Memphis has hosted PGA Tour tournaments since 1958 and a Tour playoff event since 2022, but the city will not be part of the Tour’s top-level circuit slated to start in 2028.
The schedule shakeup, first reported by the Memphis Commercial Appeal, was confirmed in statements given to GOLF.com by the Tour and FedEx, a longtime Tour sponsor and whose name is attached to the current Memphis event, the FedEx St. Jude Championship. That tournament will be played next week at TPC Southwind and next year as well, but then no more in its current role.
The news comes two months after the Tour announced it would be creating a Championship Series, featuring 23 to 24 events and its highest-rated players, and a lower-tier Challenger Series starting in 2028. The Tour’s sponsorship deal with FedEx — which includes the backing of the Memphis event and the Tour’s seasonlong points race and postseason — is set to end at the end of next year.
FedEx’s statement said the organization was “disappointed” at the news that the FedEx St. Jude Championship would not be part of the top-tier circuit. Both statements suggested that Memphis could host some sort of Tour-level event in the future.
“As the PGA Tour continues to evolve its competition structure and schedule, we understand their vision for the future and appreciate the longstanding partnership over the last 40 years,” the FedEx statement read. “While we are disappointed the FedEx St. Jude Championship will not be part of the new Championship Series, we are encouraged by their plans to find other opportunities to bring professional golf to Memphis. Regardless of the tournament’s next chapter, our commitment to Memphis is unwavering. We will find new ways to partner with St. Jude to advance their mission, and we will continue making new investments in this great city we call home.”
The Tour added: “FedEx has been a wonderful partner since 1986, with our relationship evolving and innovating over the years. As we prepare for the FedEx St. Jude Championship next week and again in 2027, we remain in close conversation about the future of our partnership. We are grateful to FedEx for all it contributes to the sport, and the positive impact they make in the community, including in Memphis with St. Jude. As we implement a new competitive model and map out our schedule for 2028 and beyond, we believe Memphis is well-positioned to remain part of the PGA Tour. TPC Southwind is a premier venue in our TPC Network and remains an important asset to the Tour. We look forward to sharing more as plans take shape.”
What happens to sponsorship of the Tour’s points race and postseason remains unclear. A Tour spokesperson said the Tour was in “close conversation with FedEx and other sponsors about future opportunities.”
At the announcement of the Tour’s new format in June, the Tour said its Championship Series would feature 15 regular-season events, the four majors, the Players Championship, an annual team event (Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup), a once-every-four-years Olympic tournament and the Tour Championship as part of a “reimagined postseason.” Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said that 10 of the 15 regular-season events had already been lined up.
Over the past few days, five of them have been named — the Travelers Championship; the Arnold Palmer Invitational; the Sentry, to be played at Torrey Pines; the Cadillac Championship, which was played for the first time this year; and the Sompo Championship, which will take over the Napa, Calif., event in 2027 before it becomes a Championship Series event in 2028 at a to-be-announced venue and location. The Challenger Series, meanwhile, will feature at least 20 tournaments, and Memphis could be in line to host one of those.
“I think the reason for change has been pretty clear,” Rolapp said in June. “I think if you talk to our fans, if you talk to our partners, they are all looking for improvement, and there’s one thing I learned in my old job: Innovation is extremely important if you want to move a sport forward. I think the PGA Tour is different.
“We also exist in a really competitive sports world. Whether you’re competing for fans’ attention, if you’re competing for media dollars, which is the economic lifeblood of every sport in this country, you need to be constantly improving the product. I think we looked around and we saw what we need to do to increase fans’ attention and create more value for our partners and felt this was necessary.”
Rolapp is expected to hold another press conference at the end of the month at the Tour Championship.
