GOLF: PGA Tour announces sweeping changes with promotion and relegation model from 2028

The PGA Tour announced major changes to its competitive structure on Tuesday, approving a new two-tier system that will introduce promotion and relegation beginning in 2028.

Under the revised format, the top-level PGA Tour Championship Series will run from February through August and feature 23 to 24 events, each carrying $20 million purses. A second-tier Challenger Series will offer $4 million events and serve as the primary pathway for players to earn promotion to the elite level.

“At its core, this work was driven by a simple objective: to build the best version of the PGA Tour, something that could endure and outlive us all,” PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said during a press conference in Cromwell, Connecticut, ahead of this week’s Travelers Championship.

The Championship Series will include the four major championships, the Players Championship, season-ending events, and team competitions such as the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup. It will feature an average field of 120 players and will be played as 72-hole stroke-play events with a 36-hole cut.

The structure introduces a formal promotion and relegation system, with a minimum of 90 players retained on the Championship Series each season and 20 players promoted from the Challenger Series.

Tiger Woods, an Tiger Woods, made his first public appearance since his DUI charge in March and served on the nine-member committee that recommended the overhaul. He also introduced Rolapp at the press conference.

“We have to look forward and beyond today and over the horizon to set up the PGA Tour and our sport for future generations of players and fans,” Woods said.

Rolapp added that new markets are being considered for future Championship Series events, including Boston, Denver, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.

Full eligibility criteria will be finalized later this year. These will include select exemptions for tournament winners, medical extensions, and career milestones. Sponsor exemptions will no longer be part of the qualification system.

The Challenger Series will run alongside the Championship Series with at least 20 events, featuring emerging players and those attempting to regain top-tier status. Fields will be capped at 144 players.

Players who win twice on the Challenger Series will earn automatic promotion to the Championship Series. A “last chance” qualifying series of four to six events will also award a limited number of additional spots.

World No. 2 Rory McIlroy, an Rory McIlroy, who previously warned that a two-tier system could create “glorified Korn Ferry events,” said the changes mark a positive step for the sport following the disruption caused by the emergence of LIV Golf.

“Over the last few years, golf has faced a period of uncertainty and division, which has not been in the best interests of the players or fans,” McIlroy said in a statement. “Today, we are putting fans first, and I am excited about the future of our sport.”

In a separate announcement, the PGA Tour confirmed that Rolapp, who began serving as CEO in July, has been approved as the organization’s next commissioner beginning in January.

Rolapp will succeed Jay Monahan, who will complete his 10-year tenure on December 31.

“It has been an honor to serve as Commissioner of the PGA Tour and to work alongside our players, partners and leadership team during a transformational period for our sport,” Monahan said. “The progress we have made was driven by a willingness to evolve and a shared commitment to do what is best for the future of the Tour. Brian is the right leader for this moment, and I am confident the PGA Tour’s best days are ahead.” -Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Clare Fallon/Reuters