FedEx St. Jude Championship to Lose PGA Tour Playoff Status in 2028
Memphis’ FedEx St. Jude Championship will lose its place as the opening PGA Tour playoff tournament after the 2027 season, with the PGA Tour confirming that the event will not be included in the 2028 Championship Series.
The decision changes the tournament’s status within professional golf beginning in 2028. The FedEx St. Jude Championship has opened the PGA Tour playoffs since 2022, giving Memphis a regular place on one of the tour’s most visible late-season schedules.
FedEx publicly expressed disappointment over the decision. The company is the tournament’s title sponsor, and the event also supports St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through its Memphis identity and charitable focus.
What changes after 2027
The current playoff role remains in place through the 2027 tournament season. Beginning with the 2028 Championship Series, the Memphis tournament will not be one of the events included in that series.
The decision does not establish that the tournament is leaving Memphis. It addresses the event’s status in the PGA Tour playoff structure. The replacement event and the final 2028 playoff schedule have not been identified.
That leaves an important question for Memphis: whether the tournament will continue in the city in another role, and how its place on the PGA Tour calendar might change. No final answer on those points was included with the announcement reported by Golf Monthly.
Why the playoff designation matters
Being the opening playoff event gives the tournament a prominent position in the PGA Tour season. Losing that designation could reduce Memphis’ national sports visibility after 2027 and could affect the number of visitors drawn to the city for the tournament.
The available public reporting does not quantify any expected change in tourism, visitor spending or tournament employment. Those effects would depend on the event’s future format, field, schedule and continued presence in Memphis.
For local sports and business officials, the change creates a longer-term uncertainty around one of the city’s most prominent annual professional sporting events. The tournament’s current playoff position has been in place only since 2022, but it has quickly become part of Memphis’ national sports profile.
A broader Memphis sports backdrop
The announcement comes as Memphis continues to invest in major sports facilities. The University of Memphis identifies Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium as the subject of a $226.5 million renovation project.
That project was expected to be completed in late August ahead of the Tigers’ Sept. 5 home opener, according to the university’s athletics department. The stadium renovation is separate from the PGA Tour decision, but both developments underscore the role large sports events and facilities play in the city’s public profile and business activity.
For the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the next confirmed milestone is the 2027 season, when it is still scheduled to serve as the opening playoff tournament. The PGA Tour’s 2028 arrangement remains to be announced.
Sources
- FedEx 'Disappointed' As PGA Tour Snubs St Jude Championship, Golf Monthly
- Memphis Athletics Announces Enhancements to Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium Project, University of Memphis Athletics
Look for updates to this story
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