PGA Tour Announces Major Changes Beginning in 2028.

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PGA Tour Announces Major Changes Beginning in 2028.

The PGA Tour announced Tuesday that with the recommendation of the Future of Competition Committee, the PGA Tour will look very different starting in the 2028 season.

The new model used by the PGA Tour will be a two-tier structure where players will move between the PGA Tour Championship Series and the PGA Tour Challenger Series. Both series will have a promotion and demotion structure based on performance.

“From day one, the Future Tournament Committee has been focused on building the best version of the PGA TOUR, and doing so in a way that reflects the voice of our players and the expectations of our fans,” said PGA TOUR CEO Brian Rolapp. “The result is a new model of competition based on meritocracy, with clear paths, higher stakes and more consistency where the best players compete against each other.”

PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapps Letter to Fans:

PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp wrote a letter to fans about the new structure that will appear in 2028. Below is the entire book.

Written by Brian Rolapp

Today marks an important moment for the PGA TOUR as we move forward with a new competitive system, beginning with the 2028 season.

Throughout this process, we have listened carefully to our players, partners and fans. He told us that he wants to see the best players in the world compete more often. You wanted more clarity as the season progressed. And you wanted a dramatic finish to the season that rewards excellence and makes every competition count.

This new model is our answer.

One JOURNEY. A series of two compelling events, played on the most prestigious courses, for the highest stakes, culminating in a true postseason crowning the best golf in the world.

Every event serves a different purpose, contributing to one unified goal—to be the strongest, most compelling golf course in the world, for the benefit of our fans, partners and players.

Although our competitive model is evolving, we remain committed to making a positive impact. Since 1968, the PGA TOUR has been guided by the belief that golf can be a force for good. As the PGA TOUR grows, so will our ability to support the communities in which we play.

Today’s announcement represents meaningful progress, but our work is far from over. We will continue to refine the features of the model and share updates with the community as we get closer to implementation.

Thank you for your love of the PGA TOUR and the game of golf. Your feedback has helped shape this project, and we will continue to listen as we build the strongest, most competitive golf course in the world.

PGA Tour Championship Series

The Championship Series is designed to create a playing schedule for the best players in the world. Under this model, the PGA Tour announced that they have installed the first 10 events and expect about 15 events in total. All with prize money of at least $20 million. If the four majors, the Players Championship, the Ryder Cup, the President Cup and other possible events are planned, the world’s best players will be playing 23-24 events a season.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – AUGUST 24: Tommy Fleetwood of England celebrates with the Fedex Cup trophy after winning the final round of the TOUR Championship 2025 at East Lake Golf Club on August 24, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

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These events will feature a field of 120 players and feature a 36-hole cutoff of the top 65 players and ties. The program is expected to start in February – August. Events will not have alternate listings and will not have sponsor exemptions.

The PGA Tour Championship Series will also see a change in the postseason portion of the tour season. These changes include bringing back the playoffs and moving the Tour Championship to a variety of prestigious golf courses, including many tours that will play for the first time such as Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey, Cypress Point Club in California and Seminole Golf Club in Florida. According to a PGA Tour release, many of these courses will be new to the PGA Tour program and allow fans to experience a variety of new courses.

PGA Tour Challenger Series

The PGA Tour also announced that the Challenger Series will be played at the same time as the Championship Series. It will feature fields of 144 players and will also feature a 36-hole cut to the top 65 players and a tie.

There will be additional Challenger Series events played on weeks outside of the Championship Series, currently there are approximately seven such events scheduled so far. Players from the Championship Series will not be allowed to compete in these events.

There will be an independent points system for the Challenger Series. Points will not flow between the two categories. This should be accurate for fans and media, while keeping competitive results and final standards consistent.

A key feature of the Challenger Series launch is that it has a clear path to the Championship Series. The top 90 finishers will be fully exempted from the following season’s Championship Series, while those who fail to maintain membership may risk relegation to the Challenger Series.

The PGA Tour also announced that at least 20 players from the Challenger Series will be promoted to the Championship Series the following season. So there is a clear path to promotion for players who perform well in the Challenger Series.

Challenger Series players will have two ways to automatically promote to the Championship Series – win multiple Challenger Series events in a season or win a major tournament.

2026 US OPEN - Final round — SOUTHAMPTON, NEW YORK – JUNE 21: Wyndham Clark of the United States celebrates with the US Open Championship Trophy after winning the 126th US OPEN at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on June 21, 2026 in Southampton, New York. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

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Promotion and Demotion

When the regular season ends, there will be a series of events played in the fall, currently scheduled to be 4-6 events. Here Championship Series players will have the opportunity to improve their standing, or in some cases, maintain their spot in the Championship Series and avoid relegation to the Challenger Series.

There will still be a traditional Q-School that will provide access to players to enter the new “ecosystem” being established by the PGA Tour. Outside of the Challenger Series, the PGA Tour continues to work on player development pathways.

“This model sets the stage for the PGA TOUR of the future,” Rolapp said. “We are now very focused on finalizing the details and preparing to launch in 2028.”

A statement from Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods, who was out of the country seeking treatment after a DUI arrest in March, returned in time to approve the board’s major changes.

“This project was bigger than any one player or person — it was about designing the strongest version of the PGA Tour for future generations of fans and players,” Woods, chairman of the Future Competition Committee, said in a statement. “From the beginning, the committee has been focused on delivering a better experience for our fans, while creating a model that better positions the tour, its players and its partners for long-term success and stability.”