PGA Tour Sets Two-Week Matchplay Finish for 2028 FedEx Cup

The PGA Tour will introduce a two-week, head-to-head Tour Championship in 2028, replacing the current three-event strokeplay finish to the FedEx Cup season. BBC Sport reported that PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp confirmed the change, which will stage the concluding competition at two different courses.

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The new format will restore matchplay to the PGA Tour for the first time since 2023. Exact details of the draw and progression were not set out in the report, but the announced structure represents a major redesign of the tour's postseason after repeated adjustments during the FedEx Cup's two-decade history.

Under the existing system, the top 70 players from the season-long points standings enter a three-tournament playoff series. The finale is the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta, where this week's event carries a $40 million purse. The playoffs have delivered large rewards for players, while questions about their appeal to viewers have persisted.

Rory McIlroy, a three-time FedEx Cup winner and the world number two, backed the planned switch. He told BBC Sport that Rolapp had outlined the proposal to him the previous week and said he liked the concept. McIlroy described the decision as a substantial move and said tour officials had responded to calls from fans for the return of matchplay.

The playoff overhaul is one part of a broader competitive restructuring scheduled for 2028. The PGA Tour also plans to establish Championship and Challenger series linked by promotion and relegation. Its regular season is set to contain 15 events and run from February through August, creating a more defined calendar before the redesigned postseason begins.

McIlroy said the shorter PGA Tour window could also create more room for leading players to compete internationally later in the year. The six-time major champion suggested the DP World Tour could concentrate its strongest events in the remaining five months and give players a clear incentive to take membership. Those ideas remain McIlroy's proposal, while the two-week matchplay finish and wider PGA Tour structure are the confirmed changes for 2028.