Who will be eligible for 2028 PGA Tour Championship Series, PGA Tour Challenger Series?

What will the PGA Tour look like in 2028 after broad, sweeping changes to the current competitive structure?

The PGA Tour has revealed new details about how eligibility and membership will work for PGA Tour Championship Series and PGA Tour Challenger Series, both of which will begin in 2028.

As previously announced, the PGA Tour will feature two series of events running concurrently – the PGA Tour Championship Series and the PGA Tour Challenger Series – with players moving between each series annually based on performance.

While eligibility will differ in 2027 as a transition year before the structure is fully implemented, these criteria demonstrate how players will maintain and move between the various levels of the PGA Tour system starting in 2028.

The structure prioritizes meritocracy, emphasizing consequential promotion and relegation that will ensure upward mobility across every level of the PGA Tour system.

So, who will be eligible for the PGA Tour Championship Series and PGA Tour Challenger Series? How will players move between the two levels? Membership categories and criteria are outlined below.

PGA Tour Championship Series

The PGA Tour Championship Series will feature fields of 120 players, on average, without an alternate list. There will be no designated exemptions. The schedule will include 23 events, inclusive of THE PLAYERS Championship, major championships and national team events (Presidents Cup/Ryder Cup).

PGA Tour Championship Series membership will include:

• Retained Players: The top 90 players from the previous season’s PGA Tour Championship Series will be retained each year.
• Promoted Players: The top 20 players from the previous season’s PGA Tour Challenger Series will be promoted each year.
• Winners of any PGA Tour Championship Series event, inclusive of THE PLAYERS and majors, receive membership for the current season and the following two seasons. Winner exemptions do not extend beyond two years for multiple wins in a season.
• Any player who wins twice during the PGA Tour Challenger season will be immediately promoted to the PGA Tour Championship Series and hold membership for the remainder of the season.
• 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.
• The top three finishers from the previous season’s “last chance” series.

Access available to top performers from the DP World Tour is being considered as part of the ongoing discussions regarding the future of the Strategic Alliance.

Medical extensions and existing career milestone exemptions will also be honored when applicable. Full eligibility criteria are available here.

More info on the evolving PGA Tour Championship Series structure, including the new points distribution, is available here.

PGA Tour Challenger Series

The PGA Tour Challenger Series will feature fields of 144 players, with the ability to reduce when necessary, and with an alternate list. The schedule will include a minimum of 20 events; seven of which will be played as standalone events during off weeks of the PGA Tour Championship Series in 2028 (total number could vary year to year). Membership categories will include:

• Players relegated from the PGA Tour Championship Series in the previous season.
• Nos. 21-90 on the previous season’s PGA Tour Challenger Series final points list.
• The top 20 players from the previous season’s Korn Ferry Tour points list.
• Winners of PGA Tour Championship Series events, inclusive of THE PLAYERS and majors, in the previous four years who are not otherwise eligible.
• Winners on PGA Tour Challenger Series in the previous season and the current season.

A number of spots will also be given to other pathways, including: Nos. 2-5 in the PGA Tour University Ranking from the current and previous year and any player who achieves and accepts PGA Tour University Accelerated.

The top five finishers from the previous season’s PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament (Q-School) will also earn membership.

Additionally, two spots will be available via Open Qualifying for select PGA Tour Challenger Series events. The fields will also include up to two designated exemptions and any applicable medical extensions (more details available at a later date).

'Last chance' series

As previously announced, the PGA Tour will hold a “last chance” series in the fall with three spots available for the PGA Tour Championship Series the following year.

The series will begin after the annual Qualifying Tournament (Q-School) in the fall of 2028 and will include a minimum of four events. Players must compete in every event to be eligible for promotion.

The full eligibility criteria is available here.