Golf’s elite PGA Tour has confirmed its plans to reshape competition through the establishment of a new two-tiered competitive structure from the 2028 season onwards.
From 2028 onwards, the PGA Tour will be comprised of two player tracks, the top-tier PGA TOUR Championship Series and the secondary PGA TOUR Challenger Series, with players able to be promoted (or indeed relegated) between them on a performance basis.
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This concept stems from discussions between PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp and the tour’s advisory Future Competition Committee (FCC), headed by the legendary Tiger Woods, which is exploring ways to expand the PGA Tour’s profile.
The Championship Series will be comprised of 23 to 24 annual events, including the Players Championship, the sport’s four majors, and international team competitions such as the Ryder Cup and President’s Cup.
Aimed at pitting the golfing world’s top players against each other more often, the Championship Series events will boast a purse of at least $20 million.
By comparison, the Challenger Series will be composed of “at least” 2o tournaments, with purses of at least $4 million per event, at least seven of which will be staged on Champions Series off weeks and, as such, will boast increased exposure, prizes, and benefits.
On the sweeping changes, Rolapp said: “From day one, the focus of the Future Competition Committee has been to build the best version of the PGA TOUR, and to do so in a way that reflects the voice of our players and the expectations of our fans.
“The result is a new competitive model grounded in meritocracy, with clearer pathways, higher stakes and more consistency when the best players compete together.
Of the 15 expected annual regular season Championship Series events, 10, the PGA Tour says, have already been confirmed, with the remaining five slots to be taken up by existing PGA Tour stops, or new events in new markets, identifying the likes of Boston, Denver, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington DC as prospective hosts.
Rolapp has long expressed his desire to see the tour play in larger US markets. Currently, only four of the US’s 10 largest media markets feature in the tour, and the locations identified by the PGA Tour above would go some way toward ameliorating that situation.
In the past, he has also pointed to English soccer as an example of where the promotion and relegation format has allowed for increased interest and higher playing standards.
Rolapp, an experienced sports executive who spent more than 20 years with the NFL, was named as the PGA Tour’s first-ever chief executive in June 2025, after it was confirmed that commissioner Jay Monahan would depart in 2026.
With that in mind, the PGA Tour has confirmed that Rolapp will take up the role of PGA Tour commissioner as of January 1, 2027.
Rolapp will succeed Monahan to become only the fifth commissioner in tour history.
“Over the past year, we have made meaningful progress by prioritizing our fans and working collaboratively — with our players, our partners, our boards and the Future Competition Committee — to strengthen our foundation and shape what comes next,” Rolapp said, speaking on his forthcoming new role.
There had been calls for Monahan to resign altogether in 2023 amid the fallout of the announcement of a shock deal with the breakaway LIV Golf tour to effectively merge.
It has been reported that around 90% of the players involved were against the merger and that multiple players called for Monahan to resign. Grievances raised are said to have included a lack of transparency around the deal, the perceived betrayal by the tour of players who had remained loyal to it, and the remaining questions about LIV as a sportswashing vehicle.
Three years later, the LIV Golf tour may not even live to see Rolapp become commissioner.
On his departure, Monahan said: “The progress we have made was driven by a willingness to evolve and the shared commitment to do what is best for the future of the Tour. Brian is the right leader for this moment, and I am confident the PGA Tour’s best days are ahead.”
