The PGA TOUR is restructuring its calendar in 2028, moving to two separated tiers of play and, notably, completely overhauling the playoff format. Here’s what the TOUR can learn from the U.S. Amateur.
The U.S. Amateur is perfect. I know you don’t always get the results you want, and the matches can be over early in the round, but–structurally, at least–I think it’s perfect. And with the PGA TOUR restructuring its approach to playoff golf in 2028, it’s an example they should learn from.
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When TOUR CEO Brian Rolapp announced a series of sweeping changes to the PGA TOUR during a press conference before the Travelers Championship in June, most of the attention was drawn to the separated Championship Series and Challenger Series. But in his announcement was also the recognition that a new playoff format was necessary.
It’s no secret that the current FedExCup Playoff format has been a bit underwhelming, especially in terms of crowning a supposed season-long champion. And I’ll admit, it’s a difficult task. With fields as big as they are in golf, boiling down eight months of ups and downs into one, end-all-be-all tournament is almost impossible.
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But Rolapp acknowledged that two things were certainly needed.
The first thing made clear was that match play would be a part of the new playoff. Match play had long been on the TOUR schedule through 2023, and consistently produced notable winners. Past champions of the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play include stars like Sam Burns, Scottie Scheffler, Bubba Watson and Jason Day.
The second was that the TOUR Championship would be held at a variety of world-class venues. In its current format, the playoffs’ final tournament has consistently been hosted by East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. No shade to East Lake, but… we can do better than that. Also, Atlanta in August? Really?
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Anyway, do those two things remind you of any other notable championship? It sure sounds like the U.S. Amateur to me. Notable venues? Well, the 2026 U.S. Amateur kicked off on Monday at none other than Merion Golf Club, host of five U.S. Opens. Match play? I mean, yeah. Six rounds of match play winnow the field from 64 to just one champion over five days.
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To be clear, I’m not saying that the TOUR and Brian Rolapp should follow the blueprint of the U.S. Amateur step by step. After all, the U.S. Am started on Monday with 312 players in the field before it was cut to the top 64 after two rounds of stroke play and a dramatic 16-for-11 playoff. There aren’t even enough TOUR players to do that.
But the concept isn’t that far-fetched; the TOUR already does the first part. An easy change would be to cut to the top 32 after the BMW Championship (instead of the top 30), and then turn to match play the following week. Imagine getting head-to-head matchups between the TOUR’s best? Scottie Scheffler v. Rory McIlroy in a 36-hole championship match? I mean, c’mon… what could be better?
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I’ll be the first to admit there are logistical issues. First of all, getting pros to sign up for a 36-hole day would likely be no easy task. And if commercial load is already an issue at existing TOUR events, I can’t imagine what it would look like when there’s just two or four golfers out on the course. But change needs to come, and the U.S. Amateur is a great blueprint to pull from.
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Rolapp is expected to provide more detail at the TOUR Championship (the current version of it, for now…) in late August. With lots of questions still to answer about the schedule, qualification, new markets and, of course, the playoffs, surely ears all around golf will be tuned to that press conference. Until then, I can only pray for a U.S. Amateur-style match play to determine the season-long champion.
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