The Tour Championship will look unrecognizable by the time the PGA Tour rolls out its planned changes for 2028.
Under the new structure, the top 90 players on the Championship Series points list will advance to the “Championship Series Finale,” a 72-hole stroke-play event that finalizes the season-long points race and determines the 32-man field for the new-look Tour Championship.
The new Tour Championship will be a two-week match-play event held at what the Tour calls “prestigious venues” it hasn’t traditionally featured, moving away from its longtime home at East Lake Golf Club. Potential host venues reportedly include Sleepy Hollow, Los Angeles Country Club and Interlachen, according to the Sports Business Journal.
The first week will be a group stage. The 32-man field splits into eight groups of four, and each player faces the other three golfers in his group. The top two finishers from each group advance to the second week, with ties settled by playoff.
The second week narrows to 16 players competing in four rounds of match play. It won’t be single elimination. All 16 players play all four rounds regardless of result, with the final two undefeated players facing off on the last day for the Tour Champion title. Final standings across the field are determined by each player’s overall win-loss record.
It will mark the first time match play decides a Tour Championship, and the first time the format has been used on Tour since the 2023 WGC-Match Play event.
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp explained the reasoning behind the redesign in a statement. “From the beginning, the goal of the Future Competition Committee was to create an easier-to-follow competitive model for our fans with greater consequence and a stronger season-long narrative,” Rolapp said. “Throughout this process, we listened carefully to our fans, players and partners. One message came through clearly: the culmination of our season should be worthy of the journey it takes to get there. The result is a season-ending structure that rewards excellence over the course of the year while building toward a reimagined Tour Championship. We are creating something different, something distinct within professional golf that can resonate far beyond it.”
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The Tour plans to announce the full 2028 Championship Series schedule, including both Tour Championship venues, on Feb. 22, 2027, during a live event at Tour headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Eligibility details for the 2028 Championship Series will follow the Tour’s Sept. 14 board meeting.
