How it works: PGA TOUR Challenger Series

Featuring emerging talent alongside players fighting to return to the top level of the PGA TOUR, the PGA TOUR Challenger Series represents a compelling slate of high-stakes events played across familiar PGA TOUR courses.

Approved by the PGA TOUR boards among a series of recommendations from the Future Competition Committee, the PGA TOUR Challenger Series will begin with the 2028 season as an important part of the TOUR’s new two-series model.

Let’s dive into how the PGA TOUR Challenger Series will work, including its clear guidelines for promotion as players look to secure PGA TOUR Championship Series status:

Structure

The PGA TOUR Challenger Series will include at least 20 events, each boasting a prize purse of at least $4 million. The tournament schedule will run concurrently to the PGA TOUR Championship Series, beginning in February and concluding in August.

Approximately seven PGA TOUR Challenger Series events will be played during PGA TOUR Championship Series off weeks, with increased competitive consequence, benefits and exposure.

The full schedule for 2028 PGA TOUR Challenger Series will be announced at a later date.

Format

PGA TOUR Challenger Series events will feature an average field size of 144 players, except when constraints such as daylight require a reduced field size. Each event will be contested across 72 holes with a 36-hole cut, trimming the field to the top 65 and ties (including amateurs), with consideration for special formats (i.e. pro-am).

The PGA TOUR Challenger Series will feature a unique season-long points system, with bonus points offered for events contested during PGA TOUR Championship Series off weeks and major championships. The PGA TOUR Challenger Series points system will be separate from the one utilized for PGA TOUR Championship Series events, as players will earn points only within each respective series.

Promotion and relegation

The PGA TOUR Challenger Series will offer players direct paths for promotion to the PGA TOUR Championship Series. A minimum of 20 players from the points list at the end of each season will be promoted to the PGA TOUR Championship Series for the following year. PGA TOUR Challenger Series members who finish outside the cutoff for promotion will also have an opportunity to earn PGA TOUR Championship Series status through a “last chance” series, held in the fall.

Additionally, PGA TOUR Challenger Series members can earn immediate promotions by either winning multiple PGA TOUR Challenger Series events in the same season or by winning a major championship.

At minimum, the top 90 players on the PGA TOUR Championship Series points list will retain status for the following season. Players who finish outside the top 90 on the PGA TOUR Championship Series points list could face potential relegation to the PGA TOUR Challenger Series for the following season. There will also be a relegation component out of the PGA TOUR Challenger Series, the details of which will be released at a later date.

Eligibility

Similar to the current PGA TOUR system, the PGA TOUR Challenger Series will feature a priority ranking set at the beginning of the season. Eligibility will consist of exempt members, with access to all PGA TOUR Challenger Series events, and conditional members who will be utilized to fill the fields.

Major championships will not count toward the slate of 20 PGA TOUR Challenger Series events, but members will earn points for participation in majors, should they qualify through the necessary eligibility criteria set forth by each tournament.

PGA TOUR Championship Series members are not eligible to participate in PGA TOUR Challenger Series events.

Q-School

The PGA TOUR will continue to contest an annual Qualifying Tournament, known as Q-School, to award access across the PGA TOUR ecosystem. Q-School will conclude prior to the beginning of the “last chance” series and will offer the opportunity to earn access to the PGA TOUR Challenger Series and the pathways developmental properties.