Tiger Woods reacts after PGA Tour confirms huge Tour Championship format change
Tiger Woods has thrown his support behind the PGA Tour’s dramatic overhaul of the Tour Championship, with a 32-player match-play finale set to become the climax of the season from 2028.
Tiger Woods has welcomed the PGA Tour’s decision to introduce match play to the Tour Championship from 2028, calling the changes an exciting new chapter for the game.
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp confirmed the long-awaited changes at East Lake on Tuesday, with the new format designed to give the season a more compelling conclusion.
The revamped Championship Series Finale will initially feature the top 90 players in the FedExCup standings competing over 72 holes of stroke play.
That will then be followed by a two-week match-play showdown involving the leading 32 players, creating a very different end to the PGA Tour season.
Woods, 50, was quick to react to the announcement, praising the work that had gone into reshaping the Tour’s competitive structure.
“The conclusion of the season should be worthy of the journey it takes to get there,” Woods posted on social media.
“Excited to usher in a new era of match play on the PGA Tour.”
It is an especially significant endorsement given Woods’ own record in the format.
The 15-time major champion has long been one of the greatest match players in golf, compiling a remarkable 54-20-2 record in professional singles match play.
The PGA Tour also used the announcement to revisit one of Woods’ most famous match-play moments.
At the 2006 WGC Match Play Championship, Woods demolished Stephen Ames 9&8 after Ames had suggested anything could happen despite Woods’ wayward driving.
Woods delivered one of his most memorable post-match comments afterwards: “I think he understands now.”
The decision also represents another significant development for Woods’ role away from the course.
As chairman of the PGA Tour’s Future Competitions Committee, Woods has been closely involved in discussions surrounding the Tour’s evolving competitive structure. Rolapp has previously praised his contribution to that process.
The new Tour Championship format will not arrive until 2028, meaning fans will have to wait before seeing the world’s best players battle through a genuine season-ending match-play bracket.
For Woods, however, the concept already has his seal of approval.
And given his extraordinary history in match play, that endorsement carries plenty of weight.
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