PGA Tour Challenger Series 2028: All You Need To Know About The Circuit's New Second Tier

From 2028, the PGA Tour is going to look very different. Plans unveiled in June 2026 show the historic US circuit is effectively going to be split into two tiers.

The top tier will be called the PGA Tour Championship Series and feature most of the game's very best talent on the most iconic courses and playing for the highest prize purses.

Meanwhile, the PGA Tour Challenger Series will be the step below and is set to provide pros with the opportunity to compete for plenty of money still while also offering them a platform to reach the top table.

In a press release at the time, CEO Brian Rolapp said: "From day one, the focus of the Future Competition Committee has been to build the best version of the PGA Tour, and to do so in a way that reflects the voice of our players and the expectations of our fans.

“The result is a new competitive model grounded in meritocracy, with clearer pathways, higher stakes and more consistency when the best players compete together. This model positions the PGA Tour for the future, and our focus now shifts to finalizing the details and preparing for implementation in 2028.”

But with details so fresh and many people unsure of what the two tiers will look like at this stage, we've listed all of the key details you need to know right here.

Below is everything you need to know about the PGA Tour Challenger Series.

PGA TOUR CHALLENGER SERIES EVENT STRUCTURE

As with the top tier, each regular event will be contested as a 72-hole stroke play competition, with the top-65 players (and ties) forming the cut after 36 holes.

Challenger Series fields will often consist of 144 players but allowances will be made to reduce that figure when necessary "due to constraints such as daylight."

Unlike the top tier, though, the PGA Tour doesn't appear to have ruled out sponsor exemptions being allowed on the Challenger Series.

Each tournament will feature a purse consisting of at least $4 million, and Golf Monthly understands that figure could well rise in the coming seasons.

As far as points go, the PGA Tour says the Challenger Series will "reward points in a consistent manner for all co-sanctioned events, while also rewarding elevated points for PGA Tour Challenger Series events contested in the PGA Tour Championship Series off weeks and Major championships."

HOW MANY EVENTS WILL THE PGA TOUR CHALLENGER SERIES HAVE?

The PGA Tour Challenger Series is set to include a minimum of 20 events per season, but that doesn't include the four Majors or The Players Championship - which are expected to take place in standalone weeks on the calendar.

The Championship Series is set to run from February through August, approximately, and the regular Challenger Series season will follow the same timeframe.

However, there won't be a Championship Series event on every single week during that time, with the PGA Tour wanting to give around seven Challenger Events increased exposure during Championship Series off weeks.

The PGA Tour says those specific tournaments will be "elevated with increased consequence, benefits and exposure."

Further details have not been disclosed at this stage, but we do know all Challenger Series tournaments are due to be staged at "distinguished venues that have traditionally hosted PGA Tour events."

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR PGA TOUR CHALLENGER SERIES?

The criteria and eligibility details for the PGA Tour's Challenger Series are currently very thin on the ground, with the subject due to be voted on later this year by the boards.

For the time being, all we know is that, similar to the current PGA Tour system, the Challenger Series will "feature a priority ranking set at the beginning of the season."

Said eligibility will consist of exempt members, who will have access to every Challenger Series event without question, and then conditional members who will help to complete fields.

20 players will be able to earn promotion to the Championship Series at the end of each season. In addition, if a player wins twice in one season on the Challenger Series or lands a Major, they will earn instant promotion to the top table.

There will be no requirement for PGA Tour Challenger Series players to participate in every event, but they will only be able to compete within that series and are not eligible to make any starts in the Championship Series.

Again, as it relates to the Korn Ferry Tour, eligibility is not known at this stage but the PGA Tour has said complete eligibility criteria for both the Championship and Challenger Series will be revealed before the start of the 2027 season.

PGA TOUR CHALLENGER SERIES POST-SEASON

Unlike the Championship Series, there is not expected to be a Playoff window on the Challenger Series. Instead, the top group of 20 players will earn instant promotion at a specific cut-off date.

However, the season won't be over in August for a lot of the Challenger Series pros.

Instead, there will be a 'Last Chance' series of four to six events in the fall with a "limited number" of spots on the PGA Tour Championship Series available for top finishers.

The line-up for those events will include players relegated from the PGA Tour Championship Series, a select number of PGA Tour Challenger Series players and other categories which the PGA Tour says are "to be determined."