Tour Championship: PGA Tour season finale is ‘fascinating but contrived’

But like it or not, this is show business. Deep sponsor pockets demand a return and if that means playing with the numbers to attract bigger audiences that is what they will do.

It might not sit easily with traditional golf fans but at least this new format divorces itself from the majors, the true test of golfing excellence. We are left, though, with what should be an entertaining climax to the US season and that is important.

But more significant is that The Open, US Open, Masters and PGA remain the true barometers, free from mathematical formula other than simply adding up scores. The lowest total wins, simple.

This week’s Tour Championship cannot be an accurate reflection of the golfing year when Open winner Shane Lowry, the most dominant player at any of the year’s majors, fails to make the field.

So the event at East Lake should be treated for what it is worth, a fascinating but contrived competition with massive money at stake. That’s about it.

A more worthwhile and significant format change was used last week at a far less lucrative tournament – the men’s and women’s World Invitational in Northern Ireland.

Promoted and hosted by Niall Horan’s Modest! Golf outfit this was a modern take on tournament action with the men of Europe’s Challenge Tour sharing alternate tee times with leading European women in separate tournaments.

“We had a great week and I think we sent a message to world golf,” tournament director Mark McDonnell told BBC Sport.

“We’ve had incoming messages from America, messages from Australia and we had over 50 different nationalities playing, all of whom have said they’ve had a fantastic week.”

And through Horan, golf has the ideal vehicle to sell the sport to a largely untapped younger market. “With the voices we were able to have promoting this event, you know Niall has a 60m reach on social media,” McDonnell added.

“If 1% of those listen to his voice that’s 600,000 right there.”