The nuts and bolts of the PGA Tour Championship and Challenger series, set to debut in 2028, are now in place, adding detail to the concept that will transform the tour’s competitive structure.
The Championship and Challenger series will run concurrently and players will be locked into their respective series for the entirety of the season with relegation and promotion built into each series. It reinforces the tour’s competitive meritocracy, which has been a fundamental intention of CEO and incoming commissioner Brian Rolapp’s reimagination of the tour.
“We all sort of aligned our North Stars of where we wanted to go, right, which we’ve talked a lot about, and then it’s a question of how you get there,” Rolapp said in a conference call Tuesday morning. “Once we aligned on the vision, which took a lot of discussion, then it was the details, how do they work.
“The players were extremely active in every aspect of it, from looking at the data to coming up with ideas to debating, and the staff really facilitated a lot of that discussion. But it was a very in-depth, collaborative process. The rubber stamp would be the farthest thing from what they did.”
Rolapp reiterated his comments at the Tour Championship last month regarding the status of LIV Golf members, saying the tour is not considering relaunching the returning member program that allowed Brooks Koepka to return earlier this year.
He also said players must earn their way onto the tour, there are rules in place that must be followed and accountability and discipline are essential to the tour operation.
The Championship Series, which will have a schedule of 22 to 23 tournaments, will be open to the top 90 players on the season-long points list (the first season will be based on FedEx Cup points earned in 2027), 20 players promoted from the Challenger Series (starting in 2029), players who win twice on the Challenger Series and players who earn two-year exemptions for winning Championship Series events.
Additionally, medical exemptions will be determined by an outside review committee and players will be allowed to use a one-time career milestone exemption but only in the year immediately following their relegation from the Championship Series.
The top player in the PGA Tour University standings will earn a spot in the Championship Series and three more spots will be available through a four-event “last-chance” series to be played in the fall.
Rolapp said he expects the 2028 Challenger Series schedule to be announced by the Tour Championship next August.
Discussions continue with the DP World Tour about access for its top players. Under the strategic alliance between the two tours, the top 10 players in the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai who are not already exempt earn PGA Tour cards. Rolapp said the future number of cards made available to DP World Tour players is part of the discussion.
“We had a discussion yesterday and we had a discussion last week,” Rolapp said. “The spirit of the conversations is very productive. Both sides are trying to think creatively about how we modify and improve the relationship we have.”
Both the Championship and the Challenger series will have their own points system. All events on the Championship Series, including the majors and the Players Championship, will have the same points value. That is a change from the current system, which offers more points for the majors and the Players Championship.
Another change is limiting winner exemptions to two years. A small number of tournaments, including the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial Tournament, currently award a three-year exemption.
Like the Championship Series, Challenger Series eligibility in 2028 will be based on FedEx Cup points earned in 2027. Starting in 2029, the Challenger Series will feature 144-player fields made up of the 20 players who were relegated from the Championship Series, players 21 through 90 on the Challenger Series points list and 20 players promoted from the Korn Ferry Tour. Players ranked second through fifth in the PGA Tour University standings and the top five finishers from the tour qualifying school will also be eligible for the Challenger Series.
The tour announced the hiring of three new members to its senior leadership team, hiring Tyler Rutstein as chief marketing officer, Mike Mahar as chief technology officer and John Fizer as senior vice president of investor relations.
On weeks both the Championship and Challenger series are playing, two open qualifying spots will be available at the Challenger event. In addition, each Challenger event can offer two exemptions.
Rolapp said he expects the 2028 Challenger Series schedule to be announced by the Tour Championship next August.
Additionally, the tour announced the hiring of three new members of its senior leadership team: Tyler Rutstein as chief marketing officer, Mike Mahar as chief technology officer and John Fizer as senior vice president of investor relations.
The three executives will report to Andy Weitz, president of enterprise operations who oversees marketing, PGA Tour Studios, technology, investor relations and board administration.
Rutstein was most recently senior vice president of global brands and Americas marketing for Under Armour. He previously served as chief brand officer and vice president of commerce at Overtime.
Mahar recently led a comprehensive technology transformation for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and he will help develop the tour’s digital data and AI-driven fan engagement.
Fizer has most recently served as chief investment officer for Mill Hill, an independent advisory practice, having previously been an executive director at JP Morgan Private Bank and a private wealth advisor at Goldman Sachs.
The tour also plans to hire a chief financial officer, executive vice president of talent and culture, head of government relations, executive producer and head of live content and a senior vice president of corporate development.