PGA Tour to Replace FedEx Cup Playoffs with Match-Play Format Starting 2028

The PGA Tour will overhaul its postseason beginning in 2028, moving away from the FedEx Cup format to a match-play structure. A 90-player stroke-play tournament will first determine the season-long points winner, after which the top 32 players in the final standings will compete in a two-week match-play event. The opening week will use a World Cup-style group stage, dividing the 32 golfers into eight groups of four, with the two best from each group advancing. The second week will host a 16-player single-elimination bracket at a different venue, culminating in a final match to crown the Tour champion. All 16 participants will continue to play all four days to establish the final standings, even if eliminated from title contention.

PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp is slated to detail the changes at a press conference during the Tour Championship in Atlanta. He said the format was chosen after consulting media partners and testing ideas with stakeholders, noting that match play was repeatedly highlighted as a way to make the sport more compelling. "If it wasn’t authentic to the players, it wasn’t going to resonate with anybody," Rolapp said.

The new system will also see the Tour Championship rotate to different courses each year, a move officials say will showcase venues not previously featured. The restructuring follows a broader revamp that introduced a two-tier Championship and Challenger Series, promotion-relegation rules, and larger prize pools. The tour, which secured a $1.5 billion investment in 2024, reported a revenue increase of nearly $300 million between 2024 and 2026 and returned to profitability in 2025.