Jackson Reid
Golf tours are the means by which unconnected golf tournaments are organised into a regular schedule. There are separate tours for men and women, and most are based in a specific geographical region. There are more than twenty professional golf tours, each run by a Professional Golfers Association or an independent tour organisation. The PGA Tour is the most well-known golf tour in the world, with members including some of the best golfers in the world. Other major tours include the LPGA Tour (for women), the European Tour, the Korn Ferry Tour, the Challenge Tour, the Web.com Tour, and the Asian Tour.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Professional Golf Tours | More than 20 |
| Geographical Region | Most tours are based in a specific region, but some hold tournaments in other parts of the world |
| Gender | Separate tours for men and women |
| Income Sources | Entry fees, travel and lodging costs, caddie hire, prize money, endorsements |
| Examples of Tours | PGA Tour, LPGA, Korn Ferry Tour, Challenge Tour, Web.com Tour, Legends Tour, DP World Tour, Asian Tour, Japan Golf Tour |
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What You'll Learn
The PGA Tour
The roots of the modern PGA Tour stretch back to April 10, 1916, when the PGA was formed. By 1916, several prestigious golf tournaments offering prize money had been established in America, including the North and South Open, the Metropolitan Open, the Canadian Open, the Shawnee Open, the Western Open and the U.S. Open. They formed the initial schedule of what came to be known as the "PGA Tour", with the addition of the PGA Championship in 1916. The Open Championship in the UK, the oldest golf tournament in the world founded in 1860, became a PGA Tour event in 1995.
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LPGA
The LPGA, or Ladies Professional Golf Association, is one of the leading women's golf organisations in the world. It was founded in 1950 by a group of 13 pioneering women golfers and has since grown into an influential body with over 15,500 members from 130+ chapters worldwide. The LPGA Tour, the official LPGA tournament, is similar to the PGA Tour, except that it exclusively features female golfers. The Epson Tour, also known as the "Road to the LPGA", is the qualifying tour for the LPGA, and has been the official development tour since 1999.
The LPGA Tour is a membership-based organisation, with members earning their spots through success in entry tournaments, known as Qualifying School (Q-School), or by achieving notable results as invited non-members. The LPGA Tour features 5 annual major championships, and the overall winner of these championships can earn up to eight-figure sums in prize money.
The LPGA Tour is based primarily in the United States, but it is not limited to this region, with tournaments taking place worldwide. The LPGA Tour is an important platform for female golfers, providing opportunities for competition, development and financial rewards. It has helped foster the growth of women's golf on a global scale and continues to empower women and young girls through its initiatives and programmes, such as Girls Golf, which aims to introduce girls to the game and foster confidence and life skills.
The LPGA Tour Hall of Fame was established in 1967, with roots tracing back to the Hall of Fame of Women's Golf, which was instituted in 1950 at the Augusta (Ga.) Country Club. The Hall of Fame celebrates the achievements of exceptional female golfers and serves as an inspiration for future generations of athletes.
The LPGA Tour is an integral part of the women's golf landscape, providing a platform for athletes to showcase their talent, pursue their passions, and inspire others. It has helped break barriers and challenge stereotypes, contributing to the advancement of women in sports and creating a lasting impact on the golfing world.
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Korn Ferry Tour
The Korn Ferry Tour is a developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour. It is primarily for golfers who have not yet reached the PGA Tour or who have failed to win enough FedEx Cup points to maintain their PGA Tour status. The top 30 golfers on the Korn Ferry Tour's money list at the end of the year are given PGA Tour memberships for the following season. The Korn Ferry Tour has been the primary route to earning a PGA Tour card since 2013, replacing Q-School, which had previously served as the main qualification route. Deane Beman, the commissioner of the PGA Tour, announced the "satellite tour" in early 1989, and it was formalised by the PGA Tour in 1990 as the Ben Hogan Tour, with the Ben Hogan Golf Company as its sponsor.
The Korn Ferry Tour, like the PGA Tour, includes 72-hole stroke play events with a cut after 36 holes for the top 65 players and ties. The winner of the tournament receives 18% of the total purse, similar to the PGA Tour. Since 2013, the Korn Ferry Tour Finals have awarded 16 points to the winner, and tournaments shortened to 36 holes are given ten points for regular-season events, although the win is considered unofficial. The OWGR points system was changed in August 2022, and there is now no minimum number of points required for any tour.
The Korn Ferry Tour has expanded beyond the United States' borders, hosting tournaments in Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Panama, Colombia, Chile, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas. While the tour has primarily been hosted within the United States, it has provided international golfers with opportunities to compete.
The Korn Ferry Tour is more than just a stepping stone to the PGA Tour; it is a competitive tour in its own right, with golfers vying for status and Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. It is a challenging environment where golfers must perform well to advance to the PGA Tour.
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Challenge Tour
The Challenge Tour, currently titled the HotelPlanner Tour for sponsorship reasons, is a second-tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It was introduced in 1986 when the national tours of Sweden, France, and Italy became open to foreign players. It was initially called the Satellite Tour and was renamed the Challenge Tour in 1990. The tour is operated by the PGA European Tour and some of the events are played outside Europe.
Players who are successful on the Challenge Tour qualify for membership of the European Tour the following year. Twenty players earn direct promotion to the European Tour, while players finishing 21-45 may also gain qualification for occasional low-prize-money European Tour events. Players who win three Challenge Tour events in a season are fast-tracked onto the main tour immediately and are fully exempt the following season. Official World Golf Ranking points are awarded for high finishes in Challenge Tour events.
One competitive level down from the Challenge Tour are five third-level developmental tours: the Alps Tour, the Pro Golf Tour, the PGA EuroPro Tour, the Clutch Pro Tour, and the Nordic Golf League. Each of these circuits is based in a different part of Europe and is known as the Satellite Tours. The top players from each of these tours earn status on the Challenge Tour for the following season.
The Challenge Tour featured tournaments co-sanctioned with the Tour de las Américas in Latin America from 2003 to 2011. In 2011, the tour added its first events in Asia, the Gujarat Kensville Challenge in India and the Kazakhstan Open. In 2020, the tour re-entered South Africa, co-sanctioning events with the Sunshine Tour.
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Asian Tour
The Asian Tour is the main men's professional golf tour in Asia, except for Japan, which has its own Japan Golf Tour. It is administered from Singapore and controlled by a board of professional golfers, supported by an executive team. The tour is a member of the International Federation of PGA Tours, and official money events count for Official World Golf Ranking points.
The Asian Tour was formed in 1994 at a meeting in Hong Kong attended by PGA representatives from eight countries. The first season was played in 1995 and, within a few years, it had become the leading golf tour in Asia outside of Japan. In 2010, the Asian Development Tour (ADT) was launched as a developmental circuit, with 5 events in its first year. By 2015, this had expanded to 28 tournaments with US$2.2 million in prize money.
Each year, the Asian Tour co-sanctions events with the European Tour, the Sunshine Tour, the PGA Tour of Australasia, and the Japan Golf Tour. These events often offer higher prize funds than most other tournaments on the tour. The two Opens that are singled out from the other majors are the US Open and The Open Championship, with 50% of players' earnings counting towards the Asian Tour's Order of Merit.
In 2022, the Saudi International became the flagship event and the richest sole-sanctioned event, with a prize fund of $1.1 million. The leading players on the tour are mostly Asian, but players from other parts of the world also participate. The Asian Tour is a prestigious men's tour, and in 2006, Michelle Wie became the first woman in recent times to make the halfway cut.
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Frequently asked questions
The PGA Tour is the biggest golf tour in the world, with the LPGA Tour being its equivalent for women. Other major tours include the European Tour (DP World Tour), the Korn Ferry Tour, the Asian Tour, and the Japan Golf Tour.
The PGA Tour is one of the most well-known golf events in the world. Run by the Professional Golfers Association, it includes tournaments across the US and North America. Its members include some of the best golfers in the game.
Golfers can qualify for the PGA Tour by succeeding in an entry tournament, usually called a Qualifying School (Q-School). They can also achieve qualification by attaining a designated level of success in tournaments as an invited non-member.
The Challenge Tour, the ProGolf Tour, the Alps Tour, and the Symetra Tour (for women) are all considered developmental tours that lead to the major tours.
Most professional golfers (at least 95%) make their primary income as club or teaching professionals, rather than from competition. A small elite group of golfers known as "touring professionals" or "tournament golfers" make a living from tournament prize money and endorsements.
