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

Tournament golf in the United States was run by the PGA of America for decades. The modern PGA Tour was formed in 1968, when the touring professionals broke away from the club-professional side of the game. Legends like Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson defined American tournament golf and helped transform it into a mainstream spectator sport.

The modern era arrived with the creation of the all-exempt tour in 1983, which guaranteed starts to the top 125 players, 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 follows the calendar year. In 2026 the regular season opened at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January (The Sentry was not played this year) and the FedExCup Playoffs finished at the Tour Championship at the end of August.

The eight-event FedExCup Fall follows, running into November. It no longer feeds a wrap-around season. Instead it settles who finishes inside the top 100 and keeps full status for the next year.

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 tournaments with significantly larger purses. There were eight in 2026, built around the top 50 from the previous year's FedExCup standings plus in-season qualifiers. Most have no cut. The three player-hosted events, the Genesis Invitational, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial, cut to the top 50 and ties plus anyone within 10 shots of the lead. 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. A major winner takes 750 FedExCup points, the top tier, matched only by The Players and, since 2026, the first two playoff events. 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 at East Lake in Atlanta, where the top 30 compete for the FedExCup title

The old "starting strokes" system, which gave the points leader a head start of up to 10 shots, is gone. Since 2025 everyone at East Lake starts at even par, and whoever wins the 72 holes wins the FedExCup.

The money changed with it. From 2026 the Tour Championship is a $40 million event counted as official money, with $10 million to the winner. The separate FedExCup bonus pool, nearly $100 million, is paid on the standings after the BMW Championship, with $23 million for first place. Scottie Scheffler collected both in 2026, winning at East Lake for his second FedExCup in three years.

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, where it returned in 2026
• 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 (signature events and the majors set their own cuts)
• The player with the lowest cumulative score wins

Some events use alternative formats. The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is a two-man team event. Match play has gone quiet on the Tour since the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play was last played in 2023.

How Players Qualify for the PGA Tour

There are several paths to earning a PGA Tour card:

• FedExCup standings: from 2026 the top 100 at the end of the FedExCup Fall keep full status for the next season, down from 125; Nos. 101 to 125 get conditional status
• Korn Ferry Tour - the primary developmental tour; its top 20 each season earn PGA Tour cards, down from 30
• DP World Tour and Q-School: 10 cards go to leading DP World Tour players, and PGA Tour Q-School is capped at five
• 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: the Official World Golf Ranking does not hand out Tour cards, but a top-50 place opens doors, including an invitation to the Masters

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 PGA Tour Champions 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. GolfMode is being built for exactly this: live scores hole by hole and following individual players through their rounds. The app is waitlist-only for now.

The storylines take care of themselves. Scottie Scheffler finished the 2026 FedExCup Playoffs as world number one and passed Tiger Woods at the top of the Tour's career money list. Rory McIlroy is still chasing another major.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Around 45 official events. The 2026 schedule ran a regular season from January to August, three FedExCup Playoff events and an eight-event FedExCup Fall into November.

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?

Purses across the season run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. In 2026 The Players paid $25 million, the Tour Championship $40 million, and the FedExCup bonus pool was nearly $100 million, with $23 million for first. Top players can earn $20 million or more in official prize money alone in a single season.

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.

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