The PGA Tour has revealed its planned changes to its competitive model, schedule and playoffs, changes that will be more substantial than any in the Tour’s half-century-long history.
Most notably, the Tour will now have two different competitive tracks for players, the Championship and Challenger tracks. The Tour’s season will end in a new playoff format, distinctive from the current Tour Championship. These changes will begin with the 2028 season.
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What is the PGA Tour’s new format?
The new format will include two different series of events, running concurrently. The PGA Tour Championship will feature the tour’s best players, competing in 23 to 25 events, with 36-hole cuts and purses of $20 million per event. Each Championship series event will include roughly 120 players, although players will not be required to play a specific number of events.
At the same time, the PGA Tour Challenger series will run with at least 20 events, several of which will be played in the same week as Championship events. Purses will be at least $4 million per event.
How do players move between series?
Players will be able to move up and down between the two series. A player on the Challenger series will earn a promotion to the Championship series with two in-season wins, or a finish in the top 20 for the entire season. At the same time, players on the Championship series who finish outside the top 90 will be relegated to the Challenger series.
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How will the PGA Tour series wrap up its season?
The current PGA Tour playoff format consists of three stroke-play events, concluding with the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. Starting in 2028, the Tour’s playoff system will feature match play, and will rotate through various courses. Further details will be revealed at this year’s Tour Championship next month.
This story is developing and will be updated.
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