McIlroy Endorses PGA Tour's 2028 Matchplay Championship Overhaul

Rory McIlroy has endorsed the PGA Tour's plan to overhaul its season-ending Tour Championship into a two-week matchplay event starting in 2028, stating the changes address what fans have been requesting. The world number two and three-time FedEx Cup winner said he was briefed on the concept by PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp last week and believes the move represents a significant and positive shift for the sport.

Under the new format, the Tour Championship will abandon its traditional strokeplay conclusion. The event will begin with a 72-hole strokeplay tournament featuring the top 90 players from the season-long points list, after which the top 32 will advance to a matchplay bracket. These 32 qualifiers will be split into eight groups of four for the first week of competition. The top two players from each group, 16 in total, will progress to the second week, where they will compete in a knockout bracket to determine the Tour champion.

McIlroy expressed strong approval for the direction. "I think the PGA Tour and the Future Competition Committee and Brian and everyone involved have really taken on board what the fans have been calling for and have wanted, which is matchplay," he...