Under a proposed competitive model that is currently being discussed by the Tour’s leadership and player committees, professional golf could transition to a two-track system beginning in 2028. The concept would divide PGA Tour events into two distinct levels, creating a promotion-and-relegation style structure that rewards performance and increases the stakes throughout the season.
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp confirmed this week that discussions are ongoing with both the Future Competition Committee and the Player Advisory Council, with momentum building toward a potential announcement later this summer. Any changes would still require approval from the PGA Tour Policy Board.
“I wasn’t sure what our expectations were because I knew what we were tackling was significant and felt that it was important to start the conversation and tackle it,” Rolapp said.
How the Two-Track System Would Work
Track One would serve as the Tour’s premier circuit and would feature approximately 15 to 18 PGA Tour events, in addition to the four major championships and The Players Championship. The events would essentially replace the current signature-event model and feature larger fields than many of today’s limited-entry tournaments.
Rather than the smaller, no-cut fields that have become common at several signature events, Track One tournaments are expected to feature fields of roughly 120 to 130 players. Most would also include traditional 36-hole cuts, restoring an element of week-to-week pressure that many players and fans feel has been missing.
The top 90 players in the season-long points standings would retain their Track One status for the following season. Everyone else would face the possibility of dropping out of the premier circuit.
Track Two would function as a proving ground for players attempting to earn their way into the top tier. Golfers competing on that circuit would battle throughout the season for a limited number of promotion spots into Track One the following year.
A Return to Merit-Based Competition
One of the driving forces behind the proposal is the Tour’s desire to bring greater consequences back into professional golf.
Since the introduction of Signature Events, some players and fans have criticized the growing number of no-cut tournaments and guaranteed opportunities for elite players. Rolapp suggested the new model would restore the meritocratic nature that has traditionally defined professional golf.
“At the end of the day, sports is about how good the athletes are and what the competitive consequences are,” Rolapp said. “I think we have lost a lot of that with the smaller fields, no-cut events. The competitive meritocracy that makes this sport great and unique is what we’ve gotten away from [and is what] we’re getting back to.”
The proposal could create approximately 20 to 30 promotion spots each season. In addition, another 10 players are expected to earn PGA Tour membership annually through the DP World Tour pathway, further strengthening the international pipeline into the Tour’s top level.
Schedule Changes Could Follow
Tour leadership has acknowledged concerns about the current calendar, particularly the clustering of major events and signature tournaments. Future schedules could feature more open weeks before majors and The Players Championship, while also reducing stretches where players are asked to compete in three consecutive weeks.
Those concerns were echoed by tournament host and golf legend Jack Nicklaus during Memorial Tournament week. Nicklaus has publicly expressed reservations about how many marquee events are grouped together on the current schedule and indicated he plans to discuss those concerns directly with Tour leadership.
Adjusting the schedule could become an important part of any future competitive model, particularly if the Tour hopes to create clearer distinctions between its two tracks while still preserving the importance of its biggest events.
“There’s all sorts of questions. It looks like it’s more ’28 just because of the complexity of not only the competitive model, but also the commercial things you need to do to actually put a new competitive model in place,” Rolapp said.
“So I feel good where we are, but I also had expectations that it wasn’t going to be easy.”
PGA Tour’s New 2028 Plan Could Change Golf Forever