PGA Tour Announces New Playoff Format, Match-Play Bracket for 2028 Season

The PGA Tour is adopting a new playoff format that will start in 2028.

Per a release from the PGA Tour, the format will feature three components starting with the PGA TOUR Championship Series Finale followed by a two-week TOUR Championship.

The top 90 players on the championship series points list will qualify for the PGA TOUR Championship Series Finale, which will be a traditional 72-hole stroke-play event to crown a tournament champion and No. 1 finisher on the overall points list.

The first week of the TOUR Championship will feature 32 players split into eight groups of four competing in a three-day match play event. The top two players in each group will then advance to the second week in a four-day, head-to-head match-play bracket with players moving on based on their win-loss record.

The two players who remain undefeated after the first three days will square off on the final day to determine the TOUR champion.

"The conclusion of the season should be worthy of the journey it takes to get there," Tiger Woods said Tuesday. "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 PGA Tour."

The PGA Tour will unveil the dates and locations for the three events on Feb. 22, 2027. Eligibility for the Championship Series will be be announced following a Sept. 14 board meeting.

Tuesday's announcement comes in the wake of the Tour revealing earlier this summer that the 2028 season would feature a dramatic change to the entire PGA schedule with two separate series of tournaments.

The tournaments are the PGA Tour Championship Series and PGA Tour Challenger Series, with 15 events expected to comprise the Championship Series. All of those events will have a prize purse of at least $20 million.

The Challenger Series will feature emerging talent competing with players looking to return to the top level with a minimum of 20 events comprising the series, which will run concurrently with the Championship Series. Prize purses for the Challenger Series will be a minimum of $4 million.

This new playoff structure will replace the current FedEx Cup playoff that features a progressive elimination structure over three tournaments, all of which utilize the traditional 72-hole stroke-play format.

The FedEx Cup playoff consists of the St. Jude Championship, BMW Championship and TOUR Championship. The top 70 players make the initial field with 20 being eliminated after each of the first two events.

This year's FedEx Cup playoff will conclude this weekend with the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia. Wyndham Clark won the BMW Championship last weekend with a score of 17-under par.