PGA Tour Unveils New-Look Match Play Tour Championship

Following months of speculation, the PGA Tour has confirmed plans for its revamped Tour Championship.

The changes, which will come into effect from 2028, will conclude the new top tier of events, the Championship Series.

As previously confirmed, throughout the Championship Series, tournaments will feature 72 holes of strokeplay with a cut, with players accumulating points in each.

The top 90 on the season-long points list, who will retain their PGA Tour cards, will then progress to the PGA Tour Championship Series Finale.

It will follow the same format as the previous events in the season and will finalize the points list, where the season-long winner will be recognized. It will also set the field for the Tour Championship.

Only the top 32 players on the season-long list will progress to the Tour Championship, which will look very different from the familiar 72-hole strokeplay “starting strokes” format.

Instead, for the first time since the 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, match play will be seen on the PGA Tour, with the Tour Championship being held over two weeks at different venues.

Currently, the tournament is held exclusively at East Lake, but from 2028, it will rotate between prestigious venues that have yet to be confirmed. However, per the PGA Tour release, it will include "courses the modern PGA Tour has not traditionally been able to feature.”

The first week will feature a three-round group stage with the 32 players in eight groups of four. The top two players from each group will advance to week two, with playoffs in the event of ties.

Week two of the Tour Championship will feature a four-round, match-play bracket to determine the Tour Champion. All 16 players will compete in all four rounds.

Players will advance through the bracket based on their win-loss record, with the final two undefeated players competing to be named Tour Champion.

The records of players over all four rounds will determine the final championship standings.

For details of the full schedule and venues for the Championship Series and Tour Championship, we will need to wait almost six months, with the courses to be confirmed on February 22nd 2027.

PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said: "From the beginning, the goal of the Future Competition Committee was to create an easier-to-follow competitive model for our fans with greater consequence and a stronger season-long narrative.

"Throughout this process, we listened carefully to our fans, players and partners. One message came through clearly: the culmination of our season should be worthy of the journey it takes to get there.

“The result is a season-ending structure that rewards excellence over the course of the year while building toward a reimagined Tour Championship.

“We are creating something different, something distinct within professional golf that can resonate far beyond it."

Tiger Woods was one of the first to react to the news, with the 15-time Major winner writing on X: "The conclusion of the season should be worthy of the journey it takes to get there.

"Today’s announcement is a result of the hard work and passion of our players. Excited to usher in a new era of match play on the @PGATour."

What do you think of the new-look Tour Championship? Let us know in the comments.