The Tour Championship's field previously only included the top 30 money earners from the previous season. It has historically been one of the season's last competitions.
The FedEx Cup Playoffs, which began in 2007, were in their final and fourth tournament. FedEx Cup points accrued over the course of the regular season were used to determine eligibility. While the FedEx Cup will only consist of three events beginning in 2019, the Tour Championship will now take place in late August rather than mid-September.
The Tour Championship replaced the PGA Tour Fall Series as the season's final event in 2013, after the PGA Tour's season schedule was realigned (for players vying for qualifying exemptions for the upcoming season).
The event was held on numerous courses between 1987 and 1996. Since 1997, the competition has rotated between Champions Golf Club in Houston and East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta; East Lake has served as the tournament's permanent residence since 2004.
Tour Championship 2023 History
The top 30 money winners on the PGA Tour following the final event were eligible for the tournament, starting in 1987 and continuing through 2006. It was held in the first week of November, the week following the Volvo Masters, a competition that was analogous in Europe. The Volvo Masters allows players who were members of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour to compete in both end-of-season tournaments.
The season's money list was finalized after the Tour Championship. The PGA Tour acknowledged a handful of additional competitions between the Tour Championship and Christmas, although the prize money was unofficial.
Additionally, there was no 36-hole cut in this golf tournament because the field was smaller than in other tournaments. All competitors who started the tournament were given credit for making the cut and were awarded some prize money.
The Tour's Fall Series debuted in 2007, making the event no longer the season's final competition by determining the remaining 125 players in the top 125 who would be eligible for the FedEx Cup next year.
Since 2007, individuals who qualified for the Tour Championship have received an invitation to the Masters Tournament. Due to tournament cancellations brought on by the coronavirus epidemic, players who qualify for the Tour Championship will receive invitations to the Sentry Tournament of Champions in 2020.
The par-3 18th hole at East Lake Golf Club had received criticism for lacking excitement for spectators prior to 2016. The Tour Championship's nines at East Lake were swapped by the PGA Tour beginning in 2016, resulting in a more thrilling par-5 hole where play concludes.
The tournament changed its format starting in 2019 to guarantee that the winner would also be the FedEx Cup champion. The participant who earned the most FedEx Cup points at the beginning of the competition starts at 10 under par using a system similar to the Gundersen technique in Nordic combined.
The runner-up starts with eight points, followed by seven for the third, six for the fourth, and five for the fifth, and so on until those with a ranking of 26 through 30 start at even par.
Tour Championship 2023 Schedule
The Tour Championship 2023 began on August 23 and will conclude on August 27.
Tour Championship 2023 Course
Private golf club East Lake Golf Club is located 5 miles east of Atlanta's central commercial area. It is the city's oldest golf course and dates back to 1904. Golfer Bobby Jones called East Lake his home course, and a large portion of the clubhouse is dedicated to his achievements.
The Tour Championship, the last match of the PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedEx Cup, has called East Lake its permanent home since 2004.
The first holes on the course were constructed in 1906, at first seven and then nine. The course was extended to include 17 holes in the summer of 1907, and the 18th hole was added later that same year to complete it. Nelson Whitney won the Southern Amateur, the first major tournament held at East Lake, in 1907 as well.
Tom Bendelow inaugurated his "No. 2" course at East Lake in 1908. The East Lake course underwent a renovation in 1913 by renowned golf course designer Donald Ross. The new arrangement stipulated that all nine courses would end at the clubhouse. The No. 2 course was again altered by Ross in 1928.
All earnings from East Lake Golf Club operations—more than $20 million to date—go to the East Lake Foundation, which has assisted in transforming one of the worst public housing projects in the country into a thriving neighborhood.
| Hole | Par | Yard |
| 1 | 5 | 465 |
| 2 | 3 | 192 |
| 3 | 4 | 391 |
| 4 | 4 | 458 |
| 5 | 4 | 441 |
| 6 | 5 | 525 |
| 7 | 4 | 480 |
| 8 | 4 | 455 |
| 9 | 3 | 232 |
| 10 | 4 | 426 |
| 11 | 3 | 214 |
| 12 | 4 | 390 |
| 13 | 4 | 440 |
| 14 | 5 | 526 |
| 15 | 3 | 213 |
| 16 | 4 | 459 |
| 17 | 4 | 426 |
| 18 | 5 | 584 |
| Total | 72 | 7,346 |
Tour Championship 2023 Field List
The 2023 Tour Championship field list is as follows:
Keegan Bradley
Sam Burns
Patrick Cantlay
Wyndham Clark
Corey Conners
Jason Day
Tony Finau
Matt Fitzpatrick
Tommy Fleetwood
Rickie Fowler
Lucas Glover
Emiliano Grillo
Brian Harman
Tyrrell Hatton
Russell Henley
Max Homa
Viktor Hovland
Sungjae Im
Si Woo Kim
Tom Kim
Rory McIlroy
Taylor Moore
Collin Morikawa
Jon Rahm
Xander Schauffele
Scottie Scheffler
Adam Schenk
Jordan Spieth
Sepp Straka
Nick Taylor
Tour Championship Broadcasting Details
The 2023 Tour Championship will be split between Golf Channel and CBS for TV coverage, with Golf Channel handling the first two rounds and early weekend coverage and CBS handling the main broadcasts on Saturday and Sunday.
Thursday, Aug. 24: 1-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
Friday, Aug. 25: 1-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
Saturday, Aug. 26: 1-3 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); 3-7 p.m. ET (CBS)
Sunday, Aug. 27: 12-1:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); 1:30-6 p.m. ET (CBS)
