The PGA Tour is speaking with 14 partners to determined the final four events that will join the upper level of itstwo-tiered schedule beginning in 2028.
CEO Brian Rolapp, speaking Aug. 25 at East Lake Country Club in Atlanta ahead of the Tour Championship, confirmed 11 of the 15 regular-season events on the Championship Series are set. Seven have been announced and four will be announced in the coming weeks.
Of the remaining four regular-season events, the Tour is in active discussion with 14 partners.
One of those presumably is theCognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches.
"Given that level of demand and interest we expect to be making final decisions soon," Rolapp said, adding the plan is to announce the full 2028 schedule Feb. 22.
Jack Nicklaus thinks PGA Tour scheduling is 'going to be a problem'
The 2026 Cognizant Classic had the lowest-ranked field of the year for regular PGA Tour events, according to the Official World Golf Ranking. For the first time since moving to PGA National in 2004, the field lacked a player in the top 25 of the world rankings.
Being relegated to the Challenger Series would further diminish the tournament and could, eventually, lead to its demise.
Events confirmed as part of the Championship Tour included: Jack Nicklaus' Memorial, the Sentry, Travelers Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational, Cadillac Championship played at Donald Trump's Doral course, Raymond James event (formerly Wyndham) and the newly-created Sompo event, among those that have secured a spot in the Championship Series.
Expect the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Genesis Invitational, RBC Heritage and Truist Championship — all part of the current eight Signature Events — to join.
Brian Rolapp wants 'competition right' for Championship Series
Rolapp was asked about possibly expanding the Championship Series, which comprise of The Players Championship, the four majors and the playoffs events along with those 15 other events joining that upper tier.
"We want to make sure we get the competition right," Rolapp said. "We theoretically could do a tournament every weekend in the summer. But the reality is to have the level of competition we want, not every golfer is going play every week. For us, it's more about working backwards from what is the best schedule, the best competitive format for fans that stokes interest … that's our North Star, how do you make it the best fan experience possible.
"While we may not have landed perfectly on the number of events, I think it's in the ballpark."
As for the Challenger Series, those events will be determined once the Championship Series is secured. Rolapp said the Tour has had "unsolicited interest" from events and sponsors for the Challenger Series and a "significant portion" of the schedule will be announced by The Players Championship in March with the full schedule finalized by the 2027 Tour Championship.
"We've seen quite a bit of demand for the Challenger Series, not only from existing sponsors and also new sponsors who have not been associated with the PGA Tour."
With the new schedule starting in 2028, Cognizant is secure for 2027. It will be played February 25-28 at PGA National, its 21st year at the resort, and once again will kick off the Florida Swing.
The Championship Series will include 72-hole stroke play tournaments with cuts, and purses of at least $20 million. Field sizes will average around 120 players. There will be no sponsor exemptions.
The Challenger Series will include at least 20 events, with fields of 144 players, all outside of the top 120 in the points list, and purses of at least $4 million. Players on the Championship Series will not be allowed to play in Challenger Series tournaments.
At the end of each season, 90 players at the Championship level will retain their eligibility, while the bottom 30 will be in danger of being relegated to the Challenger Series. In turn, those in the Challenger Series will have the opportunity to be elevated to the Championship Series.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Does Cognizant Classic have chance to be part of PGA Tour upper tier?
