The Tour Championship is a golf tournament that is part of the PGA Tour. It has historically been one of the final events of the PGA Tour season; prior to 2007, its field consisted exclusively of the top 30 money leaders of the past PGA Tour season. Starting in 2007, it was the final event of the four-tournament FedEx Cup Playoffs, with eligibility determined by FedEx Cup points accumulated throughout the season. From 2019 onward, the FedEx Cup was reduced to three events, and the Tour Championship is now held in late August rather than mid-September. While originally followed by the PGA Tour Fall Series, a re-alignment of the PGA Tour's season schedule in 2013 made the Tour Championship the final event of the season. From 1987 to 1996, several courses hosted the event. Beginning in 1997, the event alternated between Champions Golf Club in Houston and East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta; since 2004, East Lake has been the event's permanent home.
Format: 1987–2006
From its debut in 1987 through 2006, the top 30 money winners on the PGA Tour after the penultimate event qualified for the event. It took place in early November, the week after the comparable event in Europe, the Volvo Masters, which allowed players who are members of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour to play in both end of season events. After the Tour Championship, the money list for the season was finalized. There were, and still are, a number of additional events between the Tour Championship and Christmas which are recognized by the PGA Tour, but prize money won in them is unofficial. Also, because this tournament's field is not as large as other golf tournaments, there is no 36-hole cut; all players who start the event are credited with making the cut and receive some prize money.
Format: 2007–2018
In 2007, the Tour Championship moved from November to mid-September, where it ended the four-tournament FedEx Cup Playoffs. As in past years, 30 players qualified for the event, but the basis for qualification was no longer prize money. Instead, FedEx Cup points accumulated during the regular PGA Tour season and then during the three preceding playoff events determined the participants. Beginning in 2009, the assignment and awarding of points assured that if any of the top five FedEx Cup point leaders entering The Tour Championship won the event, that player would also won the FedEx Cup. Therefore, it still remained possible for one player to win the Tour Championship and another player to win the FedEx Cup. For example, Tiger Woods won the 2018 Tour Championship but finished second in the FedEx Cup, while Justin Rose won the FedEx Cup despite finishing the tournament tied for fourth, because Woods entered the Tour Championship 20th in overall points while Rose was 2nd. 2007 was also the inaugural year for the Tour's Fall Series, which determined the rest of the top 125 players eligible for the following year's FedEx Cup, which made the event no longer the final tournament of the season. However, starting in 2013, the Tour Championship was the final tournament of the PGA Tour season; seasons begin in October of the previous calendar year. Since 2007, those who qualified for the Tour Championship earned a Masters Tournament invitation. For 2020, players who qualify for the Tour Championship will be invited to the Sentry Tournament of Champions, a byproduct of tournament cancellations from the coronavirus pandemic. Hole 18 at East Lake Golf Club is a par 3, which has been criticized as lacking drama for fans. The PGA Tour announced in 2016 that it would be reversing the nines at East Lake for the Tour Championship so that play would finish on a more exciting par 5 hole.
Format: 2019
Beginning in 2019, the tournament adopted a new format so that its winner would also be the FedEx Cup champion. Similar to the modern pentathlon's final event and Nordic combined skiing's Gundersen method of scoring, the player with the most FedEx Cup points at the start of the tournament will earn the #1 overall seed starting at 10 under par. The second seed will start at −8, the third seed at −7, and so on down to the fifth seed at −5. Seeds 6–10 will begin at −4; seeds 11–15 will begin at −3; and so on, down to seeds 26–30 who will start at even par. The handicap system will ensure the FedEx Cup champion is the player who wins the Tour Championship. For purposes of the Official World Golf Ranking, the seeding format will be ignored. All players start at zero and the gross score of the four rounds, without regards to the seeding adjustment, will determine the winner for purposes of the ranking system. Scores without the seeding adjustment will be used to calculate points allocation.
The Calamity Jane is a sterling silver commemorative putter given to the winner of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club. The putter is an exact replica of Bobby Jones' original putter. The putter/trophy has been given to the winner of the Tour Championship since 2005 and each winner before that year was also given one.
Winner's exemption reward
From 1998 to 2018, the Tour Championship winner, if not already exempt by other means, received a 3-year PGA Tour exemption. Starting in 2019, the Tour Championship winner is directly awarded the FedEx Cup and receives a 5-year PGA Tour exemption.
