PGA Tour Prepares for Match Play Format in 2028 Championship
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From 2028, the PGA Tour's Tour Championship will be played in a match play format, but what will that look like? And how will players qualify for the event? Watch this week's Tour Championship live on Sky Sports Golf from Thursday
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ESPNPGA Tour postseason to conclude with match play The PGA Tour's future postseason will include a Championship Series Finale -- a 72-hole, stroke-play tournament that will finalize the points list and determine the season-long champion -- followed by match play over two weeks.
BBC SportThe revised play-offs are only part of the changes coming to the PGA Tour in 2028 with a Championship and Challenger series to be established with promotion and relegation between the two.
Reuters SportsPGA Tour overhauls post-season, moving to match play format in 2028 - Reuters PGA Tour overhauls post-season, moving to match play format in 2028 Reuters
Bleacher ReportThe PGA Tour is adopting a new playoff format that will start in 2028. Per a release from the PGA Tour, the format will feature three components starting with the PGA TOUR Championship Series Finale followed by a two-week TOUR Championship.
CBS SportsFans wanted something else. That is where PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp entered the fray, leading the charge for a -- two weeks of match play across two renowned golf courses. From 32 players at the onset of the postseason in group stage competition to 16 players competing in a bracket format, a legitimate Tour Champion will be crowned each season starting in 2028.
Yahoo SportsATLANTA — So far, no one dislikes the idea. At least no one said so publicly. PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp shared details on Tuesday at East Lake Golf Club of a dramatic change to the playoffs beginning in 2028 as part of its plans for a new bifurcated schedule featuring upper and lower tiers of competitors playing for commensurately different purse sizes. The Championship Series of 120 players is where the biggest action is, with $20 million purses and culminating in a two-week run of match play that determines the winner of the Tour Championship.
SMH SportBrian Rolapp, the PGA Tour chief executive, had previously revealed that the circuit will undergo a radical revamp for the 2028 season, with the Tour splitting into two tiers – the championship series and the challenge series. But nobody knew what would happen to the end-of-season play-offs.
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The first week of the TOUR Championship will feature 32 players split into eight groups of four competing in a three-day match play event. The top two players in each group will then advance to the second week in a four-day, head-to-head match-play bracket with players moving on based on their win-loss record.
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SMH SportMuch like the World Cup format, the first week will see the 32 players who qualified through the Tour’s season-long points list take their place in eight groups of four, in which they will play each other in round-robin competition.
Sky SportsEach golfer will square off against the other players from their group, with the top two players in each group advancing to week two of the Tour Championship.
Yahoo SportsThe revamped concept begins with a 90-player stroke-play championship, followed by two weeks of match play. The first week will feature the top 32 players from the season-long standings in eight round-robin groups at one venue. The top two from each group advance to a final event at another course.
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"I think the PGA Tour, the Future Competition Committee, Brian [Rolapp] and everyone involved have really taken on board what the fans have been calling for and have wanted, which is match play," McIlroy said. "Brian took me through the plan last week for the first time. I didn't really know anything about it. It's certainly different. Two weeks, two different venues. But it's cool. I think they've taken a big swing, and conceptually, I think I really like it."
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BBC Sport"I think the PGA Tour and the Future Competition Committee and Brian and everyone involved have really taken on board what the fans have been calling for and have wanted, which is matchplay," said the Northern Irishman, 37.
Yahoo SportsThat being said, Rory is happy for the fans. "I think the PGA TOUR and the Future Competition Committee and Brian and everyone involved have really taken on board what the fans have been calling for and have wanted, which is match play. It's certainly different. Two weeks, two different venues. But it's cool. I think they've taken a big swing, and conceptually, I think I really like it.
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The FedEx Cup play-offs have have gone through numerous iterations across their two decades, presently consisting of a three-event strokeplay series which begins with the top 70 players from the season-long points list.
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Bleacher ReportThe FedEx Cup playoff consists of the St. Jude Championship, BMW Championship and TOUR Championship. The top 70 players make the initial field with 20 being eliminated after each of the first two events.
Sky SportsFrom 2028 onwards, the current series of FedExCup Playoffs, which are played in a stroke play format, will be replaced by:
CBS SportsFor the last 20 years, golf fans have grown accustomed to the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup Playoffs. Players would compete throughout the regular season, earn designated points for tournament finishes and either secure their place in the postseason or fall short.
Yonhap SportsOnly the top 30 players in FedEx Cup points after the second playoff event, the BMW Championship last week, qualified for the Tour Championship.
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The two players who remain undefeated after the first three days will square off on the final day to determine the TOUR champion.
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Sky SportsSixteen players will then advance to week two of the match play final, where the Tour Champion will be confirmed.
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Venues for the 2028 PGA Tour Championship Series Finale and Tour Championship will be confirmed in February 2027, with the US circuit explaining it will rotate hosting duties among "prestigious courses" and some venues the tour has not been able to feature in the past.
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Bleacher ReportThe PGA Tour will unveil the dates and locations for the three events on Feb. 22, 2027. Eligibility for the Championship Series will be be announced following a Sept. 14 board meeting.
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"The conclusion of the season should be worthy of the journey it takes to get there," Tiger Woods said Tuesday. "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 PGA Tour."
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Sky SportsWoods backs new PGA Tour postseason structure Writing on X on Tuesday, Tiger Woods expressed his excitement at the proposed changes.
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In truth, the concluding Tour Championship, which takes place in Atlanta from Thursday (local time), has never satisfied, with several iterations – always strokeplay – having not much success in helping the event live up to its grand billing and the $US10 million ($13.9 million) first prize.
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BBC SportThis week's concluding Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta will have a $40m (£29.3m) purse, and while the events have undoubtedly been lucrative for players, there have been consistent questions regarding fan engagement.
Yonhap SportsWith the total purse of $40 million, the Tour Championship is the most lucrative tournament of the year. The winner will take home $10 million.
8 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 Yahoo Sports "This is new and exciting, and from a playing standpoint, I hope it's going to be a really fun end to what's going to be a tough season of golf," said Australian veteran Adam Scott, who serves on the PGA Tour Policy Board. "I think also, too, more from the commercial side of things, I think there's a lot of flexibility with this format moving forward, and it can adapt and hopefully thrive to whatever conditions we face in the future.
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02 CBS Sports Rory McIlroy made waves earlier this year at the U.S. Open whether the coming in 2028 was really necessary, saying that the old tour format was "pretty good" in hindsight.
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03 Sky Sports "Throughout this process, we listened carefully to our fans, players and partners," PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp said.
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04 SMH Sport Hosting the World Cup this year has clearly made a big impact across American sport, with the PGA Tour announcing it will copy the format of the tournament in what will be the longest golf tournament ever staged in the professional game.
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05 Bleacher Report Despite the uncertainty about LIV Golf's future, the PGA Tour is not planning to offer players who left to join the upstart circuit a path back.
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06 BBC Sport "Two weeks, two different venues, but it's cool. I think they've taken a big swing, and conceptually, I think I really like it."
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07 Fox Sports PGA Tour News, Stories, Videos & Analysis - FOX Sports PGA Tour News, Stories, Videos & Analysis FOX Sports
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08 Yonhap Sports By Yoo Jee-ho SEOUL, Aug. 25 (Yonhap) -- Two South Korean players will tee off at an exclusive-field PGA Tour playoff finale this week, with the winner's prize money of US$10 million on the line.
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