The final pieces of the PGA Tour’s reimagined Championship Series schedule will likely be solidified this fall, according to industry sources.
At last month’s Tour Championship, Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said the circuit had already identified two of the remaining six regular-season upper-tier events beginning in 2028. He also said the Tour had 14 “prospective partners” for the remaining four Championship Series events.
According to sources familiar with the situation, the Tour has asked those 14 prospective partners to submit their best offers — which are estimated to be more than $30 million annually with built-in escalators — by Sept. 30. After that deadline, the Tour is expected to evaluate the proposals and make final decisions on the remaining Championship Series events later this fall.
The Tour’s new competitive model will begin in 2028 and feature 23 to 24 Championship Series events that includes the majors, The Players Championship and the international team events.
The nine Championship Series events that have already been announced are the RBC Heritage, Truist Championship, Cadillac Championship, Travelers Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Memorial, The Sentry (at Torrey Pines), The GO by Raymond James (formerly the Wyndham Championship) and a new event that will be sponsored by Japan-based Sompo and will be played in 2027 in Napa, California.
The Tour plans to announce the entire 2028 Championship Series schedule on Feb. 22 on Golf Channel. The ’28 Challenger Series schedule is expected to be announced later in ’27.
Based on what’s already been announced, its likely current signature and playoff events would be included in the Championship Series. That would include the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and BMW Championship, which have not been announced as Championship Series events. It’s also likely the WM Phoenix Open would be a candidate for top-tier status, which narrows the list to just two remaining Championship Series events.
The Tour has also suggested a desire to add major markets to its Championship Series lineup like Boston, Denver, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.
The Tour has not announced any of the Challenger Series events and, according to various sources, the circuit is following a sequential process to build the Championship Series first. But sources also say the Tour began actively approaching potential tier-two partners this week.
The Tour’s policy boards are scheduled to meet Monday to vote on eligibility criteria for both the Championship and Challenger Series.