Has The PGA Tour Finally Fixed The Playoffs? Two-Week Match Play Tour Championship Reaction...

'Inside The Ropes' is the chance for Golf Monthly's expert team to share its honest thoughts on the biggest subjects in the game. This time, we react to the PGA Tour's new match play season finale announcement...

The PGA Tour continues to drip-feed announcements over its new-look 2028 season, where there will be a two-tier system with the Championship and Challenger Series, and the latest update was a big one.

The circuit confirmed its season-finale Tour Championship will be a two-event match play shootout in 2028, following the 'Championship Series' winner confirmed at the final regular season event.

Stage one of the revamped 'postseason' will see 32 players, in eight groups of four, compete one-on-one in in match play, with the top two from each group, so 16 players in total, progressing to the following week's finale.

There, the season finale will be a four-round event with the players competing in each round - so not standard knock-out.

Players advance through the bracket based on their win-loss record, with the final two undefeated players battling to be crowned 'Tour Champion' and the other players competing to determine the final championship standings.

Thanks to smaller fields, the PGA Tour says it can rotate the two-week Tour Championship around "prestigious venues, including courses the modern PGA Tour has not traditionally been able to feature."

It all sounds promising, so what do our tour experts think? And what do you think? Let us know in the comments section. Below, our writers give their initial verdicts...

Matt Cradock

I've been crying out for match play to return to the professional circuits and, finally, it has been delivered!

For me, the changes in 2028 sound good and were certainly needed, given that the current format is stale and doesn't work whatsoever.

Time will tell as to what venues will be used, which will obviously be a big factor in the success of the new format and, like anything new, there will be positives and negatives.

In my opinion, though, I've never really seen the point of the Playoffs, as it always feels like manufactured drama. At least now we have a different format to the 72-hole stroke play event that we see week in, week out.

If I were to nitpick, I'd say the eight groups of four could be slightly anticlimactic. There's a chance of some dead rubber games that don't mean anything.

This could be the English football (soccer) fan coming out in me, but I think a random draw among the 32 would add intrigue. It would be a bit like the FA Cup, a competition where you don't know who will face who and there are opportunities for some headline matches or huge upsets.

This change is a big step in the right direction though, and I can't wait to see it in play when it comes round to 2028.

Jonny Leighfield

My initial take is one of apathy, if I'm honest.

I'm not sure I fully understand the reimagined Tour Championship concept right off the bat, and if I do, I'm not sure I'm really in love with it.

It's certainly a positive that participation in the Championship Series Finale is mandatory to gain all the relevant rewards, but why would players want to compete in the standalone two-week match play tournament afterwards unless there's a ridiculous payout on the line?

On a similar note, I hope the Championship Series Finale doesn't offer silly points to dramatically change the order of the season's rankings based off one week.

If the points and payout are similar to a Major, fine. But I don't want them to be significantly higher so that someone who's only had a few good weeks ends up usurping the most consistent player just to create a bit of inauthentic drama at the last.

If Scottie Scheffler has run away with the title long before that, so be it. That's sport.

Moving on, the match play version of the Tour Championship seems a touch complicated in the second week when surely straight knockout would be simpler?

It's likely been formulated this way to satisfy TV coverage, which I understand, but I don't think it backs up the PGA Tour's claim the season-ending structure will be easier to follow.

Overall, this concept doesn't seem to strike the right chord with me.

Perhaps when I see it take place I will change my mind somewhat, but at this stage two years out, I don't think I love the look of the new season-ending structure...

Conor Keenan

My original reaction to the new Tour Championship format is a cautious one.

I'm pleased to see an element of match play coming in, but with all of this talk of going to famous venues, I wonder how famous we are talking here?

Pine Valley level famous? Or will it be Liberty National or Quail Hollow and leave us all disappointed?

As for the format, they may well have nailed it.

A separate Tour Championship trophy and FedEx Cup/season-long trophy should have always been the way to go.

The Tour Championship will now be an exciting match play tournament but the points winner rightfully wins the overall season championship - Patrick Cantlay might win both this week, which would be as hilarious as it would feel wrong.

I'll let my thoughts marinate over the rest of the week as I digest more viewpoints, but all-in-all, I'm feeling cautious optimism.

Elliott Heath

My initial reaction is that I can't really fault what the PGA Tour has announced today.

I love that the Tour Championship will be played over two weeks. I think that's potentially a really clever idea and allows for a narrative to build and some real anticipation for week two.

The four-man groups should make for plenty of entertainment with genuine implications as only the top two make it through.

There will be playoffs where necessary, which will be very dramatic.

With only the circuit's top 32 advancing, and then just 16 making it to the finale, it will find the PGA Tour's best players over the season who are in form and have shown they excel in both the stroke play and match play formats. I love it.

Making a big deal out of the 'regular season' champion means the circuit can celebrate its no.1 player throughout the season and the 'postseason' winner separately, and I think that works far better than how it currently does.

And to make it even more exciting, the idea of prestigious, famous courses sounds excellent.

I was sceptical about the initial claim, but with just 32 or 16 men, and no need to worry about par or huge tournament builds, I think we could actually see the likes of Pine Valley, Cypress Point and some of America's elite courses. The USGA manage it for their events, so why can't the PGA Tour?

Maybe I'm being a bit too optimistic there? I guess we'll find out.

Brian Rolapp has come in and quickly realized that the Playoffs are broken, and he may well have fixed them. I am impressed.

What do you think about the PGA Tour's new 2028 Tour Championship plans? Join the conversation below.