PGA Tour postseason to conclude with match-play event: Explaining golf’s future championship format originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The PGA Tour is in the midst of undergoing changes to its future schedule under new leadership, with the Tour implementing a new postseason format beginning in 2028.
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The Tour has used the FedEx Cup as a way to crown a season-long champion since the 2007 season, but the FedEx Cup has undergone several format changes as the Tour searches for the best system. Now, the Tour is ready to scrap the FedEx Cup altogether and shake up the postseason format by using the fan-favorite match play system in the final two weeks.
These changes will be part of a revamped 2028 season, when the PGA Tour is set to unveil a slew of changes. While the majors remain the focal points of the golf season, the PGA Tour hopes this new postseason format will add some juice to the end of the golf season.
Get to know the PGA Tour’s new postseason format.
MORE: Updated standings for the FedEx Cup playoffs
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Explaining the PGA Tour’s new championship format
The PGA Tour is going to have wholesale changes to its season beginning in 2028, and part of that is a completely new postseason format. The Tour is getting rid of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, which feature three stroke-play events, in favour of a two-week match-play event to decide a sole champion.
Here’s how the end of the PGA Tour season will look in a few years:
PGA Tour Championship Series Finale
The postseason really begins with the Series Finale, where the top 90 of 120 players on the Championship Series track will play in a stroke-play event to determine a regular-season winner. Those 90 players will keep their PGA Tour cards for the next season, but still have much to play for during this week.
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After players accumulate standings points during the year, this will mark the last chance for players to earn a spot in the final match-play event. Of the 90 players, the top 32 in the standings after this event will clinch a spot for the following week.
MORE: Every FedEx Cup winner by year
Match Play Week 1
The match-play playoff event kicks off with a group-stage round during the first week, very similar to the World Cup group stage. Players will be assigned to a group based on their finishes in the regular-season standings, making up eight groups of four. Players in each group will then face each other in three head-to-head matches over the course of the weekend.
The top two finishers in each group will secure a spot in the final week of the postseason, as 16 players will move on and 16 will go home.
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Match play Week 2
The remaining players will each compete in four rounds of match play, with the final two undefeated players facing off in the final match. This is a traditional bracket style, like the World Cup or March Madness, so the player who wins all four matches will be crowned a champion.
Unlike other bracket-style tournaments, all 16 golfers will compete in multiple matches in this week even after they lose. However, that will be more for final standings purposes than anything else.
The final events will be hosted by a rotating selection of golf courses that, for some reason, may not be equipped to host events with large field sizes. However, these are likely to be highly-regarded courses that can handle a limited-size event.
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PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp explained that he believes this is the best format for golfers and golf fans.
PGA Tour changes 2028
As a whole, the PGA Tour is executing a whole slew of changes that will begin in the 2028 season, culminating in the new championship event. The season will feature two concurrent tracks: the Championship Series with the best 120 players and the Challenger Series of around 140 players looking to earn a spot in the Championship Series for the next year.
The Tour will be adjusting its schedule to fit both tracks at the same time, often with two tournaments a week but making sure to work around the majors. The 2028 season will also include the Olympics in Los Angeles, which will add to a condensed schedule.
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