy with this format. I think having a good golf tournament on a really good golf course to finish off our season is extremely important."

Scheffler cruised to victory at the 2024 Tour Championship after starting at 10-under and improving to 30-under when it was all said and done. Still, he felt that starting the tournament with a lead made the win more difficult.

"I was leading the entire year in the FedEx Cup, and it all comes down to a four-day tournament on a golf course that I hadn't really played great on," Scheffler said. "It was a challenging week. It was stressful."

Scheffler is once again atop the FedEx Cup leaderboard entering the Tour Championship this year, and the four-time major winner is riding a hot streak with five victories in his last 10 starts. He added that his motivation to keep winning was inspired by Tiger Woods and his commitment to competing at the highest level, no matter what deficit he faced.

"I just admired the intensity that he brought to each round, and that's something that I try to emulate," Scheffler said. "It's not an easy thing to play a golf tournament. If I'm going to take a week off, I might as well just stay home. I'm not going to come out here to take a week off. If I'm playing in a tournament, I'm going to give it my all. That's really all it boils down to."