The PGA Tour has confirmed the eligibility criteria and introduced new membership categories as part of a series of approvals for its two-tier competitive model, which is set to launch in 2028.
On Tuesday the Tour detailed the rules that will underpin both the PGA Tour Championship Series and the PGA Tour Challenger Series when they begin in 2028. The announcement settles the central question of who will qualify to compete on each tour.
The restructured system is built around merit, with clear routes for strong performers to move up and for others to drop down, creating genuine consequences and sustained interest at every level.
At the top sits the PGA Tour Championship Series. It will operate without an alternate list or designated exemptions and aims for an average field size of 120 players throughout the season. Membership will be determined by these categories:
- The top 90 players from the PGA Tour Championship Series will retain membership year over year
- Twenty players will be promoted each year from the PGA Tour Challenger Series
- Winners of PGA Tour Championship Series events, including THE PLAYERS Championship and majors, receive membership for the current season and the following two seasons. Unlike the current system, exemptions do not stack for multiple wins in a season.
Players who win more than one PGA Tour Challenger Series event in the same season can also earn mid-year promotion. Championship Series fields will additionally include players on medical extensions and those qualifying through career milestone exemptions.
Further entry routes exist, notably via PGA Tour University. The annual No. 1 in the rankings will gain Championship Series membership after the NCAA Championships, plus one extra season of status.
Discussions continue on possible access for leading players from the DP World Tour as part of talks over the future of the Strategic Alliance.
Three places will be offered through the previously announced “last chance” series, staged in the autumn following Q-School.
The shift will be introduced gradually. The 2027 season will act as a bridge year to establish eligibility for the first season of the new format.
The stakes in 2027 differ slightly from the permanent arrangements. Under the present system the top 100 in the FedExCup keep full status. In 2027 the top 95 in the final standings will secure Championship Series places, compared with the top 90 from 2028 onwards.
The leading 10 players on the 2027 Korn Ferry Tour Points List will earn Championship Series membership, while the next 30 will gain Challenger Series status. This marks a substantial increase on the current total of 20 promotions each year.
Winners’ exemptions secured up to the end of the 2026 season will be fully honoured on the Championship Series. From the new model onwards, every Championship Series event—including THE PLAYERS and the majors—will carry a two-year exemption.
As a result, this year’s major champions will keep their existing five-year exemptions and remain on the Championship Series until 2031. Major winners in 2027, however, will hold Championship Series status only until 2029.
Full details of what is at stake in the 2027 transition year are available separately.
The points system for the Championship Series was also approved at Monday’s Board meeting. Every event on the series, including THE PLAYERS and the majors, will use an identical points distribution. The curve is flatter than before, rewarding victories and high finishes while still placing clear value on making the cut. The complete distribution is published elsewhere.
The schedule forms another core element. Nineteen event weeks have already been confirmed for the inaugural 2028 Championship Series calendar, covering THE PLAYERS, the majors and national team competitions. The finished schedule will expand to 24 weeks and will blend established Tour venues with several new markets still to be named. The complete 2028 Championship Series schedule is due for release on 22 February 2027.
Eligibility criteria for the PGA Tour Challenger Series were likewise settled at the same Board meeting.
Challenger Series fields will normally number 144 players (reducible when conditions such as limited daylight require it) and will carry an alternate list. Membership will comprise every player relegated from the Championship Series the previous season, numbers 21–90 on the prior Challenger Series Points List, plus 20 players promoted from the Korn Ferry Tour. Any Challenger Series event winners from the previous year who were not promoted will also retain eligibility.
The series will provide a route for leading college players. Numbers 2–5 in the annual PGA Tour University ranking will receive membership after the NCAA Championship through the following season. Anyone who qualifies for and accepts PGA Tour University Accelerated status will likewise gain Challenger Series membership.
Q-School offers a further pathway: the top five finishers each year will earn status for the next season. Selected Challenger Series events will also feature open qualifying, with two places available at each qualifier.
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said: “Through new eligibility criteria and supporting pathways into the PGA Tour, the new competitive model is designed to reward excellence and ensure there is always a clear path for top performers at every stage of their career. For fans, this means a clear understanding of what is at stake during each PGA Tour competition, whether that is at the event level or across a season.”
Most of these routes mirror existing pathways through the Tour structure, but one new avenue has been added. Details of the “last chance” series were finalised on Monday. It will give players a final opportunity at the end of the season to earn Championship Series membership.
The series will consist of at least four events. The top three finishers will secure Championship Series places. Every eligible player may enter every event, there will be no alternate list, and participants must contest the entire series unless granted a medical exclusion. Eligible categories include relegated Championship Series players, current Challenger Series members, Q-School graduates, and selected Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour University players who have already secured Challenger Series status for the following year.
The PGA Tour Board will continue refining elements of the competitive structure at future meetings. Access for top DP World Tour performers remains under discussion within the broader Strategic Alliance talks.
The Boards also confirmed that the Korn Ferry Tour will remain the principal developmental route to the PGA Tour and will continue to promote players annually into the Challenger Series. Full details of the developmental system and the Challenger Series points list are scheduled for finalisation at the Board meeting on 16 November.
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