The 2028 season of the PGA Tour will conclude with a two-week match play tournament.

PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp announced through the PGA Tour website today (the 26th) that the 2028 season, which marks the launch of the new Championship Series format, will finish with a match play event featuring the top 32 players.

According to Rolapp's plan, during the regular season Championship Series events, winners will be decided by stroke play, and the top 32 players will advance to the match play.

In the first week, group stage matches will take place where players are divided into eight groups of four for head-to-head battles, with the top two players from each group advancing to the next round.

In the second week, the tournament will move to a new venue where the 16 players will compete in a single-elimination (knockout) format, and the final winner will become the champion of the Tour Championship.

Unlike stroke play, which determines the winner based on the total score across all rounds, match play is a format where two players go head-to-head, and the one who wins the most individual holes wins the match.

While match play is used in events like the Ryder Cup—the golf competition between the United States and Europe—it has never been used in the PGA Tour postseason.

Currently, the PGA Tour postseason determines its winner through three consecutive stroke play tournaments.

Tiger Woods (USA), who served as the chairman of the PGA Tour's advisory committee, posted on social media, "I am excited to open a new era of match play on the PGA Tour."

Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), world number two in men's golf, said, "I like that we are attempting a major change," while adding, "It is also important that the regular season champion, decided by stroke play, receives appropriate compensation."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)