The Ultimate Guide to the Tour Championship 2025: Tee Times, Leaderboard, and Everything You Need to Know

Introduction

The Tour Championship, also known as the PGA Tour Championship, marks the grand finale of the PGA Tour season. Held annually at the iconic East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia, this prestigious event brings together the top 30 golfers vying for the coveted FedEx Cup title and a share of an enormous $40 million purse—with $10 million awarded to the champion. In 2025, the tournament returns in a revamped format designed to ramp up competition and fairness: no more “starting strokes”—all players begin at even par across four full rounds of stroke play

In this deep-dive, we’ll cover everything from tee times, pairings, and live leaderboard updates, to key storylines, format details, and how to follow the action across all four days. Whether you’re a die-hard golf fan or a casual viewer, this comprehensive guide has you covered.

1. What Is the Tour Championship?

The Tour Championship is the culminating event of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs, featuring the top 30 players in the standings. Since 2005, East Lake Golf Club has served as its permanent venue. In 2025, the format has undergone a prominent change: all players now start at even par, and the FedEx Cup champion is determined over the final 72-hole stroke-play competition—simplifying the scoring and ramping up accessibility for fans.

This shift replaces the previous system, where players began with staggered starting scores based on their FedEx Cup ranking—an often confusing but reward-heavy format.

2. Tour Championship 2025 Overview: Dates, Venue & Format

• Location: East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia.

• Dates: August 21 to August 24, 2025

• Field: Top 30 PGA Tour players from the FedEx Cup standings

• Format: 72-hole stroke play; all players start at even par—no starting strokes, with the lowest total score determining the champion.

• Purse: $40 million total, including $10 million for the winner.

This streamlined format is aimed at increasing fan engagement and ensuring every golfer has a true shot at victory.

3. PGA Tour Championship 2025: Storylines & Key Players

The spotlight in 2025 has focused on several major stars:

• Scottie Scheffler, world No. 1, enters as the favorite after a dominant season—boasting five victories and the defending FedEx Cup title.

• Rory McIlroy, the season-long rival, brings momentum and flair. In Round 1, he converted an incredible trick-shot birdie—watching the ball bounce off a grandstand before sinking the putt for a 66—delighting fans and the golfing world.

• Russell Henley stunned the field with a superb opening-round 61, shooting 9-under to seize the early lead.

• Runners-up included Tommy Fleetwood and Robert MacIntyre, both carding 64s to sit in contention.

Off the course, debates raged over format changes—fans pushed for match play, but PGA leadership stuck with stroke play for now TalkSportReuters+1. McIlroy has supported the new changes, though he appreciated the old system for rewarding season-long performance.

4. Tour Championship Leaderboard — Round 1 Highlights

Here’s how the leaderboard looked after Round 1 at East Lake:

5. Tour Championship Tee Times & Pairings

Round 1 (Thursday, August 21)

• Tournament officially tees off at 11:16 a.m. ET

• Featured pairing: Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy head out at 2:00 p.m. ET

• Other notable tee times:

  • Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland – 12:00 p.m. ET

  • Patrick Cantlay and Corey Conners – 12:16 p.m. ET.

Round 2 (Friday, August 22)

• Tee times begin early, with pairings including:

  • Maverick McNealy & Sepp Straka – 8:00 a.m. ET

  • Rory McIlroy & Jacob Bridgeman – 9:44 a.m. ET

  • Russell Henley & Scottie Scheffler – 10:44 a.m. ET.

These tee sheets help fans and broadcasters follow the day’s action—and highlight key duels early on.

6. How to Watch: TV, Streaming & Radio Coverage

Television Broadcasts:

• Golf Channel: Early dedicated coverage (1–6 p.m. ET during early rounds) CBSSports.com.

• NBC: Begins weekend and final-round television coverage (2:30–7 p.m. ET on Saturday; 1:30–6 p.m. ET on Sunday).

Streaming Platforms:

• PGA Tour Live: Full-day streaming of all rounds (e.g. Round 1 & 2: 11:15 a.m.–6 p.m. ET).

• NBC Sports App, Peacock, FuboTV, ESPN+, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV: Additional streaming options for weekend and final-round viewing.

Radio:

• PGA Tour Radio: Provides continuous audio coverage (round 1 & 2: 12–6 p.m. ET; weekend coverage: 2–7 p.m. ET Saturday, 1–6 p.m. ET Sunday).

7. Summary of Subtopics

• Tour Championship: Season-ending PGA Tour event, held at East Lake Golf Club; new 2025 format eliminates starting strokes.

• PGA Tour Championship: Another term for the same event—key stakes include FedEx Cup and $40 million purse.

• Tour Championship leaderboard: Dominated after Round 1 by Russell Henley (–9), with Scottie Scheffler (–7) close behind.

• PGA Tour Championship 2025: Featured new stroke-play only format, top 30 field, held August 21–24.

• Tour Championship tee times: Opens August 21 at 11:16 a.m., with Scheffler-McIlroy pairing at 2:00 p.m.

• PGA Tour Championship leaderboard: Up-to-date via CBS, PGA Tour Live, ESPN; standout early performance by Henley, Scheffler, Morikawa, and McIlroy.

8. Final Thoughts & What to Watch for Next

The 2025 Tour Championship has adopted a simplified, more equitable format that has delivered immediate drama—Henley’s 61 and McIlroy’s “Happy Gilmore” style birdie exemplify the excitement on Day 1.
As the tournament progresses, key storylines include:

• Can Henley maintain his lead against season stalwarts like Scheffler and McIlroy?

• Will the format continue to produce dynamic shifts in the leaderboard—or would future years potentially pivot to match play or bracket formats as fans suggest?.

Regardless of format debates, the PGA Tour is delivering a dramatic conclusion to its 2025 season, with stories still unfolding on the fairways of East Lake.