Major champ mulls loss of playoff event amid PGA Tour schedule 'shakeup'

Defending champion Justin Rose, winner of last year's FedEx St. Jude Championship and the 2013 U.S. Open champion, has voiced concerns about the future of the tournament he is set to defend this week. The FedEx St. Jude Championship, a staple of the FedEx Cup Playoffs since 2022, will not be included in the top tier of the overhauled PGA Tour schedule beginning in 2028. This decision, confirmed by the PGA Tour to GOLF, not only means the loss of its playoff event status but also casts doubt on its continued existence.

Speaking at a pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday, ahead of the final FedEx St. Jude Championship as a playoff event, Rose shared his thoughts. He expressed hope that the tournament could find a way to survive amidst the “big shakeup” on the PGA Tour. Starting in 2028, the PGA Tour plans to split its schedule into two series: the Championship Series, featuring approximately 24 elite tournaments (including majors and playoffs), and the Challenger Series for players who don't qualify for the top tier, with a lower prize fund.

“I’m coming to this news a little bit late. I feel like I’ve been on vacation mode. It’s obviously a big shakeup on Tour,” Rose said. “We don’t really know how that’s going to feel in reality. There’s obviously a lot of competition for the Champions Series and the Challenger Series.” He noted that the FedEx St. Jude Championship, along with the Rocket Classic and the Tour’s two Hawaii events, did not make the cut for the elite series. The exclusion of the FedEx St. Jude Championship from the top tier is perhaps the most surprising, given its long history as a playoff event.

Rose attributes the tournament's loss of its place in the calendar to the intense “competition” among events to be included in the Championship Series. “Yeah, I’m coming to this news a little bit late. I feel like I’ve been on vacation mode. It’s obviously a big shakeup on Tour,” Rose commented on the news Tuesday. “We don’t really know how that’s going to feel in reality. There’s obviously a lot of competition for the Champions Series and the Challenger Series.”

Further complicating matters is the fact that the PGA Tour’s current deal with FedEx, the sponsor of the St. Jude event and the playoffs themselves, expires in 2027. Rose highlighted FedEx’s “huge support” which has helped elevate the event’s “stature.” “This venue, this tournament obviously has grown in stature through the years. It used to be played in June around the U.S. Open time. Now it’s obviously part of the FedEx Cup Playoffs,” Rose stated. “Given FedEx’s huge support in the game of golf and for the game of golf, I think this tournament has found the stature that it deserves and the stature that FedEx deserves for this tournament as well.”

The 13-time Tour winner also added that the tournament’s association with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, including player visits with young patients, gives the event a “special feel.” He called it one of the PGA Tour host courses he “truly loves.” “Obviously the hospital and the kids that you meet this week is so heartwarming, there is definitely something special. It has a special feel,” Rose said. “That’s one of the golf courses I truly love on Tour. It’s one of those courses that the whole membership can play well on. I think East Lake is one and I think TPC Sawgrass is another one where it’s a good venue for a big championship because it doesn’t necessarily limit the amount of players that can win.”

In conclusion, Rose expressed hope that the tournament could survive in some form and “continue to do great things for the hospital.” “I’ll always be a huge fan of it,” Rose said. “Hopefully it can continue to have the support from the community and continue to do great things for the hospital. That’s probably the most important thing that the support for the hospital remains and us players can continue to support that endeavor.”

The PGA Tour calendar changes from 2028, which include a split into the Championship Series (approximately 24 tournaments) and the Challenger Series, have seen the FedEx St. Jude Championship, despite its status and history, excluded from the elite series. This decision, coupled with the expiration of the FedEx deal in 2027, casts a shadow over the future of this significant playoff event and its charitable mission.