Scheffler Backs PGA Tour's 2028 120-Player Model as Signature Fields Expand

Q: How will the Tour's new merit-based system accommodate aging superstars who may no longer qualify on points alone?

The PGA Tour’s 2028 system is expected to give aging superstars a limited path beyond points, mainly through special eligibility categories such as career milestones, tournament wins and medical extensions. Under the new model, the Championship Series will be largely merit-based: about 120-player fields, no sponsor exemptions, and status mainly going to the top 90 players from that series plus at least 20 promoted from the Challenger Series. That means established stars who no longer finish high enough on points will not be able to rely on the old sponsor-invite route. Instead, the Tour has indicated that some remaining places will be allocated through additional criteria that have not been fully finalized. The most relevant for older marquee players is the proposed “career milestones” category, which appears designed to recognize major past achievements and long-term stature in the game. Medical extensions would also protect players whose ranking slipped because of injury, while tournament-winner categories could reward players who still produce occasional big results. There will also be a fall “last chance” series, giving players who miss the top 90 another competitive route to regain Championship Series access. In short, the new structure is stricter than the current one, but it is not purely points-only: the Tour is leaving itself a narrow mechanism to keep accomplished veterans in the top tier, even as it removes sponsor exemptions and emphasizes performance.

3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Jun 24

Scottie Scheffler said the PGA Tour’s 2028 competition model should improve top events by expanding Championship Series fields to about 120 players and restoring a cut.
The new structure would split the tour into two circuits: a roughly 24-event Championship Series with $20 million purses, including majors, and a Challenger Series feeding players into the top tier.
Scheffler said larger fields will make wins tougher and more meaningful because champions will have to beat nearly all of the world’s best players, not smaller signature-event groups like the current 72-man Travelers field.
His comments came at the Travelers Championship, where most top PGA Tour players are competing after the U.S. Open, though Rory McIlroy again skipped a $20 million signature event.