The PGA Tour will switch to a match play format for its season-ending Tour Championship starting in 2028, a major change from the current stroke play format with progressive cuts [1, 2, 3].
The revamped postseason will last three weeks, beginning with a 72-hole stroke play event called the PGA Tour Championship Series Finale. This tournament will include the top 90 players and determine the season-long points winner while setting the field for the match play portion of the Tour Championship [1, 2, 3].
Following the Series Finale, the Tour Championship match play event will feature the top 32 players. In the first week, those 32 competitors will be split into eight groups of four for round-robin play. The top two players from each group will advance to a 16-player single-elimination bracket in the second week [1, 2, 3].
The season will culminate with the final two undefeated players facing off for the title of Tour Champion [1, 2, 3]. The Tour Championship will rotate annually between two different venues starting with the new format [3].
All 90 players competing in the Series Finale will retain their PGA Tour cards for the following season [3].
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said, "The result is a season-ending structure that rewards excellence over the course of the year while building toward a reimagined Tour Championship." He added, "From the beginning, the goal of the Future Competition Committee was to create an easier-to-follow competitive model for our fans with greater consequence and a stronger season-long narrative" [1, 3].
Tiger Woods, chair of the Future Competition Committee that developed the changes, expressed excitement about the switch to match play. He said, "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" [2].
These changes follow the June 2026 approval of a promotion and relegation model that will introduce a Championship Series and Challenger Series starting in 2028 [1, 2].
The new postseason format officially begins in 2028.
