PGA CEO talks LIV Golf, future postseason matchplay at Tour Championship

ATLANTA - The PGA Tour is moving forward, including a two-week long match play Championship Series to end the season.

Say goodbye to the FedEx Cup playoffs that culminate in the Tour Championship as it does this week. Starting in 2028, it's a brand-new playoff.

PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp announced the new series on Tuesday ahead of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, which will host its final two FedEx Cup finales this and next year.

While the PGA Tour is not looking back, how the struggling LIV Golf and its players fit in should they want to return remains unanswered.

Rolapp said there are no current plans for players to utilize the Returning Member Program, the pathway that enabled Brooks Koepka to return to the PGA Tour from LIV Golf following a $5 million charitable donation.

Bryson DeChambeau posted a cryptic message on social media Monday, a day after LIV Golf's season-ending tournament. "It was a good run," he wrote on Instagram with several photos from previous LIV Golf events.

LIV's future is certainly in doubt. The league lost its funding from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund after the 2026 season in April after an investment of a reported $5.3 billion. LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil announced a new investor, but details have been scarce for a 2.0 version. Jon Rahm, and now possibly DeChambeau, are some of the big names considering an exit with a future that may include smaller contracts and purses. Before its season finale last week in Indianapolis, LIV has been scaling back, including canceling LIV-Michigan, the league's team championship event.

Now the big question is whether those potentially exiting LIV will have a home on the PGA Tour.

"I think what I would say on that is I think fans are clear where they want to see the best golfers competing week in and week out," Rolapp said. "Our competitive model that we've been working on is an attempt to get closer to that standard."

Rolapp made three points on the LIV question. The PGA Tour is:

1. A meritocracy where players must earn their success.

2. A membership organization with rules that matter.

3. An organization that enforces its rules to ensure accountability and discipline.

"I don't know the future of LIV," Rolapp said. "It sounds like they're working really hard to come up with the next iteration of it. We've been consistent. Anyone who's interested in coming to the PGA Tour needs to demonstrate that they are relieved of their contractual commitments or any tail obligations they might have in that legacy model."

Rory McIlroy recently questioned what value the return of LIV golfers would bring to the PGA Tour.

"I mean, I would argue, have they brought value to LIV?" McIlroy said last week during his news conference ahead of the BMW Championship. "I think the PGA Tour's in a really good spot."

Should LIV golfers return to the PGA Tour or DP World Tour, it will likely come at a price.

"I think going forward, there obviously has to be some sort of penalties," Scottie Scheffler said last week. "What those are, I'll let Rolapp and all those guys figure it out. We have great leadership within the tour now."

For now, McIlroy and Scheffler can focus on their own on-course matters.

In the new playoffs, the top 90 players in the season-long points lists will compete in the PGA Tour Championship Series finale. The top 32 players on the points list at the end of the finale, move on to the Tour Championship to be played over two weeks on iconic courses.

Week 1 is a group stage, dividing 32 golfers into eight groups of four for head-to-head match play. The top two players in each group move on to a new course in Week 2.

In the finale, the remaining 16 players compete in four rounds of match play. The final two undefeated players will battle to be crowned the Tour champion.

In the end, one player will be left standing.

Considering Rolapp's background with the NFL, the new format will essentially be a series of playoff games. Details such as trophies and prize money are still being worked out.

"This sets the stage for a re-imagined Tour Championship, a separate, stand-alone competition that will emerge as one of the most difficult tournaments to qualify for and win, testing the world's best golfers in a different way, in a unique competitive format," Rolapp said.

Venue site visits for the playoffs are underway and could be confirmed on Feb. 22.

The criteria for venues will be challenging championship courses that America doesn't get to see very often and that excite both players and fans, according to Rolapp. East Lake, which has been the permanent home of the Tour Championship for the past 21 years (since 2004), would be considered. Courses such as Pine Valley, Cypress Point Club and Seminole Golf Club have been mentioned as possibilities.

The finale will be the culmination of the revamped PGA Tour that will include the Championship Series and Challenger Series previously announced.

--Chris Vivlamore, Field Level Media