There will seemingly be some very big changes regarding the FedEx Cup before the start of the 2028 PGA Tour season.
FedEx has sponsored the PGA Tour’s season-long race since 2007, and they most recently extended their sponsorship deal in 2017.
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In 2026, a pool of nearly $100 million will be distributed to the top 125 players in the FedExCup standings.
The PGA Tour had to react to LIV Golf’s inception in 2022, and the incredible finances that they were operating with at the time.
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Increasing the FedEx Cup prize pots was the first step in winning the battle with LIV.
However, FedEx may not be around as a title sponsor of the PGA Tour for too much longer.
What the PGA Tour are saying about the FedEx Cup with $650m deal set to expire
FedEx agreed to pay the PGA Tour $650 million over 10 years in exchange for the order of merit race naming rights.
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However, Dan Rapaport has suggested that the PGA Tour do not like the fact that their showpiece trophy is branded.
While speaking on his Dan on Golf Show, Rapaport opened up on how the landscape is set to change on the PGA Tour from the start of the 2028 season onwards.
“So the FedEx St. Jude Championship will not be getting a Championship Series event in 2028,“ Rapaport said.
“Josh Carpenter reports that the tournament could be seeking a new spot on the schedule and potentially a new sponsor, as a Challenger Series event. The tour’s large deal with FedEx is also expiring.
I think that last piece is the most indicative of the future of the PGA Tour.
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“The reason that event is in Memphis in August is because, you know, who’s based in Memphis? A little company called FedEx.
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“They are based in Memphis, and so they say, We give you $80 million, or whatever it is a year for this thing called the FedEx Cup, where you guys talk about it nonstop, and the first question in the press conferences is about the FedEx Cup.
“That company’s based in Memphis. That’s going away.
“And I know that the folks over at the PGA Tour, they don’t like the fact that the season-long competition is branded.
“I’ve had this conversation with them. They say, it’s not the Budweiser AFC Championship, you know? It’s not the Chevrolet NFC championship.
“It’s just the AFC Championship and the NFC Championship.“
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PGA Tour to potentially have a ‘brandless’ season-long race
Rapaport highlighted how the PGA Tour could go down a more conventional route when it comes to renaming what is currently known as the FedEx Cup after the 2027 season.
“So, the PGA Tour playoffs, you could call it, like, the Jack Nicklaus trophy,“ he suggested.
“Or I mean, there’s probably, like, 10 of those, but you know what I’m saying?
“Like, just not having it be branded.
“So it sounds like the PGA Tour’s relationship with FedEx is coming to an end. There are a lot of changes happening in the golf sphere.“
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It will be very interesting to see whether the PGA Tour manages to secure a new sponsorship deal with another company, or whether they simply decide to put their own name to the trophy for the season-long race.
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