06/23/26 11:29:00
Printable Page
06/23 11:27 CDT A tale of two tours: PGA Tour approves two-tiered system in
2028 with expanded fields
A tale of two tours: PGA Tour approves two-tiered system in 2028 with expanded
fields
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) --- Tiger Woods said the objective was to create the best
version of the PGA Tour. The answer Tuesday was a major shakeup to its model
that effectively creates two tours, expanding the field for the elite tier and
cutting in half prize money for the secondary tier.
The new system is to start in 2028, and the Future Competition Committee that
Woods leads still has work left on key details. Chief among them is which of
the roughly 15 tournaments will be part of the "Championship Series," and the
20 events on the lesser "Challenger Series."
Other details involve bringing a form of match play to the postseason and
creating a rotation of prestigious courses instead of going to East Lake in
Atlanta every year.
"This work was never about any one player or person," Woods said in his first
public appearance since his arrest on a DUI charges on March 27. "It was about
bringing together different perspectives, having honest, hard conversations,
and thinking boldly about what is best for the game that we all love."
The PGA Tour boards on Monday afternoon approved the recommendations. Woods
jumped back into his role as chairman the last several weeks upon his return
from seeking treatment out of the country since his arrest.
"It's great to see him back," PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said. "Tiger has been
involved throughout the process. He's contributed meaningfully. It's awesome to
see him back and in great form."
Rolapp preached "scarcity, simplicity and parity" when he took over last
summer, and those pillars have become more clear. The season will be shorter
--- approximately February through August with some scheduled weeks off ---
without taking away playing opportunities.
The $20 million signature events for 72 players now will be part of the
Championship Series and expanded to 120 players on average. Players are not
required to play them all and those tournaments will not have sponsor
invitations or an alternate list. There will be a 36-hole cut.
"When fans tune into the PGA Tour Championship Series, they know they will see
the best players in the world competing head-to-head," Rolapp said. He said it
was important to credibility not to have sponsor exemptions because sponsors in
other sports don't determine who plays.
The Challenger Series will be a path for players to earn their way to the top
level. Those fields will be about 144 players, and Rolapp said purses would be
at least $4 million. This year, all but three regular non-signature events had
prize funds of at least $9 million.
Except for about seven times during the season, the Championship and Challenger
Series tournaments will be held the same week. Rolapp said on the occasion of a
week off for the elite circuit, the Challenger Series event would be elevated.
Rory McIlroy last week referred to the secondary tier as a "glorified Korn
Ferry event," referring to the tour's developmental circuit.
"I just think there's going to be certain events that might lose their status
if a sponsor doesn't pony up $30 million," McIlroy said.
Rolapp said he spoke to McIlroy on Tuesday --- the Masters champion is skipping
the Travelers Championship, the third signature event he has missed this year
--- and said the new model will serve the same player and offer a similar
number of tournaments. Korn Ferry purses are $1 million.
"We've just organized the same tour into a much more interesting and
competitive system," Rolapp said. "If you look at the Challenger Series events,
they'll be at venues you recognize. They'll be for healthy purses. They'll
include a subset of the same 200 and change players that we have today. That is
much different than what the Korn Ferry Tour is today."
Each tour will have a separate points standings and there is no plan for
players to move up to the Championship Series during the season unless they
were to win twice.
The Championship Series eligibility would be determined by the top 90 players
from the previous year, the top 20 players from the Challenger Series and other
exemption categories for tournament winners, injuries or career milestones.
Missing from the announcement was any mention of the FedEx Corp., the financial
muscle behind the PGA Tour's postseason since it began in 2007. The most recent
FedEx deal ends in 2027.
"Our hope is to create more value for FedEx and everybody else. We're in an
existing contract, and we're going to honor that," Rolapp said.
As for the fall, the PGA Tour is moving toward a separate series of four to six
tournaments in which top performers can earn their way back to the Championship
Series. The tour said it still has plans for the Korn Ferry Tour, PGA Tour
Americas and the PGA Tour University ranking system that creates places for top
college players.
Finishing in August would give the elite players time to consider playing
overseas, such as premier European tour events or the Australian Open. The PGA
Tour recently became partners with Golf Australia without co-sanctioning the
century-old event.
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
|
