PGA Tour approves two-tier system with promotion and relegation from 2028

The PGA Tour will introduce a two-tier competitive structure featuring promotion and relegation beginning with the 2028 season, the organisation confirmed at a press conference ahead of the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut. The new model, developed by the Tour's Future Competition Committee, splits the circuit into a top-level Championship Series and a development-focused Challenger Series.

The new hierarchy

The Championship Series will run roughly from February through August and consist of 23 to 24 events, each with a minimum purse of $20 million. Fields will average 120 players and will be contested over 72 holes of stroke play with a 36-hole cut. The series will include the four majors, the Players Championship, season-ending tournaments and team events such as the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup. Below it, the Challenger Series will run concurrently with at least 20 events offering $4 million purses and fields of up to 144 players.

PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp said the model was built around "scarcity, simplicity and parity." New markets under consideration for remaining Championship Series slots include Boston, Denver, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. Full eligibility criteria will be finalised later this year, with exemptions for tournament winners, medical extensions and career milestones, but no sponsor exemptions will be allowed.

“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.”

Promotion and relegation mechanism

At the end of each season, a minimum of 90 players will retain their status on the Championship Series, while at least 20 players will be promoted from the Challenger Series. Any player who wins twice on the Challenger Series in the same season will earn an immediate mid-season promotion. A "last chance" series of four to six events will offer a limited number of additional spots on the elite circuit.

“The result is a new competitive model grounded in meritocracy, with clearer pathways, higher stakes and more consistency when the best players compete together.”

Tiger Woods returns to public view

Tiger Woods, the 15-time major winner and chairman of the Future Competition Committee, made his first public appearance since a car crash and subsequent DUI charge in late March. He read a prepared statement but did not take questions. Woods said the reform was driven by a desire to build something that "could endure and outlive us all" and to set up the tour "for the future generations of players and fans."

“This work was never about any one player or person. It was about bringing together different perspectives, having honest, hard conversations and thinking boldly about what is best for the game that we all love.”

Rolapp praised Woods's involvement throughout the process, calling it "fantastic" to see him in good form.

International ripple effects

The PGA Tour's strategic alliance with the DP World Tour, which expires this year but is expected to be renewed, could lead to elevated international events. Rolapp suggested that top players would be eligible for a limited series of autumn events including "prominent national opens," potentially boosting the Irish Open's field quality. DP World Tour chief executive Guy Kinnings said a "clear opportunity exists to further elevate and enhance key national opens" between September and January.

“I've always been proud to compete around the world, and the collaboration between the PGA Tour and DP World Tour is one founded in the betterment of the game globally. The commitment to elevate some of these historic international tournaments and national opens is incredibly important.”

The main season will conclude with a match play tournament instead of the traditional stroke play finale. Meanwhile, some players have voiced cautious notes. Rory McIlroy, quoted last week, referred to the secondary tier as a "glorified Korn Ferry event" and warned that tournaments could lose status unless sponsors commit significant funds.

Events (Championship)23

Events (Challenger)20

Purse ($m, Championship)20

Purse ($m, Challenger)4

Field size (Championship)120

Field size (Challenger)144

Events (Championship)

23

Events (Challenger)

20

Purse ($m, Championship)

20

Purse ($m, Challenger)

4

Field size (Championship)

120

Field size (Challenger)

144

Data from the article text