Rory McIlroy has expressed strong support for the PGA Tour's revamped Tour Championship format set to debut in 2028, describing it as a bold and exciting change. The new structure will adopt a World Cup-style approach, featuring group stages with head-to-head matches followed by a single-elimination bracket in the second week. This two-week event will replace the traditional stroke play format and align with the broader shift to a two-track scheduling model on the PGA Tour.

The season-ending event will now invite the top 32 players from the season-long points list into this innovative format, where the first week is composed of eight groups of four players competing in round-robin match play. The top two performers from each group will then advance to a knockout stage during the second week, culminating in a Tour Championship winner and FedExCup Champion. McIlroy praised the concept, noting that the regular-season champion will be appropriately rewarded after the final stroke-play event before the playoffs begin.

Alongside the format overhaul, the new Tour Championship will rotate annually across prestigious venues, including elite private clubs and top-tier public resorts that rarely host PGA Tour events. This change marks the end of East Lake Golf Club's long tenure as the tournament's host since 2004. PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp highlighted the logistical benefits of using these venues, which typically have smaller crowds and less corporate infrastructure, allowing the Tour to showcase some of the finest courses nationwide.

Players like rookie Alex Fitzpatrick, Wyndham Clark, and Si Woo Kim welcomed the revamp, drawing parallels to formats in other sports like football's World Cup and tennis majors. They expressed enthusiasm for the added excitement, uniqueness, and appeal of match play compared to traditional stroke play. With a $40 million purse on the line this season and $10 million for the champion, these structural shifts reflect the Tour’s efforts to enhance engagement and competition at its most prestigious event.