The PGA Tour will split into two tiers in 2028—but the full picture remains unclear. The revamped system will feature the Championship Series and the Challenger Series, with players moving between the two through a system of promotion and relegation. More importantly, the Tour revealed the membership criteria and eligibility requirements for the new structure on Tuesday.
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It sheds light on who will be eligible to compete on each Tour. According to the PGA Tour, the system will prioritize meritocracy, giving players opportunities for upward mobility based on how they perform. But how much do you know about the new membership criteria and eligibility requirements? Here are three things we know and three things we don’t.
Three things we know
The easiest part to understand is who plays in which series. The Championship Series will serve as the top tier, with 90 players who will retain their positions based on their performance and eligibility. And then there’s the Challenger Series, which will feature a 144-player field. This will provide a pathway for players to reach the top tier. Meanwhile, there will also be promotions and relegations.
But before this system can come into effect, the 2027 season will act as the transitional period. But more importantly, it will dictate the initial makeup of the 2028 Championship Series. During this season, the top 95 players will earn their place in the Championship Series for 2028. And the qualification process will include exemptions for major champions. For example, winners of the four majors next year will receive two-year exemptions, which will give them protection as the Tour adapts to the new structure.
And there’s some good news for those who may get left behind the top 90, starting in 2028. The new structure also gives players one final opportunity to secure a place in the Championship Series. And that comes through the minimum four-event fall series. These events will serve as the last-chance pathway for players who couldn’t secure their position in the top tier throughout the season. So, players won’t be forced to play in the Challenger Series.
Three things we don’t know
So, we know how the 2028 Championship Series will operate. However, the complete 24-event schedule still remains in the air, as it’s yet to be revealed. At the time of writing, only 19 event weeks have been mapped out, leaving five weeks still to be determined. The American Tour is expected to divulge details about the full schedule on February 22, 2027. In the meantime, the 2027 season will use the current FedExCup format.
Another piece of information, and a vital one at that, remains a mystery. And it’s how players from the DP World Tour will gain access to the Championship Series. Even though the PGA Tour has confirmed that access through the Strategic Alliance with the European Tour will remain intact and will be part of the new eligibility structure, the exact number of spots and qualification pathway have not been finalized.
In the current format, the top 10 players in the season-ending DP World Tour Race to Dubai rankings earn PGA Tour cards for the following season. That is, players who aren’t already exempt. So, it’s unclear whether that will just carry over to the two-tier system or whether a new allocation system will be created for the Championship Series. PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp claimed there’s going to be some form of access, but the number of cards is unclear.
And lastly, the Tour has left some important details about the developmental pathway and points system to be finalized. The Championship Series and Challenger Series will operate with separate points systems, which means points earned in one won’t carry over to the other. The systems will reward winning, place greater emphasis on high finishes, and make making the cut more meaningful.
However, the complete Challenger Series points structure, the exact distribution of points across different events, and some of the remaining developmental pathways still require further approval from the Tour’s Boards. The PGA Tour has already established that Challenger Series events will generally be 72-hole tournaments with 36-hole cuts and 144-player fields, but its full membership and exemption criteria are still being finalized.
So, as things stand, although the PGA Tour has made several changes, the complete picture of what the Tour will look like in 2028 remains to be seen.