PGA Tour dramatically overhauling its playoffs, adopting match-play format

Key Points:

• Starting in 2028, the PGA Tour will introduce a new postseason format featuring a 90-man stroke play event to determine the season-long points winner, followed by a two-week match-play Tour Championship for the top 32 players.
• The Tour Championship will begin with World Cup-style group play, splitting players into eight groups of four, with the top two from each group advancing to a 16-man single-elimination bracket to crown the champion.
• Venues for the Tour Championship will rotate annually, aiming to feature courses not traditionally used by the PGA Tour, marking a significant shift from the current FedEx Cup playoff format centered around East Lake in Atlanta.
• PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp has led these changes as part of a broader restructuring, including a new two-tier system with promotion and relegation, and has engaged media partners and players to ensure the new format is authentic and appealing.
• The PGA Tour has seen financial improvements with increased revenue and a return to profitability in 2025, while also planning to finalize details for the Challenger Series, a secondary tier of events with smaller purses, by mid-2027.