Harper Lin
Professional golf tours are the means by which unconnected golf tournaments are organized into a regular schedule. The PGA Tour is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America and runs most of the week-to-week professional golf events. The roots of the modern PGA Tour stretch back to April 10, 1916, when the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA) was formed. The PGA Tour has a metaphorical ladder structure that players climb by competing in tournaments. The lowest rung is the PGA Tour Q-School, which is the most direct way to earn a Tour card. During the regular season, players primarily earn FedEx Cup points based on their finishes in each tournament. The Playoffs kick off at the 70-player FedEx St. Jude Championship, followed by the 50-player BMW Championship. The final 30 players remaining will proceed to the TOUR Championship, and the best performer over the course of four rounds wins the FedExCup.
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What You'll Learn
The PGA Tour
The FedEx Cup is another way to qualify for the PGA Tour. During the regular season, players 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 earn 750 points. The Playoffs kick off at the 70-player FedEx St. Jude Championship, followed by the 50-player BMW Championship. The final 30 players remaining will proceed to the Tour Championship, which is played as a 72-hole stroke-play event, with all players starting the tournament at even par. The best performer over the course of four rounds at the Tour Championship will win the FedExCup.
There are eight PGA Tour signature events, not including the majors, playoff events, and Players Championship. These have smaller fields and increased purse sizes ($20 million).
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Professional golf tours
There are separate tours for men and women, and most are based in a specific geographical region, although some tours hold tournaments in other parts of the world. Examples of tours include the PGA Tour, the European Tour, the LPGA Tour, the Sunshine Tour, the Japan Golf Tour, the PGA Tour of Australasia, and the Asian Tour. The PGA Tour, for example, runs most of the weekly professional golf events televised on major American TV networks, and the tour also co-sanctions tournaments on several other affiliated tours, including the PGA Tour Champions for golfers over 50.
Each tour has members who have earned their tour cards, meaning they are entitled to play in most of the tour's events. A golfer can become a member of a leading tour by succeeding in an entry tournament, usually called a Qualifying School (Q-School); or, by achieving a designated level of success in its tournaments when competing as an invited non-member; or, much rarer, by having enough notable achievements on other tours to make them a desirable member. Membership of some of the lesser tours is open to any registered professional who pays an entry fee.
The PGA Tour is considered the premier meritocracy in professional sports. It builds all tour-sanctioned competitions on a metaphorical ladder that players attempt to climb, with the lowest rung being the PGA Tour Q-School, the most direct way to earn a Tour card. Only five players pass the four stages of the Q-School, after which they can start playing on the Korn Ferry Tour — 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.
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How to qualify for tournaments
There are over twenty professional golf tours, each run by a Professional Golfers Association or an independent tour organisation. Most are based in a specific geographical region, although some hold tournaments in other parts of the world.
The PGA Tour is the organiser of professional golf tours in North America. It runs most of the weekly professional golf events televised on major American networks. The tour also co-sanctions tournaments on several other affiliated tours, including the PGA Tour Champions, the Korn Ferry Tour, and PGA Tour Americas.
The PGA Tour is built on a metaphorical ladder that players climb through competitive results across a qualifying series or season. The lowest rung is the PGA Tour Q-School, the most direct way to earn a Tour card. Only five players pass the four stages of the Q-School, after which they can start playing on the Korn Ferry Tour, the amateur 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.
The three player-hosted Signature Events are the Genesis Invitational, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and the Memorial Tournament. Players qualify for these events via the highest category for which they are eligible on the Priority Ranking. The top 50 players from the previous season's FedExCup standings through the TOUR Championship also qualify.
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 earn 750 points.
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Tournament structure
The PGA Tour is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments, including the PGA Tour Champions (for golfers aged 50 and older), the Korn Ferry Tour (for professional players who have not yet qualified to play on the PGA Tour), and PGA Tour Americas. The PGA Tour is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, and runs most of the week-to-week professional golf events televised on major American networks.
The PGA Tour has a metaphorical ladder structure, with players moving up and down based on their competitive results. The lowest rung is the PGA Tour Q-School, where only the top five finishers can move on to the Korn Ferry Tour—the amateur or semi-professional version of the main PGA Tour. After each Korn Ferry Tour season, 30 players earn Tour cards and can start playing in the PGA Tour alongside the biggest names in golf. Players who perform poorly can lose their spots and may be demoted to the PGA Tour Champions.
The PGA Tour also co-sanctions tournaments on affiliated tours, including the developmental Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour University, which bridges the gap between collegiate golf and the PGA Tour. The PGA Tour University has a ranking system that allows top college seniors automatic access to tour-sanctioned circuits.
The FedEx Cup is a season-long competition where players earn points based on their finishes in each tournament. A tournament winner can earn between 300 and 700 points, while winning golfers in major tournaments and the PLAYERS Championship earn 750 points. The Playoffs kick off with the 70-player FedEx St. Jude Championship, followed by the 50-player BMW Championship. The final 30 players compete in the TOUR Championship, a 72-hole stroke-play event, and the best performer wins the FedExCup.
There are separate professional golf tours for men and women, and most are based in specific geographical regions. There are more than twenty professional golf tours, each run by a Professional Golfers Association or an independent tour organization responsible for arranging events, finding sponsors, and regulating the tour. Most major tours are player-controlled organizations that aim to maximize the income of their members through prize money.
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Player earnings
Golfers can make substantial earnings through tournament prize money, with over $400 million in prize money available during the 2025 PGA regular season, in addition to three playoff events. The PGA Tour has a ladder-like structure, with players moving up and down based on their performance across a qualifying series or season.
The lowest rung of the ladder is the PGA Tour Q-School, where only five players can pass the four stages and start playing on the Korn Ferry Tour, the amateur version of the main PGA Tour. After each Korn Ferry Tour season, 30 players earn Tour cards and can play with the top golfers in the sport. Players with Tour cards can lose their spots by performing poorly, which usually happens with older players who begin to decline physically.
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, boosting their FedEx Cup rankings. Winning golfers in major tournaments and the PLAYERS Championship earn 750 points. Players can also earn between three and eight FedEx Cup points by making the "cut" after a tournament's second round.
In addition to points, golfers can earn substantial prize money. For example, the winner of the 2024 American Express tournament claimed $1.5 million in prize money. There are also golfers who have earned $10 million or more in their PGA Tour careers without ever winning a tour event.
The PGA Tour also co-sanctions tournaments on several other affiliated tours, including the developmental Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour University, which bridges the gap between collegiate golf and the PGA Tour.
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Frequently asked questions
The PGA Tour is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champions, the Korn Ferry Tour, and PGA Tour Americas.
Golfers can qualify for the PGA Tour by succeeding in an entry tournament, usually called a Qualifying School (Q-School); or, by achieving a designated level of success in its tournaments when competing as an invited non-member; or, much rarer, by having enough notable achievements on other tours to make them a desirable member.
The FedEx Cup is a season-long competition where players earn points based on their finishes in each tournament. The Playoffs kick off at the 70-player FedEx St. Jude Championship, followed by the 50-player BMW Championship. The final 30 players remaining will proceed to the TOUR Championship, which is played as a 72-hole stroke-play event, with the best performer winning the FedExCup.
The three player-hosted Signature Events are The Genesis Invitational, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and the Memorial Tournament. These events feature a 36-hole cut to the top 50 and ties, plus any player within 10 shots of the lead. Signature Events redistribute prize money, allocating 20% to the winner.
While most professional golfers make their primary income as club or teaching professionals, a small elite obtain income from prize money and endorsements, becoming "touring professionals" or "pro golfers". The best golfers can make up to 8-figure incomes in U.S. dollars from tournament play.
