The PGA Tour has announced a major restructuring of its competition format, set to take effect in 2028. The new system will divide the tour into two tiers: the Championship Series, which will feature the top players and highest-profile events, and the Challenger Series, designed for emerging or returning golfers. Winners of golf’s four major championships — the Masters, U.S. Open, Open Championship, and PGA Championship — along with The Players Championship, will receive the same prize money and recognition as winners of top-tier Championship Series events under the new structure. The tour has outlined specific entry criteria for both divisions, including how players will be assigned to each series during the first season. The split model separates the divisions based on the strength of the fields and the size of the prize purses. The PGA Tour’s governing boards have approved the plan, though more details are still being worked out, including the scheduling of remaining Championship Series events and whether top European tour players will have a direct path to the top tier. Under the new system, the top-ranked college senior will gain automatic entry into the Championship Series, where they will compete for $20 million in prize money alongside the sport’s elite. A post-season "Last Chance Series" has also been approved, offering three spots in the top tier to players who compete in every autumn tournament. Changes to tour exemptions include reducing the period of guaranteed PGA Tour membership for major winners and The Players champion from five years to two years starting in 2028. Players who move to the Challenger Series will receive a four-year exemption there instead. Access to the Championship Series will be limited to the top 90 players from the previous season, top 20 from the Challenger Series, multiple-time winners in the Challenger Series in a single season, and others based on specific criteria. The Challenger Series will include players who move down from the top division, those ranked between 21st and 90th in the Challenger points list, top players from the Korn Ferry Tour, and qualifiers from PGA Tour University and Q-school. The tour confirmed that there will be at least four autumn events, and players must attend all of them — unless they have a medical exemption — to qualify for the three Championship Series spots. Current exemptions will be honored at the Championship Series level for their full duration, including for players like Ryan Fox and Justin Rose.