Xander Schauffele jokingly asks for his ‘wins from before’ as PGA Tour announce Tour Championship rule change

American golfer Xander Schauffele has jokingly reacted to the change in format of the Tour Championship. The PGA Tour has made some changes to the FedEx Cup finale playoff event.

The tournament has a starting stroke play format, meaning the players start with certain strokes depending on their position in the FedEx Cup standings. However, the Tour has eliminated this.

Meanwhile, this week, the PGA Tour players are gearing up to play at the 2025 Memorial Tournament, a signature PGA Tour event. In the pre-tournament press conference, Xander Schauffele was asked about the change in the format of the Tour Championship. In response, he said, via ASAP Sports:

"I'll take my wins from before, yeah, if they redo it."

Xander Schauffele hilariously talked about the format, as he has missed the Tour Championship title because of the starting format a few times in the last few years. The starting stroke format started in 2019, and that year he was the runner-up in the competition. He had two more runner-up finishes in 2020 and 2023.

The two-time major winner further shared their views on the format change, saying:

"It's all good. It seems to be more aligned with sort of how other playoffs work. Golf is really the most merit-based sport, unless I'm off my rocker here. And now East Lake and winning the TOUR Championship, I think it's the same thing. Everyone is trying to hoist that trophy and that part hasn't changed at all.

"It's just the way we're going to go about it is a little bit different, and I think it will be easier to follow for fans now that everyone is starting at level. And, shoot, if you make it in as 30th -- I made it in as 27th before, you really have a nice look at trying to win this thing," he added.

Notably, the PGA Tour is also planning to move the season-ending event to a tougher golf course, along with other changes. Moreover, starting in 2026, they plan to amend the qualifying system for the event. As of now, the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings compete in the Tour Championship.

Has Xander Schauffele ever won the Tour Championship?

PGA: PGA Championship - Final Round - Source: Imagn

The Tour Championship has been a part of the PGA Tour since 1987, and Xander Schauffele has won it in 2017. He registered a one-stroke win over Justin Thomas. Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion of the Tour Championship.

This season on the PGA Tour, Schauffele has so far competed in eight tournaments and has one finish in the top 10.

Schauffele will tee off for the 2025 Memorial Tournament on Thursday, May 29. The tournament will have its finale on Sunday, June 1.

About the author

Ankita Yadav is an NFL and Golf writer at Sportskeeda with over three years of experience in journalism (and counting). With a Master’s degree in Chemistry, she somehow swapped test tubes for touchdowns and tee shots—and hasn’t looked back since.

She’s previously covered the world of entertainment with OtakuKart and TV Season & Spoilers and worked as an editor at ComingSoon. Her stories have racked up nearly nine million reads, and she’s had the chance to interview top athletes like professional golfer Yuvraj Singh Sandhu.

Based in Bhopal, Ankita proudly supports the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes, and is a fan of Nelly Korda. When she’s not writing, she’s probably at a live music show, watching a movie or out on a long drive.

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Edited by Hitesh Nigam