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Every professional golfer aspires to reach the PGA Tour. The tour is the premiere pro golfing tour in North America, with its members traveling worldwide on a neverending schedule of events, including some of the world’s most famous and prestigious golf tournaments.
When enthusiasts first start watching golf, they always ask the same question — how does the PGA Tour work? This beginner’s guide will offer you a walk through the PGA Tour’s organization, schedule and point system. You’ll better understand the tour status and player eligibility to help your future viewing experience of this annual selection of top events.
PGA Tour and PGA — NOT the Same
As an aspiring golf follower, it’s best to understand early on that the Professional Golfer’s Association of America (PGA) and the PGA Tour are separate entities. The two might share the same acronym, but that’s where their relationship stops.
The PGA includes a network of other professional, semi-professional and amateur golf programs that don’t include the PGA Tour, which operates under its own auspices and control. It’s true — the two organizations were once together under the same banner when the PGA founded the PGA Tour in 1916.
The relationship ended when a host of touring professional golfers split from the governing body to form a separate league in 1968 following payment and eligibility disputes. The breakaway tour called itself the “Tournament Players Division” before adopting the “PGA Tour” name and logo seven years later.
Today, the PGA Tour has more status than its former governing body. It runs most of the weekly professional golf events televised on CBS, NBC, ESPN, the Golf Channel, and other American TV networks. The tour also co-sanctions tournaments on several other affiliated tours, including the PGA Tour Champions, formally known as the Senior PGA Tour, for pro golfers over 50. Further affiliations include the developmental Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour University, bridging the gap between collegiate golf and the PGA Tour itself. The PGA Tour University has a ranking system that allows the top college seniors automatic access to tour-sanctioned circuits. Here’s an extensive breakdown of the PGA Tour’s typical busy schedule.
PGA Tour Schedule
What is the PGA season? The PGA Tour schedule runs throughout the year, hosting events in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe and Japan. The events occur at the same times and locations every year, allowing them to develop their own unique atmospheres and traditions.
Tour officials have also strategically chosen each event’s location to maximize the chance of good weather and ensure that playing conditions are up to professional standards. Here’s a quick rundown of each PGA Tour event in chronological order:
January
- Sentry Tournament of Champions, Plantation Course, Kapalua, Hawaii.
- Sony Open, Waialae Country Club, Honolulu, Hawaii.
- American Express Desert Classic, Pete Dye Stadium Course, La Quinta, Calif.
- Farmers Insurance Open, Torrey Pines Golf Course, San Diego, Calif.
February
- AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, Calif.
- Waste Management Phoenix Open, TPC Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Ariz.
- Genesis Invitational, Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, Calif.
- Mexico Open, Vidanta Vallarta, Vallarta, Mexico.
- The Classic in The Palm Beaches, PGA National Resort, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
March
- Puerto Rico Open, Grand Reserve Golf Club, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.
- Mastercard Arnold Palmer Invitational, Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club and Lodge, Orlando, Fla.
- THE PLAYERS Championship, TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
- Valspar Championship, Innisbrook Resort, Palm Harbor, Fla.
- Texas Children’s Houston Open, Memorial Park Golf Course, Houston, Texas.
April
- Valero Texas Open, TPC San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas.
- The Masters Tournament, Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Ga.
- Corales Puntacana Championship, Puntacana Resort & Club, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
- RBC Heritage, Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head Island, S.C.
- Zurich Classic of New Orleans, TPC Louisiana, Avondale, La.
May
- The CJ Cup Byron Nelson, TPC Craig Ranch, McKinney, Texas.
- Myrtle Beach Classic, The Dunes Golf and Beach Club, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
- Wells Fargo Championship, Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, N.C.
- PGA Championship, different locations every year.
- Charles Schwab Challenge, Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas
- RBC Canadian Open, Hamilton Golf & Country Club, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
June
- Workday Memorial Tournament, Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio.
- U.S. Open, different locations every year.
- Travelers Championship, TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Conn.
- Rocket Mortgage Classic, Detroit Golf Club, Detroit, Mich.
July
- John Deere Classic, TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Ill.
- ISCO Championship, Keene Trace Golf Club, Nicholasville, Ky.
- Genesis Scottish Open, The Renaissance Club, North Berwick, Scotland.
- Barracuda Championship, Tahoe Mountain Club, Truckee, Calif.
- Open Championship, different locations in the United Kingdom every year.
- 3M Open, TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minn.
August
- Olympic Men’s Golf Competition, different locations every four years.
- Wyndham Championship, Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, N.C.
- FedEx St. Jude Championship, TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tenn.
- BMW Championship, Castle Pines Golf Club, Castle Rock, Colo.
- TOUR Championship, East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Ga.
September
- Procore Championship, Silverado Resort and Spa North Course, Napa, Calif.
October
- Sanderson Farms Championship, Country Club of Jackson, Jackson, Miss.
- Black Desert Championship, Black Desert Golf Course, Ivins, Utah.
- Shriners Children’s Open, TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nev.
- Zozo Championship, Accordia Golf Narashino CC, Chiba, Japan.
November
- World Wide Technology Championship, El Cardonal at Diamante, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
- Butterfield Bermuda Championship, Port Royal GC, Southampton, Bermuda.
- The RSM Classic, Sea Island Golf Club Seaside Course, Sea Island, Ga.
December
- Hero World Challenge, Albany, Nassau, Bahamas.
You’ll notice that four events don’t have permanent locations — the PGA Championship, U.S. Open and the Open Championship among them. These three events form part of the four major tournaments in professional golf and have much higher prestige than the other PGA Tour events. Organizers rotate these among different exclusive golf courses to create an enduring challenge.
The fourth major tournament, The Masters, takes place annually at Augusta National because of a long-standing tradition predating the PGA Tour itself. Players and fans alike don’t want the tournament to happen anywhere else, so it remains in Augusta. THE PLAYERS Championship has become an unofficial “fifth major” in recent years.
The fourth and final roving PGA Tour tournament is the Olympic Men’s Golf Competition, which occurs only every four years during the Summer Olympic Games. As such, it is hosted by whichever country holds the Olympics during that given year but remains an essential tournament on the PGA Tour calendar.
PGA Tour Point System and Eligibility
The PGA Tour operates a season-long points competition called the FedEx Cup Standings. In the FedEx Cup, how do golf tournaments work points-wise? During the regular season, players primarily earn FedEx Cup points based on their finishes in each tournament. A tournament winner can earn between 300 and 700 points to boost their FedEx Cup rankings while winning golfers in major tournaments and the PLAYERS Championship earning 750 points.
Players can also earn between three and eight FedEx Cup points by making the “cut” after a tournament’s second round. There are further points over and above final positions for scoring low rounds. So, in essence, a player who regularly finishes highly in a tournament without winning could earn more points in a season than a player who wins one event and performs poorly in all the other events. Many professional sports adopt this season-long format to reward their most consistent players and ensure fairness.
Eligibility Changes
Soon, the PGA Tour will reduce fully-exempt PGA Tour card eligibility from 125 golfers to 100, with those within 10 places of the top 100 still able to compete in over 15 events without going through qualifying. Tour cards from the feeder Korn Ferry Tour will also drop from 40 to 30, and plans are underway to make small reductions to FedEx Cup points.
The top 70 golfers in the FedEx Cup standings after the regular season ends at the Wyndham Championship in August will qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs. These best players compete for over $100 million in prize money, with the playoffs including the three remaining August events — the St Jude Championship (70 players), the BMW Championship (50 players) and the TOUR Championship (30 players).
The TOUR Championship features a starting stroke system to give the higher “seeds” a better chance of winning. Ultimately, the remaining players with the most points start the championship between 10 and 1-under par as a reward for their strong postseason performances.
The FedEx Cup winner currently receives a $25 million bonus and a five-year PGA Tour exemption, guaranteeing a spot on the tour. All of the TOUR Championship qualifiers are guaranteed a healthy paycheck after the event, one of the most lucrative earning weeks that pro golf has to offer.
The FedEx Cup competition restarts in earnest the following January, with all the PGA Tour’s reigning champions receiving invites to the Sentry Tournament of Champions signature event. The PGA Tour continues, however, with the FedEx Cup Fall until December’s unofficial Hero World Challenge event in the Bahamas.
The seven FedEx Cup Fall events before the Bahamas season finale benefit players in the same way as regular-season tournaments. Players can still qualify for the FedEx Cup top 125 (soon to be top 100) positions. Failure to do so means joining the Korn Ferry Q-School to attempt to regain their PGA Tour cards.
Qualification and Tour Status
Golf is primarily considered an aristocratic sport with limited access, but the PGA structure has established a meritocracy. It builds all tour-sanctioned competitions on a metaphorical ladder players attempt to climb, with the lowest rung being the PGA Tour Q-School, the most direct way to earn a Tour card. How does the PGA work for qualifiers?
Only five players pass the four stages of the Q-School, after which they can start playing on the Korn Ferry Tour — essentially the amateur or semi-professional version of the main PGA Tour. After every Korn Ferry Tour season, 30 players earn Tour cards and can start playing alongside the biggest names in the sport.
Players who already have their Tour cards can lose their spots on the PGA Tour by performing poorly. This demotion usually happens to older players who begin to decline physically. At this stage, these players will likely transfer to the PGA Tour Champions instead of continuing attempts to qualify for the main tour.
Don’t Miss the Best Golf in the World
That’s the PGA tour explained, so now you can sit back and enjoy the sport without getting confused about the standings. The PGA Tour undoubtedly features some of the best golf and the most prestigious tournaments in the world. Whether you’re new to the sport or have years of experience, you’re in for a treat.
If you think you’re ready to take on the wonderful world of golf, check out our breakdowns on how to get into golf, tips for golfing as a beginner and how to improve your golf game.
Originally posted Feb 01, 2024 – Updated Jan 8, 2025
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Author
Jack Shaw is a senior writer at Modded. Jack is an avid enthusiast for keeping up with personal health and enjoying nature. He has over five years of experience writing in the men's lifestyle niche, and has written extensively on topics of fitness, exploring the outdoors and men's interests. His writings have been featured in SportsEd TV, Love Inc., and Offroad Xtreme among many more publications.
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