El PGA TOUR announced on Tuesday how it will finish its seasons from 2028. It will be a thoroughly revamped conclusion, over three weeks and with two different champions: the winner of the season-long standings and the victor of the TOUR Championship.
The new system will have a first finale with the Final de las PGA TOUR Championship Series, a conventional 72-hole stroke play tournament reserved for the top 90. After that will come a completely reinvented TOUR Championship: 32 players, two consecutive weeks of match play and two different courses.
The circuit already outlined the broad lines of its future competitive model last June, divided between the PGA TOUR Championship Series and the PGA TOUR Challenger Series. The former will bring together the best players in regular 72-hole events, with a cut and a single points standings that will run throughout the season.
It has now explained in detail how its final phase will work
A first final with the top 90
The first act of this conclusion will be the Final de las PGA TOUR Championship Series. The top 90 in the points standings will qualify and all of them will retain their playing rights for the following season.
Participation in this tournament will be mandatory in order to claim the season title, receive the corresponding financial bonuses or qualify for the TOUR Championship.
It will be a 72-hole event and stroke play. On the one hand, there will be a tournament champion, determined by the conventional leaderboard and with the corresponding prize distribution. On the other hand, the points earned in this final event will decide who finishes as the Season Number One.
The final standings will also determine the participants in the TOUR Championship. Only the top 32 from the points list will advance.
In this way, the PGA TOUR will clearly separate its two major honours: the most consistent and effective player across the campaign will be the season winner, while the TOUR Championship will have its own champion
First week: eight groups of four players
The TOUR Championship will be a standalone event and will be played as match play over two weeks at two different courses. The PGA TOUR intends to use a rotation of prestigious venues, including layouts that traditionally have not been able to be part of the modern tour schedule.
It will be the first time match play is used in the TOUR Championship and will mark the return of this format to the PGA TOUR since the WGC-Match Play de 2023.
The first week will bring together 32 players, split into eight groups of four. Over three days, each golfer will play individually against the other three members of their group.
The top two in each group will advance to the second week. In the event of a tie at the end of the initial phase, a playoff will be played to decide which players progress
Second week: 16 players and an unbeaten champion
The 16 qualifiers will move to a different course to play the second stage of the TOUR Championship.
This phase will consist of four days of head-to-head matches: round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. Players will advance as they win. The two golfers who remain unbeaten after the first three days will meet on the final day for the title of champion of the TOUR Championship.
Tiger Woods celebrated it on social media:
The conclusion of the season should be worthy of the journey it takes to get there.
Today’s announcement is a result of the hard work and passion of our players.
Excited to usher in a new era of match play on the @PGATOUR https://t.co/on71rygzhe
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) August 25, 2026
All participants will play matches over the four days. Their respective records will also be used to determine the final ranking of the championship, beyond the two players who reach the final duel.
The new model will therefore produce a three-week finish very different from the current one: a first 72-hole stroke-play final with 90 players to close the annual standings and, subsequently, two weeks of match play with 32 participants to crown the champion of the TOUR Championship.
The PGA TOUR will announce the full schedule and all venues for the PGA TOUR Championship Series de 2028, including the two courses chosen for the TOUR Championship, on 22 February 2027. The presentation will take place during a live broadcast produced by PGA TOUR Studios from the tour’s headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
The entry criteria for the PGA TOUR Championship Series of 2028 will be communicated after the Board meeting scheduled for 14 September. The circuit will provide more details as it finalises its new competitive model.
