The 2026 Senior PGA Championship format remains unchanged this year, with the PGA Tour Champions-sanctioned and PGA of America-conducted major championship event played at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida.
The 2026 Senior PGA Championship field is 156 players, with this being an all-professional affair, including PGA of America professionals competing in this 50-plus event.
The Senior PGA Championship field is made up of a variety of players, namely the players who qualified via different exemption categories and those who got through USGA final qualifying.
Senior PGA Championship format
The Senior PGA Championship format is a 72-hole event. The 156 players are split into threesomes for each of the first two days.
The field is divided into morning and afternoon waves for the first two rounds, with players competing in threesomes each day. The same threesomes play together in each of the first two rounds, with each group getting one time in the morning and one in the afternoon, as well as one starting on the first tee and one starting on the 10th tee.
A cut is made after 36 holes to the top 70 players and ties. All players who make the field and make the cut are eligible to finish the event.
For the third and fourth rounds, the pairings and tee times are made based on each player's total score through two and three rounds, respectively. Players with the highest total score go first, then in descending order until the two players with the lowest total score in the final group.
The player with the lowest total score after 72 holes is the winner and will earn the 2026 Senior PGA Championship winner's share of the purse.
The winning player will get a five-season PGA Tour exemption. The winner is exempt into other tournaments as well, including the Senior PGA Championship for 10 years, as well as the other majors for five years. The winner earns Charles Schwab Cup points in the value of the first-place dollars, and each playing making the cut earns points converted 1-to-1 dollars for points.
Senior PGA Championship playoff format
A playoff to settle any ties after 72 holes will be played under USGA rules. The Senior PGA Championship playoff format is a sudden-death playoff, with playoff holes being 18 played by any qualifying players. In the event of a tie after two holes, the tied players compete hole-by-hole until a winner is determined by a player scoring the lowest among the remaining players.
