PGA Tour's 2028 Overhaul Splits Members Into Two Series
By Staff Writer
2 min read
LoopGolf
Key takeaways
- The PGA Tour will split into a Championship Series and a Challenger Series beginning in 2028, its biggest competitive change since the FedEx Cup launched in 2007.
- The Challenger Series will promote its top 20 players to the Championship Series each year.
- Points will no longer be weighted by event tier: every winner earns 300 points, down to 30 for the low-65 cut line, at any Championship Series event.
- Players with exemptions already earned through 2028 and beyond, including 2026's top 30 in FedEx Cup points, keep Championship Series access for those exemptions.
The PGA Tour on Tuesday released membership categories and eligibility rules for the two-series competitive system set to replace its current structure in 2028, along with a new points model for the top tier.
How will the Championship and Challenger Series work?
Players will be sorted annually between two concurrent tiers based on performance. The Championship Series will carry the Tour's top performers, while the Challenger Series will field Tour winners working their way back up, college standouts and top developmental-system players; its top 20 finishers will be promoted to the Championship Series each year. The Challenger Series will run 144-player fields with an alternate list, while Championship Series events will have no alternate list and field sizes tied to how many eligible players commit. The Korn Ferry Tour remains the primary pathway into the Challenger Series, with a separate fall "last chance" series offering a handful of additional Championship Series cards once developmental-system details are finalized at the Tour's Nov. 16 board meeting.
What is changing about the points system?
The Championship Series will stop weighting the Players Championship, majors and signature events more heavily than other tournaments. Every Championship Series winner will earn 300 points, with the scale flattening down to the player who makes the cut to the low 65 and finishes last.
| Finish | Points |
|---|---|
| 1st | 300 |
| 2nd | 200 |
| 3rd | 150 |
| 4th | 130 |
| Last (makes cut to low 65) | 30 |
A win is worth 300 points anywhere on the Championship Series schedule, major or not.
Tour commissioner Brian Rolapp said the new model "is designed to reward excellence" while keeping the season easier for fans to follow. Non-Championship Series members will not earn points for a finish, though a non-member who wins a major or earns two Challenger Series wins in a season will gain Championship Series membership, with points accruing only from that point forward.
How does the Tour decide who keeps their status through 2028?
Players who by the end of the 2026 season hold exemptions running through 2028 or beyond, including tournament-winner exemptions and the two-year exemption earned by finishing in the top 30 of the 2026 FedEx Cup points list, will retain Championship Series access for the length of those exemptions. Full transition-year eligibility and Challenger Series points details are due at the Tour's Nov. 16 board meeting, along with the future of DP World Tour access to the Strategic Alliance.
Frequently asked questions
When does the PGA Tour's new competitive system start?
The Championship Series and Challenger Series structure begins with the 2028 season.
How many players move up from the Challenger Series each year?
The top 20 finishers in the Challenger Series are promoted to the Championship Series annually.
Do majors still count for more points than regular events?
No. Under the new system, all Championship Series events award points on the same flat scale regardless of tournament tier.
- pga tour
- 2028 pga tour changes
- championship series
- challenger series
- brian rolapp
- fedex cup
