Future Format Of Tour Championship An Unknown

McIlroy says he welcomed 'starting strokes'; matchplay may be an option for the future

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ATLANTA - At least for this year, the 30 players who advanced to the Tour Championship this week in Atlanta are starting from scratch. No FedExCup points were carried over, and no player will get a head start over any other.

Asked on Aug. 19 if getting rid of the "starting strokes" arrangement left the PGA Tour with the "best format" for its season championship, Rory McIlroy merely said it is the format they have for this week.

"I'm maybe part of the minority. I didn't hate the starting strokes," the Northern Irishman told reporters at East Lake Golf Club. "I thought that the player that played the best during the course of the season should have had an advantage coming in here. But the majority of people just didn't like the starting strokes."

He sat on the player advisory committee (PAC) that sorted out what to do about the often confusing Tour Championship format. In May, the tour announced that it was eliminating starting strokes, calling the move "an important first step in the evolution of our postseason."