PGA Tour's New Two-Tier Model Could Relegate Zurich Classic to Challenger Series in 2028
The PGA Tour plans to split its schedule into a championship series and a challenger series starting in 2028, putting the Zurich Classic at risk of being moved to the lower tier.
The PGA Tour announced a restructuring of its tournament schedule that will take effect in 2028, creating a two-tier system of 23-24 championship events and about 20 challenger events. Under the new model, the Zurich Classic, a long-standing tournament in New Orleans, could be placed in the challenger series, which features smaller purses and lower-profile fields.
Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said the changes are built on “a foundation of meritocracy,” allowing players to move between the tiers through promotion and relegation. Championship events will average 120 players, offer minimum purses of $20 million and include the four majors, the Players Championship and major team competitions. Challenger events will have fields of roughly 144 players, purses of at least $4 million and a 36-hole cut to the top 65 and ties.
The Tour has already identified 10 of the remaining championship slots for 2028, with the Zurich Classic listed as a possible inclusion alongside potential new markets such as Boston, Denver and New York. The final schedule will be released in early 2027.
If the Zurich Classic moves to the challenger series, top players who currently compete there, including Rory McIlroy, Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm, would no longer be eligible. Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation that runs the event, said the organization is reviewing options and remains committed to its charitable contributions, which exceeded $3.6 million last year.
The challenger series will run concurrently with the championship schedule, with about seven events held during off-weeks. Players can earn promotion to the championship series by winning two events in a season or finishing in the top 20 of the points list. Additional changes include a rotating season-ending championship, a new postseason match-play event, a designated regular-season champion and a revised PGA Tour card-retention system that rewards the top 90 finishers in the championship series.