PGA Tour Makes Sweeping Changes Starting in 2028

[iacas]

You can download the PDF at this link or see the first page of it above.

[iacas]

The highlights as I see them:

Championship and Challenger Series

The creation of the PGA Tour and the PGB Tour, in the words of Joel Dahmen a few years ago. They're calling them the Championship Series (23-24 events) and the Challenger Series (20+ events). Both run February to August. They feel this will achieve three things:

1. increasing the consistency and quality of fields across the season
2. creating a clear system for players to earn and retain status and
3. delivering a more structured and competitive experience for fans and partners—all in an effort to strengthen meritocracy.

Championship Series Structure and Eligibility

• The 23-24 events includes the Players, majors, season-ending events, and the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup.
• These will be 72-hole events with a 36-hole cut to the top 65 and ties and purses of $20M+.
• 120 players without an alternate list.
• 90 players (roughly) from the previous year and 20 players promoted from the Challenger Series.
• Full eligibility will be finalized later this year.
• Sites (cities) to be finalized soon, but 10 of the 15 courses have already been determined.
• Postseason: includes retention and relegation and concludes with match play. The Tour Championship will also be played across a rotation of prestigious courses.

Challenger Series Structure and Eligibility

• 20+ events.
• Running concurrently.
• Will feature players fighting their way back to the Championship Series or players graduating and on the upswing from the Korn Ferry Tour.
• Many of these events will be current PGA Tour courses.
• About 7 of the Challenger Series events will be during off weeks for the Championship Series with elevated purses and visibility.
• Purses of at least $4M, with cuts similar to the Champ series.
• 144 player fields.

Competitive Fields for Both Series

• Players will be eligible for only one series at a time: Championship Series Players are not eligible for Challenger Series events.
• Championship Series members will have a known schedule with all events having the same eligibility.
• Players and Majors will have their own eligibility criteria.
• Championship Series players don't have to play all events.
• This begs the question about, say, the Canadian Open, and other "home-town" events that players might want to play, even if they're Challenger Series events. Will releases be granted?

Promotion and Relegation

• At least 90 players will be retained in the Championship Series, and 20 players will be promoted from the Challenger Series each year.
• Battlefield promotion for two-time winners from the Challenger Series.
• Players relegated from the Championship Series will have a "last chance" opportunity to retain status, or will go to the Challenger Series.
• Criteria will be finalized before the start of the 2027 season.

Points System

• New points system (not FedExCup points).
• Separate points systems for the Championship and Challenger Series.
• Elevated points in the Challenger Series for off-weeks on the Championship Series.
• More details tk.

Elevated International Events in the Fall

The fall schedule will include a limited series of elevated international events with top players from the Championship Series, with the intent to deliver in partnership with the DP World Tour as part of the Strategic Alliance.

Last Chance Series

The Tour will develop a “last chance” series of 4-6 events in the fall, with a limited number of spots on the Championship Series available for top finishers. Eligibility will include players relegated from the Championship Series, Challenger Series players, and other categories to be determined.

Q-School continues, as do the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour Latinoamerica.

Also, Brian Rolapp is the new commissioner as of January 1, 2027.

[Shindig]

Well, this is interesting.  I think we discovered a few months ago that I haven't been following professional golf in a while (my confusion about Scotty's footwork confirmed that), so at least as I aim to follow a bit more I'll get something new to learn with all of you. 

My very quick read of Erik's summary makes me think this new Challenger series fits somewhere between Korn Ferry and the Championship (not Champions, but I know I'm going to make that mistake a few times if I'm not careful!).  

My recollection is that there were already second-tier events among the PGA Tour;  the Bob Hope didn't have the same quality of field as the event at Riviera (whose current name I forget, although now that I say that, I realize the Palm Springs event hasn't been called the Bob Hope in a few years either).  

With the absence of the FedEx (if I'm reading that correctly), does that mean no more FedEx Cup at all?

Hopefully I'll have time later in 2026 to sit down and see what we're in for in 2027, where one of my goals already is to follow more professional golf.

[boogielicious]

Interesting changes. The idea of relegation and promotion have always been there in a different form (getting and losing your card etc and qualifying for bigger events) but it looks like they want to define it better for top tier events. The Tour has always had A and B level events (and even lower). It will be interesting what they choose as the Challenger Series events and whether some tournaments go to the Challenger Series that used to be prestigious.

Not sure how the networks will take to this knowing they have “Challenger” Series events defined that way now.

Also, I’m not happy that John Henry and Theo Epstein are involved. Look what Henry has done to the Red Sox.