By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer
Winners of the four majors and The Players Championship will get the same rewards as winners of the elite Championship Series events under a new competition model the PGA Tour released Tuesday as it moves toward two divisions in 2028.
The tour outlined criteria for the Championship Series and the lesser Challenger Series, along with a transition plan for how players will qualify in the first year of having two tiers distinguished by the strength of field and the size of the prize fund.
The PGA Tour boards approved the plan Monday. Still to be decided are the rest of the Championship Series events, where they fit in the schedule and whether the path includes leading players from the European tour.
The tour previously revealed a season finale that features two weeks of match play in two cities.
“The new competitive model is designed to reward excellence and ensure there is always a clear path for top performers at every stage of their career,” PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said in a statement.
That includes giving the top college senior a direct path to the Championship Series with its $20 million purses against the best players in golf. The boards also approved a “Last Chance Series” after the season for the top three players, provided they play every fall event.
Most notable of the changes are the perks.
Major champions, along with The Players champion, previously received a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour. Starting in 2028, winning a Championship Series event — including the majors and The Players — earns a two-year exemption on the Championship Series. Players would get a four-year exemption on the Challenger Series if they lose top status.
The tour also introduced a points structure for the Championship Series, awarding 300 points to the winner. That will be the same for the Masters and British Open as it is for the Memorial and RBC Heritage and Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Championship Series criteria
The Championship Series will be for the top 90 players from the previous season; the top 20 players from the Challenger Series; players who win multiple times in a season on the Challenger Series; players who have won in the past two years on the Championship Series; players who wish to use a one-time exemption from the career money list; and any medical extensions.
Players generally will no longer get additional years tacked onto their exemptions by winning multiple times during a season.
Challenger Series criteria
The Challenger Series will be for players relegated out of the Championship Series; players who finish between No. 21 and No. 90 on the Challenger points list; the leading 20 players from the Korn Ferry Tour; players finishing Nos. 2-5 in the PGA Tour University ranking; and five players from qualifying school.
The Challenger Series also will have two sponsor exemptions and allow for two Monday qualifiers at tournaments that are held the same weeks as the Championship Series.
The “Last Chance Series” will be for anyone who has Challenger Series status secure for the following year. The tour said there will be a minimum of four fall tournaments, and players will be required to play them all — pending a medical exception — if they want to earn the three spots in the Championship Series.
How the two tiers will get started
Key to the announcement was how to fill the two tiers for the inaugural season in 2028.
Players who earned exemptions this season will have those honored at the Championship Series level for their duration, whether it’s the five-year exemption for Ryan Fox winning the British Open or the two-year exemption for Justin Rose winning at Torrey Pines.
Winners of the majors, The Players and signature events in 2027 will get Championship Series status through 2029, while all other tournament winners (except for opposite-field events) get Championship status through 2028 and Challenger status through 2029.
The top 70 in the FedEx Cup through the 2027 Tour Championship will have Championship status, extended to the top 95 through the fall series next year.
Only the top 10 from the Korn Ferry Tour next year will get to the top tier.
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