PGA Tour Unveils Two-Series Model Competitive Schedule from 2028
The PGA Tour Championship and Challenger Series will operate with promotion and relegation formats
Posted On: June 29, 2026 By :The PGA Tour will establish a new competitive structure, with a two-series model set to debut in 2028.
Built on a foundation of meritocracy, the new model will see golfers move between the series — the PGA Tour Championship Series and the PGA Tour Challenger Series — through structured promotion and relegation formats.
It is designed to not only elevate the competitive stakes of the sport, but to increase clarity and provide a more compelling experience for players, fans and partners alike.
It came as the PGA Tour boards approved a series of recommendations by the Future Competition Committee, which was set up last year to undertake a comprehensive review of the sport’s competitive model. The Committee has nine members and is chaired by Tiger Woods, who was named PGA Player of the Year a record 11 times.
“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.”
“This is an exciting moment for the game of golf,” said Woods. “It has been a privilege to lead the Future Competition Committee and I am proud of the work we have done to build the best version of the PGA Tour for future generations of players and fans.”
PGA TOUR Championship Series
The PGA Tour Championship Series will be the top tier of the new system with an expected 15 regular-season events. On top of this, players in the Series are expected to compete in a provisional 23 to 24 events between February and August, including The Players Championship, the majors and international team events such as the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup.
An initial 10 regular-season events have already been lined up by the PGA Tour. The remaining events will either be filled by existing competitions or tournaments in new markets under consideration, such as Boston, Denver, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.
Each PGA Tour Championship Series event is set to have a prize pot of at least $20 million, featuring fields of around 120 players with no alternate list and no sponsor exemptions. Each regular season event will feature 72 holes with a 36-hole cut to the top 65 and ties, with consideration for special formats (i.e. pro-am).
In a reimagined postseason, a new-look Tour Championship match play will be introduced, taking place on rotation across a range of the tour’s most prestigious courses.
PGA TOUR Challenger Series
Meanwhile, the PGA Tour Challenger Series will serve as the second tier and primary pathway to the PGA Tour Championship Series. Overall, the Series will feature at least 20 events with prize pots of at least $4 million, as players compete for promotion to the top tier.
Tournaments in the Challenger Series will be played concurrently with those in the Championship Series, and will include fields of around 144 players. Each tournament will be played across 72 holes with a 36-hole cut to the top 65 and ties.
Seven Challenger Series events are set to be played during PGA Tour Championship Series off-weeks to increase exposure for the second tier. At the same time, Championship Series players will not be eligible to participate in Challenger Series events.
New Points Systems
The PGA boards also approved the implementation of distinct and “intuitive” points systems on both the Championship and Challenger Series, providing added clarity and maintaining competitive outcomes on each. More details about the points systems are expected to be revealed in due course, with Rolapp saying that elements of the project still had to be “refined.”
In the Championship Series, the top 90 finishers at least (out of 130) will be exempt from relegation to the Challenger Series.
In the Challenger Series, at least 20 players will be promoted to the Championship Series for the following season.
They can earn immediate promotions to the Championship Series by winning either multiple Challenger Series events within the same season or a major championship. Otherwise, there will be a ‘last chance’ series of four to six events in the fall, where a number of spots will remain open for the Championship Series through high finishes.
The PGA Tour will maintain its annual Qualifying Tournament (Q-School) to provide access to Tour competitions, including the Challenger Series, the ‘last chance’ series and further developmental pathways.
“We will continue refining elements of the model and sharing public updates as we move toward implementation,” said Rolapp.
Promotions and Relegations
The PGA Tour will inevitably have looked at the English soccer pyramid as a sample case where promotions and relegations make leagues more entertaining and compelling for fans and partners.
Although Major League Soccer does not have promotion or relegation, it was announced in January that the top division of the United Soccer League would be branded as USL Premier in 2028, and would launch with a U.S.-first promotion/relegation model.
PGA Tour Evolution
Rolapp, who previously spent more than two decades in media and operations positions at the NFL, will succeed Jay Monahan as PGA Tour commissioner on January 1, 2027. He will become only the fifth commissioner in the history of the tour, having also been appointed the first ever CEO of the PGA Tour only a year ago.
Now, the PGA Tour is pursuing an aggressive expansion strategy by introducing new formats and models to attract new audiences.
Its position has been helped by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund’s withdrawal of funding for competing tour LIV Golf back in April. It was reported that the league had losses of around $100 million after struggling to secure major broadcast deals and sponsorships, while PIF was downsizing some of its investments to instead focus on building the local Saudi economy.
PIF is said to have invested an estimated $5 billion in the venture over the course of four years, and the league is now seeking new funding revenues.