The PGA Tour revamped its FedEx Cup race Tuesday for the third consecutive year of its existence, this one geared toward making sure the winner of the $10 million prize is decided at the Tour Championship.

"We have great expectations for the future of this competition," PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said.

Based on the excitement level of the first two years, the FedEx Cup can only improve.

Tiger Woods was so dominant during the inaugural year in 2007 that he skipped the opening playoff event and could have skipped the Tour Championship and still won. This year, Vijay Singh won the first two playoff events, building such a large lead that he mathematically clinched the title before the Tour Championship -- he only had to complete four rounds.

Under the new formula, points that previously had been reset at the start of the four-tournament playoffs will not be changed until the Tour Championship, meaning all 30 players who qualify for the finale will have a mathematical chance to win.

The Tour Championship at East Lake will be played Sept. 24-27, providing a one-week break after the first three playoff events.

Finchem said the top five in the standings at East Lake would win the FedEx Cup with a victory, while the next five in the standings also would have a reasonable chance by winning.

The playoff events -- The Barclays, Deutsche Bank Championship and BMW Championship -- take on additional meaning because the points are worth five times more than a regular-season event. The majors and World Golf Championships are worth slightly more than regular tournaments.

Meanwhile, the points system was reduced dramatically. This year, for example, the winner of a regular PGA Tour event earned 4,500 points, and Tiger Woods finished the regular season atop the standings with 22,695 points (even though he didn't play after the U.S. Open). With the new formula, he would have had 3,592 points.