The PGA Tour is changing its season format, but how will the changes affect the status of the Memorial Tournament?
On June 23, the PGA announced it will begin featuring two different series of tournaments starting in 2028: the PGA Tour Championship Series as the top flight of competition, and the PGA Tour Challenger Series below it. The format will allow players to move up or down based on performance with a new relegation system.
The changes also mean an adjustment to the PGA Tour schedule, with 23 or 24 events lined up for the PGA Tour Championship Series.
Hosted by Jack Nicklaus at the Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, the Memorial is one of eight signature events on the 2026 PGA Tour circuit, which offers increased prize money and FedEx Cup points to a more exclusive field of golfers.
Find out what, if anything, will change for the Memorial Tournament below.
What is the new PGA Tour format?
Here is a brief overview of the changes coming to the PGA Tour in 2028, via USA Today:
Two series of tournaments: PGA Tour Championship Series and PGA Tour Challenger Series
Championship Series: 23 or 24 events from February to August. Events will have a total purse of at least $20 million for fields of roughly 120 players with no sponsor exemptions and no alternates
New postseason format for Championship Series, including match play and “new-look Tour Championship contested across a rotation of prestigious courses”
Challenger Series: at least 20 events with purses of $4 million or more and fields of 144 players, played concurrently with Championship Series events
Opportunities for Challenger Series golfers to be promoted to the Championship Series (example: winning multiple Challenger Series events means immediate promotion for the golfer). A minimum of 20 Challenger Series players will receive a promotion to the Championship Series the following year
How will the PGA Tour changes affect the Memorial Tournament?
The Memorial trophy sits behind the first tee during the second round of the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club on June 5, 2026.
The Memorial Tournament, along with the seven other signature events on the current PGA Tour schedule – the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational, RBC Heritage, Cadillac Championship, Truist Championship and Travelers Championship – are expected to remain on part of the future PGA Tour schedule, according to ESPN.
Along with the THE PLAYERS Championship, four majors and the revamped PGA Tour championship postseason, there will be 15 regular-season events on the PGA Championship Series. The events will be 72-hole stroke play tournaments with an average field size of 120 and 36-hole cuts to the top 65 and ties, with a purse of at least $20 million.
In 2026, the Memorial Tournament field was 72 golfers, like the other signature events on tour, such as the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Genesis Invitational. J.T. Poston won the Memorial Tournament and took home $4 million of the $20 million purse.
As of June 23, the PGA has not revealed how the current signature events will factor into the new season. If the Memorial Tournament is included as a regular-season event on the Championship Series, the event may see the size of its field increase from recent years.
Additionally, Championship Series regular-season events will have no alternates or sponsor exemptions. This year, the Memorial, like other signature events, had four sponsorship exemptions in the 72-player field: Tony Finau, Patrick Rodgers, Billy Horschel and Matt Kuchar.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: What PGA Tour format change means for Memorial Tournament