The U.S. PGA Tour will operate on a two-track system starting in 2028, with the 36-hole cut also returning to signature events. As a result, competition for survival among players is expected to intensify.
The PGA Tour announced on its website on Tuesday (local time), "From 2028, the PGA Tour will be divided into events featuring an upper group (Track 1) and events featuring a lower group (Track 2)."
That day, PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp met with reporters at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Ohio, the site of the Memorial Tournament, and said, "Although the details of this plan have not yet been decided, we have made considerable progress." He added, "Specific details will emerge at the board meeting held before the Travelers Championship begins on the 25th."
According to the Associated Press, the Track 1 that Rolapp mentioned will consist of about 16 events, excluding the majors, and feature 120 to 130 top-tier players. Track 2, in which the remaining players compete, carries smaller prize money. Under the structure, players who perform well in Track 2 move up to Track 1.
A competitive element will also be added to the signature events, which carry a total purse of 20 million dollars (about 30.7 billion won). Currently, five of the eight signature events have no 36-hole cut. Only three events—the Genesis Invitational, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and this week's Memorial Tournament—apply the 36-hole cut. The PGA Tour is reportedly considering reviving the cut and increasing the number of participating players from the current 72 to more than 120.
Rolapp said, "With fewer participants and more no-cut events, we have lost the competitive meritocracy that makes this sport great and unique." He added, "In the future, you will see players trying to survive in Track 1 competing against players trying to move up to Track 1."
