ATLANTA — Before its season-ending finale at East Lake Golf Club tees off this week, the PGA Tour has announced plans for a radical reinvention of the Tour Championship. Gone, as of 2028, is the current three-round stroke-play playoff structure culminating in a finale at East Lake; in its place, two weeks of match play will determine the year’s champion.
The new playoff structure, set to begin in two years, will take place over the course of three weeks, with the first week establishing the 32-man field, the second winnowing the field to 16, and the third crowning a champion. The event will take place at, in the Tour’s words, “rotating, prestigious venues.”
The “Championship Series” will include three elements:
• Series Finale: This will mark the final 72-hole stroke-play event of a season. A 90-player field, with mandatory participation, will compete to determine who continues onward to match play. At the end of this event, the top 32 performers on the overall season-long points list will move on to the two-week Tour Championship.
• Tour Championship Week 1: The first week of match play will include a three-round group-stage competition, with the 32 players divided into eight groups of four, similar to the World Cup group stage. Each player will compete against the other three players in his group, with the top two advancing to Week 2. Ties will be resolved via playoff.
• Tour Championship Week 2: The final 16-player match play event will take place over the course of four rounds, with each player competing in all four rounds. The final two undefeated players will compete for the title of Tour Champion, with players’ records over the four rounds determining final standings (and, of course, final payouts).
This marks the first time that match play has been used to crown a PGA Tour champion, and the first time match play has taken place on Tour since 2023. The PGA Tour indicated it will announce the initial slate of host courses for 2028 in February.
The change to the Tour Championship format is part of Tour CEO Brian Rolapp’s plan to make the season both comprehensible to fans and competitive for players. The current points-based format has allowed players to ease their way through the opening rounds of the playoffs, or even skip initial tournaments altogether, which is in direct competitive opposition to the idea of a playoff.
The 2026 Tour Championship tees off this Thursday. Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick and Wyndham Clark lead the 30-man field at East Lake.
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