
The PGA Tour is the top golf tour, featuring the four biggest and most prestigious annual tournaments: The Masters, the US Open, the Open Championship, and the PGA Championship. The season usually starts in Hawaii in January and there is a tournament every week, including some that are held outside the United States, such as in Canada, South Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, the Dominican Republic, Bermuda, and Mexico. The PGA Tour also conducts an annual Qualifying Tournament, known as Q-School, each fall, as well as the biennial Presidents Cup, which matches a team of golfers from the US against an International team.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Season dates | September to August |
| Number of events | 52 |
| Days of the week | Thursday to Sunday |
| Number of holes | 18 |
| Number of rounds | 4 |
| Number of days | 4 |
| Cut | Top 70 players |
| Winner's purse | 18% of the total purse |
| Minimum number of holes for official status | 54 |
| Minimum number of holes for unofficial status | 36 |
| Number of players setting their own schedule | 125 |
| Number of events per year | 20-30 |
| Number of major tournaments | 4 |
| Names of major tournaments | Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, The Open |
| Tournament with association to a golf legend | The Arnold Palmer Invitational |
| Tournament with association to a famous course | RBC Heritage |
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What You'll Learn
- The PGA Tour season runs all 52 weeks of the year, from September through August
- The season starts in Hawaii in January and ends with the FedEx Cup Playoffs
- The PGA Tour hosts events at different courses around the country
- Tournaments are four days of golf (18 holes each), Thursday to Sunday
- The winner usually receives 18% of the total purse

The PGA Tour season runs all 52 weeks of the year, from September through August
The PGA Tour season runs all year round, from September through August, with no real off-season. This means that golf can be played year-round in certain parts of the world. The PGA Tour hosts events every week, including during the weeks when major championships are taking place, as these are not classed as PGA Tour events.
The major championships include the Masters, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open, and The Open. These tournaments are not run by the PGA Tour, but by other organisations such as the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour. The PGA Tour does, however, run most of the week-to-week professional golf events, including the Players Championship, the FedEx Cup, and the biennial Presidents Cup.
The PGA Tour events vary in status, influenced by factors such as their position in the schedule, the age of the tournament, and the distinction of its past champions. Each tournament consists of 4 days of golf, from Thursday to Sunday, with a cut after Friday's round where only the top 70 players and ties can continue playing over the weekend. The winner of each tournament typically receives 18% of the total purse, as well as a substantial monetary prize and points towards season-long rankings.
The PGA Tour also places a strong emphasis on charity fundraising, usually for local charities in the cities where events are held. In 2005, the PGA Tour started a campaign to push its all-time fundraising tally past one billion dollars, a goal that it successfully achieved.
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The season starts in Hawaii in January and ends with the FedEx Cup Playoffs
The PGA Tour typically starts in January and ends in August with the FedEx Cup Playoffs. The 2025 FedExCup Regular Season, contested from January to August, features 36 official FedExCup events, including major championships, signature events, full-field events, and additional events.
The PGA Tour starts in Hawaii, with the Sentry Tournament of Champions taking place at the Plantation Course in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. This tournament is usually held in early January and marks the beginning of the PGA Tour season. It is an exclusive event, only open to PGA Tour professionals who have won a tournament in the previous season. The winners of this tournament receive the honor of being the first champions of the new PGA Tour season.
The FedEx Cup is a season-long points competition that offers $100 million in bonus money. Players accumulate points throughout the regular season, with an emphasis on wins and high finishes. Full-Field Events, Signature Events, and majors all offer varying points values, with the top finishers in each tournament earning FedExCup points.
The FedEx Cup Playoffs are a series of three events, with the top 70 players in the FedExCup standings eligible to compete. The first two playoff events offer quadruple points compared to the regular season, with 2,000 points awarded to the winner. The Playoffs culminate with the TOUR Championship, a 72-hole stroke-play event where all players start at even par. The player with the lowest stroke total over 72 holes wins the FedExCup, along with a $10 million bonus and a five-year PGA TOUR exemption.
The FedEx Cup Playoffs are highly anticipated as they bring an exciting conclusion to the PGA Tour season. Players compete not only for the lucrative bonus money but also for the prestigious title of FedExCup Champion, which distinguishes the player who excels throughout the regular season and rises to the challenge of the Playoffs. The FedEx Cup Playoffs provide a thrilling finale to the PGA Tour, showcasing the skills and perseverance of the world's best golfers.
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The PGA Tour hosts events at different courses around the country
The PGA Tour, established by the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA of America), runs most of the week-to-week professional golf events. The season runs for 52 weeks of the year, from September through August, with no real off-season. This is because golf can be played year-round in certain parts of the world.
The PGA Tour does not run any of the four major championships (Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, The Open), or the Ryder Cup. However, it does run The Players Championship, the FedEx Cup, and the biennial Presidents Cup. The remaining events on the PGA Tour are run by different organisations.
The "regular" PGA Tour events vary in status, influenced by factors such as their position in the schedule, the age of the tournament, and the reputation of the course on which it is played. Several events have associations with "legends of golf", such as The Arnold Palmer Invitational, which is played at a resort owned by Arnold Palmer.
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Tournaments are four days of golf (18 holes each), Thursday to Sunday
The PGA Tour hosts tournaments that are four days of golf, typically from Thursday to Sunday, with 18 holes played each day. The season usually starts in September and ends in August of the following year, with no real off-season due to the year-round playability of the sport in certain regions.
Each week, the PGA Tour hosts an event at different courses around the country, with the tournaments consisting of four rounds of 18 holes each. After Friday's round, a cut-off is implemented, where only the top 70 players and ties are allowed to continue playing over the weekend. Those who do not make the cut are eliminated without any tournament earnings.
Players typically arrive at the tournament venue between Monday and Wednesday, depending on their preferred amount of practice time on the course. They may play practice rounds with other tour players during these days to prepare for the upcoming event. On Wednesdays, a Pro-Am round is held, where amateur golfers get the opportunity to play with professionals.
The winners of the tournaments usually receive a substantial monetary reward, with the lowest score over the four rounds taking home a substantial paycheck, along with points that contribute to their seasonal ranking. While the PGA Tour does not run the four major championships (Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and The Open), it does organise prestigious events such as The Players Championship, the FedEx Cup, and the biennial Presidents Cup.
The PGA Tour also places a strong emphasis on charity fundraising, usually for local charities in the cities where the events are staged.
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The winner usually receives 18% of the total purse
The PGA Tour refers to most week-to-week professional golf events. The PGA Tour runs the Players Championship, the FedEx Cup, and the biennial Presidents Cup. The remaining events on the PGA Tour are run by different organisations. The PGA Tour does not run any of the four major championships (Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, The Open) or the Ryder Cup.
The winner of a PGA Tour event usually receives 18% of the total purse. For example, the winner of the 2025 Masters, which had a purse of $21,000,000, received $4,200,000, which is indeed 18% of the total purse. The purse for the 2025 PGA Championship was $19,000,000, and the purse for the 2025 U.S. Open was $21,500,000. The purse for the 2025 Open Championship was $17,000,000.
The PGA Tour places a strong emphasis on charity fundraising, usually on behalf of local charities in the cities where events are staged. The PGA Tour is a non-profit company, and all PGA Tour events are also required to be non-profit, except for a few older events. In 2005, the PGA Tour started a campaign to push its all-time fundraising tally past one billion dollars ("Drive to a Billion"), and it reached that mark one week before the end of the season.
The "regular" PGA Tour events vary in status, but this is not usually based on the size of the purse. Some factors that determine the status of a tournament include its position in the schedule, the age of the tournament and the distinction of its past champions, the repute of the course on which it is played, and any associations with "legends of golf". Invitational tournaments include the Genesis Invitational, the Charles Schwab Challenge, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the RBC Heritage, and the Memorial Tournament.
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Frequently asked questions
The PGA Tour refers to most of the week-to-week professional golf events on the tournament known as the PGA Tour. The PGA of America runs the PGA Tour, which was originally established by the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA of America).
The PGA Tour takes place all 52 weeks of the year from September through August. There is no real off-season since golf can be played year-round in certain parts of the world.
PGA Tour events are held weekly at different courses around the country. Each tournament is four days of golf, from Thursday to Sunday.











































