PGA Tour - Complete Guide for Golf Fans

The PGA Tour is the premier professional golf circuit in the world, featuring the best players competing across roughly 45 events each season for prize purses totalling hundreds of millions of dollars. Whether you are new to golf or a lifelong fan, this guide covers everything you need to know about the Tour - its history, format, key tournaments and how to follow the action live.

A Brief History of the PGA Tour

The PGA Tour traces its roots back to 1929, when tournament golf in the United States began to separate from the club-professional side of the game. For decades, legends like Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson defined the Tour and helped transform golf into a mainstream spectator sport.

The modern era arrived with the creation of the all-exempt tour in 1983 and the introduction of the FedExCup in 2007, which gave the season a structured points race culminating in a dramatic playoff series. Tiger Woods's dominance through the late 1990s and 2000s brought unprecedented global attention, and today the Tour continues to evolve with elevated events, signature tournaments and record purses.

How the PGA Tour Season Works

The PGA Tour season typically runs from January through to August, concluding with the FedExCup Playoffs. The season also includes a "Fall Series" of wrap-around events that count towards the following season's standings.

Regular Season

During the regular season, players earn FedExCup points based on their finishing positions in each event. The top 70 players in the standings at the end of the regular season qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs.

Elevated and Signature Events

In recent years, the Tour has introduced a tier of "signature events" - limited-field, no-cut tournaments with significantly larger purses. These events guarantee that the top players in the world compete against one another more frequently, addressing a longstanding criticism that star players rarely faced off outside the majors.

The Four Majors

While the four major championships - the Masters, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open and The Open Championship - are run by separate organisations, they form the backbone of the PGA Tour season and award the most FedExCup points. Winning a major remains the highest achievement in professional golf.

FedExCup Explained

The FedExCup is the PGA Tour's season-long points competition. Points are accumulated throughout the regular season, and the top 70 players advance to the three-event playoff series:

1. FedEx St. Jude Championship - the first playoff event, which cuts the field from 70 to 50
2. BMW Championship - reduces the field from 50 to 30
3. Tour Championship - the finale, where the top 30 compete for the FedExCup title and an enormous bonus pool

The FedExCup champion typically earns a bonus of $25 million on top of tournament earnings. The points reset partially before the Tour Championship, using a "starting strokes" system that converts points into a staggered leaderboard advantage.

Key PGA Tour Tournaments

Beyond the majors, several tournaments hold special prestige:

• The Players Championship - often called the "fifth major," held annually at TPC Sawgrass with its iconic island-green 17th hole
• Arnold Palmer Invitational - held at Bay Hill in Orlando, honouring the King of Golf
• The Memorial Tournament - Jack Nicklaus's event at Muirfield Village
• Genesis Invitational - hosted by Tiger Woods at Riviera Country Club
• WM Phoenix Open - the loudest event in golf, famous for the stadium par-3 16th

For the full list of events, see our PGA Tour Schedule 2026 breakdown.

PGA Tour Format and Scoring

Most PGA Tour events follow a standard format:

• 72 holes of stroke play over four days (Thursday to Sunday)
• A 36-hole cut eliminates roughly half the field after Friday's round - typically the top 65 players and ties make the weekend
• The player with the lowest cumulative score wins

Some events use alternative formats, including match play (the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play) and team events (the Zurich Classic of New Orleans).

How Players Qualify for the PGA Tour

There are several paths to earning a PGA Tour card:

• Korn Ferry Tour - the primary developmental tour; the top finishers each season earn PGA Tour cards
• Sponsor exemptions - tournament hosts can invite players who would not otherwise qualify
• Past champions - major winners and Players Championship winners receive multi-year exemptions
• World ranking - players ranked inside the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking receive exemptions into most events

Understanding the OWGR world rankings system is essential for following who qualifies for what.

PGA Tour vs Other Professional Tours

The PGA Tour is not the only professional golf circuit. The DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) is the second-most prestigious global tour, while LIV Golf launched in 2022 as a rival league backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. The LPGA Tour is the premier women's circuit, and the Champions Tour caters to players aged 50 and over.

Each tour has its own schedule, ranking system and qualification pathway, but they all feed into the global conversation about who the best golfers in the world truly are.

How to Follow the PGA Tour Live

Following the PGA Tour has never been easier. With GolfMode, you can track live scores hole by hole, follow individual players through their rounds and receive push notifications for key moments - birdies, eagles, aces and dramatic finishes.

Whether you want to follow Scottie Scheffler defending his world number one ranking or Rory McIlroy chasing another major, GolfMode puts all the data at your fingertips.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many events are on the PGA Tour schedule each year?

The PGA Tour typically features around 45 official events per season, including the four majors, signature events, the FedExCup Playoffs and regular tour stops. The exact number can vary slightly from year to year.

What is the difference between the PGA Tour and the PGA of America?

The PGA Tour is the organisation that runs professional tournament golf. The PGA of America is a separate body that represents club professionals and runs the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup. Despite sharing the "PGA" name, they are distinct organisations.

How much money do PGA Tour players earn?

Total prize money across the PGA Tour season exceeds $500 million. Top players can earn $20 million or more in official prize money alone in a single season, with the FedExCup bonus adding up to $25 million for the champion.

Can amateurs play on the PGA Tour?

Amateurs occasionally compete in PGA Tour events through sponsor exemptions or by qualifying for majors. However, they cannot accept prize money. Notable amateurs who have made the cut at Tour events include future stars who went on to successful professional careers.

Track every PGA Tour event live on GolfMode - download free.