PGA Tour Sets Membership Pathways for Two-Series Structure From 2028

The PGA Tour has confirmed the membership framework for its new two-series competitive structure, which will replace the current system at the beginning of 2028.

The PGA Tour Championship Series and PGA Tour Challenger Series will run concurrently, with annual promotion and relegation determined by performance. The Championship Series will feature the Tour’s leading players, while the top 20 Challenger Series players each season will earn promotion to the top level.

PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said the structure was designed to make the consequences of each tournament and season easier for supporters to follow.

“From the beginning, we set out to preserve the meritocracy that makes our sport unique by creating a system where performance dictates opportunity,” Rolapp said. “Through new eligibility criteria and supporting pathways into the PGA Tour, the new competitive model is designed to reward excellence and ensure there is always a clear path for top performers at every stage of their career.”

Championship and Challenger Series membership

The Championship Series will sit at the top of the PGA Tour structure and identify the season’s leading golfer through a newly approved points system.

Challenger Series fields will include PGA Tour winners, established players attempting to regain top-tier status, leading college golfers and players progressing through the developmental system. Those players will compete for 20 Championship Series places each year.

The PGA Tour Boards have also approved eligibility for a separate “last chance” series, creating another route into the new structure. Full details of that competition, including its format and available places, were not included in Tuesday’s announcement.

Performance benefits during the 2027 season will determine the membership composition for 2028. The Boards have approved those benefits alongside the new Championship Series points system, although the full allocation has yet to be set out.

Existing exemptions will be protected

Players who have secured exemptions through 2028 or beyond by the end of the 2026 season will retain Championship Series access for the length of those exemptions.

That protection covers tournament winners holding multi-season exemptions and players who earned two-year status by finishing inside the top 30 of the 2026 FedExCup Points List. The provision protects those players during the transition to the new structure.

The Korn Ferry Tour will remain the principal developmental route and will promote players into the Challenger Series each year. The wider developmental system is due to be finalised at the PGA Tour Boards’ meeting on November 16, with PGA Tour University also forming part of the pathway.

Access for leading DP World Tour players remains under consideration as discussions continue over the future of the tours’ Strategic Alliance. No places or qualifying criteria have yet been confirmed.

Membership categories for 2028 are outlined below, as well as transition-year performance benefits.

PGA Tour Championship Series Membership Categories

The PGA Tour Championship Series will be made up of eligible players based on the following membership categories. These players will be eligible to compete in all PGA Tour Championship Series events (note: events such as THE PLAYERS and majors may maintain eligibility criteria specific to their respective events). There will be no alternate list and field sizes will vary based on the number of players committed. The membership criteria include:

• Retained Players – Top 90 players who retain PGA Tour Championship Series membership.
• Promoted Players – Top 20 players who are promoted from the PGA Tour Challenger Series.
• Two-Time Winners – Players who win twice during the PGA Tour Challenger Series season.
• Two-Year Winner Exemptions – Winners of PGA Tour Championship Series events, inclusive of THE PLAYERS and majors, receive PGA Tour Championship Series membership for the current season and the following two seasons. Winner exemptions do not extend beyond two years for multiple wins in a season.
• Medical Extensions – Medical Extensions will be granted on a limited basis for injury or conditions that materially prevent competition, as determined by an outside review committee of independent medical experts.
• Career Milestone Exemptions – Players with exceptional PGA Tour careers – currently recognized through the Career Money List – will be eligible to use a one-time exemption on the PGA Tour Championship Series in 2029 and beyond. In order to do so, (1) the player must hold PGA Tour Championship Series membership the season prior and (2) the exemption must be used in the year immediately following loss of PGA Tour Championship Series membership. Career Milestone Exemptions for 2028 are listed below in transition-year eligibility.
• Pathways – Future stars of the PGA Tour Championship Series will be captured through the Tour’s Pathways, including PGA Tour University and a “last chance” series.
  • The No. 1 player from PGA Tour University following that season’s NCAA Championship will be eligible for the PGA Tour Championship Series that season and the following season.
  • Three cards will be available via a “last chance” series.

PGA Tour Challenger Series Eligibility

The PGA Tour Challenger Series will feature fields of 144 players, with the ability to reduce when necessary (e.g. daylight), and with an alternate list. The membership criteria include:

• PGA Tour Championship Series Relegated – Players relegated from the PGA Tour Championship Series in the previous season.
• PGA Tour Challenger Series Retained – Nos. 21-90 on the previous season’s PGA Tour Challenger Series Points List.
• 20 Players Promoted from Korn Ferry Tour
  • The top 20 finishers from the previous season’s Korn Ferry Tour Points List.
• Tournament Winners Exemptions
  • Winners of PGA Tour Challenger Series events receive PGA Tour Challenger Series membership for the current season and the following season. Winner exemptions do not extend beyond one year for multiple wins in a season.
  • In addition to their two-year exemption on the PGA Tour Championship Series, winners of PGA Tour Championship Series events, inclusive of THE PLAYERS and majors, in the previous four years are exempt on the PGA Tour Challenger Series.
  • Players who win multiple PGA Tour Championship Series events in the same season will have their winner’s exemption on the PGA Tour Challenger Series extended for each additional win, up to a maximum of five seasons. Exemptions for multiple wins on the PGA Tour Challenger Series do not extend.
• PGA Tour University
  • Nos. 2-5 in the PGA Tour University Ranking earn PGA Tour Challenger Series membership following the conclusion of the NCAA Championship through the following season.
  • Players who achieve and accept PGA Tour University Accelerated earn PGA Tour Challenger Series membership and can join at the start of a future season.
• Q-School
  • The top five finishers from the previous season’s PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament (Q-School).
• Open Qualifying
  • The top two finishers at Open Qualifying for PGA Tour Challenger Series events played the same week as PGA Tour Championship Series events.
  • There is no Open Qualifying for standalone PGA Tour Challenger Series events.
• Designated Exemptions
  • Up to two designated exemptions.
• Medical Extensions
  • Medical Extensions will be granted on a limited basis for injury or conditions that materially prevent competition, as determined by an outside review committee of independent medical experts.

 “Last Chance” Series Eligibility

The PGA Tour will develop a “last chance” series of a minimum of four events in the fall with three cards available for the PGA Tour Championship Series. All eligible players will be eligible for every event, with no alternate list. Players will be required to participate in all events in the series in order to earn a PGA Tour Championship Series card, pending any medical exclusion. The series will be contested after the annual Qualifying Tournament (Q-School) and will begin in the fall of 2028. Eligible players are as follows:

• PGA Tour Championship Series Relegated
  • Players relegated from the PGA Tour Championship Series the season immediately preceding a “last chance” series.
• PGA Tour Challenger Series Retained
  • Nos. 21-90 from the PGA Tour Challenger Series Points List in the season immediately preceding a “last chance” series.
• 20 Players Promoted from Korn Ferry Tour
  • The 20 players promoted from the Korn Ferry Tour.
• PGA Tour University Current Season
  • Nos. 2-5 in the PGA Tour University Ranking in the current season, following the conclusion of NCAA Championship.
• PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament (Q-School)
  • The top 5 finishers from the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament immediately preceding a “last chance” series.

Transition-Year Eligibility

In order to determine membership for 2028, the following transition-year eligibility has been set.

• Tournament Winners
  • PGA Tour Tournament Winner exemptions earned by the conclusion of the 2026 season will be honored through the duration of its term on the PGA Tour Championship Series.
  • Winners of THE PLAYERS, majors and Signature Events in 2027 will earn:
    • PGA Tour Championship Series membership through 2029
    • PGA Tour Challenger Series membership through 2031
  • Winners of Full-Field Events in 2027 during the regular season will earn:
    • PGA Tour Championship Series membership through 2028
    • PGA Tour Challenger Series membership through 2029
  • Winners of FedExCup Fall Events and Opposite Events in 2027 will earn:
    • PGA Tour Challenger Series membership through 2029
• FedExCup Points List
  • Players who earned a two-year exemption by finishing in the top 30 of the 2026 FedExCup Points List will have PGA Tour Championship Series membership for the 2028 season. This two-year exemption will not be awarded for the top 30 finishers in 2027.
  • The top 70 players in the final 2027 FedExCup Points List (through the FedExCup Playoffs) will earn PGA Tour Championship Series membership for 2028. Note: The top 70 will be locked following the 2027 TOUR Championship.
  • The top 95 players in the final 2027 FedExCup Fall Points List will earn PGA Tour Championship Series membership for 2028.
  • Nos. 96-175 in the final 2027 FedExCup Fall Points List will earn PGA Tour Challenger Series membership for 2028.
• Career Milestones
  • The top 25 and top 50 members on the PGA Tour Career Money List at the end of the 2027 season may elect a one-time, one-season PGA Tour Championship Series exemption for 2028. Members utilizing a Career Money Exemption must have played in 15 or more PGA Tour events in 2027. 
• Korn Ferry Tour Points List
  • The top 10 players in the final 2027 Korn Ferry Tour Points List will earn PGA Tour Championship Series membership for 2028.
  • The next 30 players in the final 2027 Korn Ferry Tour Points List, not otherwise exempt for the PGA Tour Championship Series or PGA Tour Challenger Series, beginning with No. 11, will earn PGA Tour Challenger Series membership for 2028.
• PGA Tour University
  • The No. 1 player in the final 2027 PGA Tour University Ranking will earn PGA Tour membership for the remainder of the current season, following the conclusion of the NCAA Championship, and PGA Tour Championship Series membership for 2028.
  • Nos. 2-10 in the final 2027 PGA Tour University Ranking will earn Korn Ferry Tour membership for the remainder of the current season, following the conclusion of the NCAA Championship, and the top five performers on the 2027 total points list will earn PGA Tour Challenger Series membership for 2028.
• PGA Tour Americas
  • The No. 1 player in the final 2027 PGA Tour Americas Points List will earn PGA Tour Challenger Series membership for 2028.
• Medical Extensions
  • Players who are injured in 2027 and require a Major Medical Extension in 2028 will receive a medical on the PGA Tour Championship Series if:
    • Competing in a tournament winner category at the time of their injury OR
    • Competing out of the top 70 category at the time of their injury OR
    • Maintained a 3-year average of top 70 points at the time of their injury
  • Major Medical Extensions for players who do not meet that criteria, as well as all Conditional Medical Extensions, will be played out on the PGA Tour Challenger Series.
  • All medical extensions for injuries prior to 2027 will be played out on the PGA Tour Challenger Series in 2028.
• Final Stage of Q-School
  • Top 10 finishers from Final Stage of Q-School in 2027 receive PGA Tour Challenger Series membership in 2028.
  • Final Stage exemptions include:
    • Players in fully exempt categories on the PGA Tour in 2027 (through top 30 FedExCup Points Year 2)
    • Nos. 176-200 on the final 2027 FedExCup Fall Points List
    • Players within the top 75 on the 2027 Korn Ferry Tour Points List
    • Top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking as of the Final Stage entry deadline
    • Nos. 2-10 in the 2027 PGA Tour University Ranking
    • Top 10 on the 2027 PGA Tour Americas Points List
    • Leading player from International Tour partners
    • Medical Exemptions/Extensions

PGA Tour Championship Series Points List

In 2028, each PGA Tour series will operate its own season-long points system. To make it easier for fans to understand, all PGA Tour Championship Series events will use the same points distribution, including THE PLAYERS Championship and majors. Additionally, the points list will be easier to follow over the course of the season, as players are competing head-to-head throughout the year and only earn points within their respective series.

The new points distribution model will feature a flatter curve, rewarding winning and top finishes while emphasizing the importance of making the cut. This will create clearer and more compelling storylines on an event-by-event and season-long basis as players are accurately ranked based on performance, with sustained performance over the course of the season rewarded.

Points for a finish position by a player who is not a member of the PGA Tour Championship Series will not be distributed.

A non-member who wins a major championship and/or a player promoted following two wins in the same season on the PGA Tour Challenger Series will earn membership on the PGA Tour Championship Series, but will only be eligible to earn points moving forward following the win.

The PGA Tour Challenger Series points system is set to be finalized at the November 16 Board Meeting.

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