PGA Tour takes next step in competitive restructure, finalizing crucial membership, eligibility criteria

The PGA Tour finalized eligibility and established new membership categories among a number of approvals for the new two-series competitive model debuting in 2028.

The Tour announced Tuesday the criteria that form the foundation of both the PGA Tour Championship Series and PGA Tour Challenger Series, both of which will begin play in 2028. It answers the fundamental question: who will be eligible to play on each Tour?

The new system is designed with meritocracy in mind, ensuring upward mobility for top-performing players at each level with compelling promotion and relegation driving interest and consequence.

That begins with the PGA Tour Championship Series, the upper echelon of the Tour’s new ecosystem, which will not include an alternate list or designated exemptions. With the goal of providing an average field of 120 players across the entire calendar, the following exemption categories will be used:

• The top 90 players from the PGA Tour Championship Series will retain membership year over year
• Twenty players will be promoted each year from the PGA Tour Challenger Series
• Winners of PGA Tour Championship Series events, including THE PLAYERS Championship and majors, receive membership for the current season and the following two seasons. Unlike the current system, exemptions do not stack for multiple wins in a season.

Additionally, mid-year promotion is available for players who win multiple PGA Tour Challenger Series events in the same season. PGA Tour Championship Series fields will also include applicable medical extensions and career milestone exemptions.

There are avenues for additional pathways as well, including PGA Tour University. The No. 1 finisher in the standings each year will earn PGA Tour Championship Series membership after that year’s NCAA Championships, along with an additional season of membership.

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.

Three spots will be available via the previously announced “last chance” series, played in the fall after an annual Q-School.

The changes come as part of a phased approach, with the 2027 season serving as a transition year to bridge to the new system and determine eligibility for the first year of the new model.

That comes with slightly varying stakes. In the current competitive model, the top 100 players in the FedExCup maintain full status each year. In 2027, the top 95 players in the season-ending standings will earn a spot on the PGA Tour Championship Series, versus the top 90 beginning in 2028 and beyond.

The top 10 finishers in the 2027 Korn Ferry Tour Points List will earn PGA Tour Championship Series status, while the next 30 available players will earn membership for PGA Tour Challenger Series. That represents a significant increase from the current model, which promotes a total of 20 players annually.

Additionally, PGA Tour winners’ exemptions earned through the conclusion of the 2026 season will be honored in their entirety for PGA Tour Championship Series, while new winners’ exemptions will begin with a refined scope in the new model, with all events on the PGA Tour Championship Series, inclusive of THE PLAYERS and majors, coming with a two-year exemption.

That means, for example, this year’s group of major championship winners will maintain their existing five-year exemptions and have PGA Tour Championship Series membership through 2031. However, major champions in 2027 will only be exempt on PGA Tour Championship Series until 2029.

The full transition-year eligibility in 2027, including what’s at stake for winners of various events, can be viewed here.

A vital component of the PGA Tour Championship Series is its point structure. That was also finalized during Monday's Board meeting. To make it easier for fans to understand, all PGA Tour Championship Series events will use the same points distribution, including THE PLAYERS and majors. The distribution model will feature a flatter curve, rewarding winning and top finishes while emphasizing the importance of making the cut. The full points distribution can be viewed here.

The other fundamental piece of the puzzle is the schedule. The PGA Tour has announced 19 event weeks for the initial 2028 PGA Tour Championship Series schedule, inclusive of THE PLAYERS, majors and national team events. The final schedule will include 24 event weeks with a mix of familiar Tour stops alongside several new markets and venues still to be determined. The full 2028 PGA TOUR Championship Series schedule will be unveiled on Feb. 22, 2027.

Eligibility for the PGA Tour Challenger Series was also finalized during Monday’s Board meeting.

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 all players relegated from the PGA Tour Championship Series in the previous season. Nos. 21-90 on the previous season’s PGA Tour Challenger Series Points List will be retained for the next year, with another 20 players promoted via the Korn Ferry Tour. Winners of PGA Tour Challenger Series events in the previous season who were not promoted will also be eligible.

The PGA Tour Challenger Series will also be a landing spot for high-performing collegiate golfers. Nos. 2-5 in the yearly PGA Tour University ranking will earn membership following the NCAA Championship through the next season. Any player who achieves and accepts PGA Tour University Accelerated will receive membership on PGA Tour Challenger Series.

Q-School will provide another avenue to the PGA Tour Challenger Series. The top five finishers in the yearly event will earn status for the following season. There will also be open qualifying for select PGA Tour Challenger Series events, with two spots available for each qualifier.

"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,” PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said in a statement. “For fans, this means a clear understanding of what is at stake during each PGA Tour competition, whether that is at the event level or across a season."

While many of those pathways are consistent with the current ways of moving through the PGA Tour ecosystem, one new pathway has been created. Further details around a “last chance” series were finalized Monday, as a final opportunity at season’s end for golfers to play themselves onto PGA Tour Championship Series.

Encompassing a minimum of four events, the top three finishers of the “last chance” series will earn PGA Tour Championship Series membership. All eligible players will be eligible for every event, with no alternate list, and must participate in all events in the series, pending any medical exclusion. Among those eligible to participate will be relegated PGA Tour Championship players, existing PGA Tour Challenger Series players, Q-School qualifiers, along with select Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour University players who will have already clinched PGA Tour Challenger Series status for the following season.

The PGA Tour Board will continue to address various components of the competitive structure in upcoming meetings. 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. 

Additionally, the Boards aligned on the Korn Ferry Tour continuing to serve as the primary path to the PGA Tour and annually promote players to the PGA Tour Challenger Series. Details on the full developmental system, along with the PGA Tour Challenger Series points list, are set to be finalized at the Nov. 16 Board Meeting.