PGA Tour Sets Two-Series Structure With Promotion and Relegation Starting in 2028

The PGA Tour approved recommendations from its Future Competition Committee on Monday that establish two separate tournament series running concurrently beginning in 2028. The PGA Tour Policy Board and PGA Tour Enterprises Board endorsed the plan during meetings in West Hartford, Connecticut. The new structure consists of the PGA Tour Championship Series and the PGA Tour Challenger Series.

The Championship Series will feature up to 24 events, including 16 signature events, The Players Championship, four major championships, season-ending events, and the Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup. Each of the 16 signature events will be 72-hole stroke-play tournaments with average fields of 120 players and cuts after 36 holes to the top 65 and ties.

Each signature event will carry a purse of at least $20 million, and the series will run from around February through August.

At least the top 90 players in the Championship Series points list will retain membership the following season, with another 20 players promoted annually from the Challenger Series. There will be no sponsor exemptions in the Championship Series. The tour will apply a single, consistent points structure that rewards winning, emphasizes top finishes, and reinforces the importance of making the cut.

Tour CEO Brian Rolapp announced the changes during a news conference Tuesday at TPC River Highlands, the site of the 2026 Travelers Championship. "I think every sport has a tradition, and golf is no different," Rolapp said. " Tiger Woods, chairman of the Future Competition Committee, issued a statement praising the changes.

"This work was bigger than any one player or person -- it was about designing the strongest possible version of the PGA Tour for the future generations of fans and players," Woods said. Woods attended the news conference in Cromwell but did not speak beyond his opening statement.