DUBLIN, Ohio — PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said the Tour is making substantial progress on a revamped competition model that would restore 36-hole cuts to all top tournaments and reorganize the schedule into two distinct tracks. Speaking at the Memorial Tournament on June 3, Rolapp said the finished product likely will not be ready until 2028 and described it as a system “that outlives any player.”
Under the model Rolapp first floated in March, Track 1 would house roughly 16 tournaments for the Tour’s top performers — not including majors or postseason events — with fields of 120 to 130 players. Track 2 would serve players aspiring to reach Track 1, with smaller purses and title sponsors paying less, though Rolapp said he is confident sponsors will participate at that level.
Still under discussion is whether mid-season promotion between tracks would be possible — for example, by winning multiple Track 2 events. Today’s so-called signature events carry 72-player fields and 36-hole cuts at only three tournaments hosted by golf greats; the new model would broaden the cut back across all elite stops.
The postseason format is also being revamped. Rolapp said he has invited all PGA Tour broadcast partners — including streaming services that do not currently hold rights — to provide input as the Tour negotiates its next media-rights deal. A board meeting is scheduled for June 22, with Rolapp pointing to June 23 for a fuller public update.
Markets under consideration for new Track 1 stops reportedly include New York, Chicago, Boston, Denver, and Philadelphia — cities where the Tour does not currently host events.
For Upstate South Carolina golf fans, the changes carry indirect implications: the Korn Ferry Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am at Thornblade Club serves as a primary feeder to the PGA Tour, and any expansion of PGA Tour field sizes increases the runway for Korn Ferry graduates each year.
