The 2025 Tour Championship kicked off on August 21, and all eyes are on how it will play out. With the new format, there are already talks about whether it might feel too predictable, something LIV Golf has faced before. The big question is whether the PGA Tour can reward a player’s season-long dominance while still keeping the final showdown exciting for fans.

Just days before the tournament began, the PGA Tour revealed a major format change for the 2025 Tour Championship. The event will now follow a traditional 72-hole stroke-play format, with every player starting at even par, replacing the previous “starting strokes” system that gave leaders a head start. This update is part of the Tour’s Fan Forward initiative, aimed at improving the fan experience and bringing fresh innovation to the game. While the change was meant to simplify the competition, some worry it could still create unintended fairness and predictability issues.

Hosts of The Golf Podcast discuss issues with the new format, “It’s not good for viewership either if Scotty’s got… a huge lead coming into it. So I think there has to be a certain degree of wiping that slate clean and allowing that.” The idea is simple. If Scottie Scheffler comes in with a massive lead, it can feel like the tournament is already decided. Giving other players a real chance which keeps things unpredictable and makes watching the championship much more exciting for fans.

“Fans and other players might feel in a way jipped to see, as you said, like Harry Hall win the Tour Championship, you know, when Scotty had the season he had…This is where we might run into the same problem that we see with LIV. Yeah, exactly.” In 2025, the biggest surprise in LIV Golf wasn’t who played well, but who actually walked away with the top prize. Joaquín Niemann had a season to remember, racking up five wins across multiple continents and dominating nearly every leaderboard. Yet when it came to the final event in Indianapolis, a fourth-place finish wasn’t enough to secure the Individual Championship.

Meanwhile, Jon Rahm, who hadn’t won a single tournament all year, snuck past Niemann thanks to a season of steady top-10 finishes. His consistency, not flashy victories, earned him the $18 million prize and the season title. The outcome sparked debate about fairness. How could someone take the biggest prize without ever winning a single event? Fans and players questioned whether the system truly rewarded the season’s best performance.

Now, the PGA Tour could face a similar situation. Even with the new Tour Championship format, there’s a chance that a player who dominated all season could lose out if another competitor peaks at the right moment. “One of the most confusing things… you had one guy win the Tour Championship and another win the FedEx Cup… and you’re like, what happened? The Tour Championship winner, if he didn’t also win the FedEx Cup, felt overshadowed… it never really sat well with fans.” He added, even with the new fan-focused format, the PGA Tour risks confusing fans and reducing excitement. This same concern has been raised by other famous golf analysts as well.

Consistency Over Wins: How Rahm’s Steady Play Sparked Controversy

On the Fried Egg Golf podcast, Brendan Porath talked about just how much Scottie Scheffler has been raking in this season. “Scotty’s at 22-23 million so far, with next week still to come. Bonus,” he said. PJ Clark added a laugh, pointing out the strange twist with Jon Rahm. “Well, I mean, Scotty’s made $23 million with bonuses, but he’s had to win five times to get there. You could make $18 million in bonuses and not win at all. As we learned today.”

Analysts haven’t been shy about calling out the LIV Golf system. Porath added, “Look, we’ve made fun of the PGA Tour’s postseason and points races… but stuff is preposterous when people suggest Rahm had a better season than the five wins of Niemann.” Niemann, who took five titles in 2025, ended up just three points short of the Individual Championship, leaving him frustrated even though he arguably had the stronger season.

In the past, players like Talor Gooch and Dustin Johnson earned season titles by dominating all year. But in 2025, Rahm didn’t have a single win; his consistent finishes were enough to take the top prize. The result left fans and analysts scratching their heads, wondering if the system really rewards the season’s best player.