PGA Tour to introduce promotion and relegation from 2028

The PGA Tour officially announced a revamped structure featuring promotion and relegation starting in 2028. Tiger Woods, the tour's Future Competitions Committee chairman and former world number one, fronted a news conference at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut to unveil the plans.

The top tier, called the Championship Series, will consist of 23-24 tournaments with 120-player fields. Each event will have a minimum purse of $20 million. At the end of the season, the top 90 players retain their status, while those below face relegation.

A concurrent Challenger Series will run with purses of at least $4 million per event. Any player who wins two Challenger events in the same season earns immediate promotion. Additionally, 20 players from the Challenger Series will be promoted at season's end.

The relationship with the DP World Tour remains unresolved. The current strategic alliance expires next year, and PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp indicated that by 2028 the European tour may help stage international tournaments in the autumn. Currently, the top 10 DP World Tour finishers not already on the PGA Tour earn cards, but this may change.

The season-ending Tour Championship will become a matchplay event and rotate venues, leaving its traditional home at East Lake in Atlanta. Championship Series players will not be allowed to compete in Challenger events during the same season.

Woods, making his first public appearance since his March car crash, stressed the changes aim to build a stronger tour. Rory McIlroy welcomed the announcement, calling it a positive step that reaffirms meritocracy. Rolapp said the changes are necessary to keep improving the product and increase fan engagement.