PGA Tour officials have revealed that major changes are on the way, starting with the 2028 season.
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According to a Tuesday announcement, the PGA Tour board accepted recommendations from the Future Competition Committee and agreed to move forward with two distinct series of tournaments.
The PGA Tour Championship Series and the PGA Tour Challenger Series will feature different schedules and different competitors with each providing a distinct feel. Additionally, having two series provides the opportunity to both promote and relegate competitors based on performance.
The Championship Series
The Championship Series will run from February until August and will feature approximately 23-24 events. It will include The Players Championship, Presidents Cup, and Ryder Cup among other events. Each event in the Championship Series will have a purse of at least $20 million.
The regular-season events will feature fields of "approximately 120 players with no alternate list and no sponsor exemptions." These events will have 72 holes with the field cutting to 65 after the first 36 holes.
The postseason will have match play for the first time. Additionally, the Tour Championship will rotate across a list of "prestigious" courses, some of which will be new. The top players from the Championship Series will be eligible for international events put on through a partnership with the DP World Tour.
The Challenger Series
The Challenger Series will feature at least 20 events, each boasting a purse of at least $4 million. This schedule will run concurrently with the Championship Series.
Although approximately seven events will take place during the Championship Series off-weeks. These events will have "increased consequence, benefits and exposure."
The field will feature approximately 144 players. This can change based on daylight restrictions. Like the Championship Series, the Challenger Series will have 72 holes with the field cut to 65 after 36 holes.
Players competing in the Championship Series will not be eligible to go down and compete in the Challenger Series events.
The Points System
With the PGA Tour running two separate series, the players will have separate points systems. The top 90 Championship Series players from the initial season will lock into the next. They will be exempt from potential relegation. The rest will risk relegation to the Challenger Series.
Similarly, a minimum of 20 players from the Challenger Series will earn promotion to the Championship Series after the season ends. Although they can earn immediate promotion through strong performances.
If a Challenger Series player wins multiple events in the same season and a major championship, they will immediately move to the Championship Series.
The updated competitive system will feature four to six "last chance events." These will provide opportunities for competitors to either take a limited number of spots in the Championship Series or to avoid losing them through relegation.
"From day one, the focus of the Future Competition Committee has been to build the best version of the PGA Tour, and to do 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 competitive model grounded in meritocracy, with clearer pathways, higher stakes and more consistency when the best players compete together."
