Foreign News
Playoff stop not considered for PGA Tour’s Championship Series
The PGA Tour’s new competitive model that will begin in 2028 will shift the focus to the regular season and allow the circuit to reimagine the postseason
“We will also celebrate a regular season winner, recognizing the No. 1 finisher who distinguished himself against the best players in the world over the course of the season,” Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said in June.
While that move will allow the Tour to consider new postseason formats (match play) and venues, it has also created uncertainty for the current playoff events.
The Commercial Appeal reported Wednesday that the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first of three playoff events this year, will not be a Championship Series event when the Tour moves to a two-tier model beginning in 2028.
“While we are disappointed the FedEx St. Jude Championship will not be part of the new Championship Series, we are encouraged by their plans to find other opportunities to bring professional golf to Memphis,” FedEx said in a statement to The Commercial Appeal.
According to a source with knowledge of the situation locally in Memphis, the event was discussed as potentially becoming a Championship Series event in the spring.
East Lake Golf Club, which has hosted the Tour Championship since 2004, was also offered a top-tier event in the spring but declined.
According to a Tour spokesperson, the circuit remains in close conversation with FedEx and other potential sponsors about hosting a Challenger Series event, which will be the second-tier tournaments beginning in ’28, and officials are optimistic Memphis can remain a part of the Tour schedule.
The Championship Series will feature 23-24 events, including the four majors, The Players Championship, the international team competitions and the reimagined postseason, which will likely be two events. Within the last two weeks the Tour has announced the Cadillac Championship, Travelers Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational, The Sentry at Torrey Pines (Calif.) and a new event that will be sponsored by Sompo, an insurance and financial services company, as Championship Series events.
The Tour Championship is moving to a match-play model in 2028 on rotating course. So where does that leave East Lake Golf Club?
