pga champions tour vs pga tour

What is the PGA Tour Champions?

Learn the similarities and differences between the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions

• DESCRIPTION Bernhard Langer, the champions tour money leader
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The PGA Tour Champions, commonly known as the Champions Tour, is the PGA Tour's professional senior tour, where the best golfers aged 50 and above compete.

Champions Tour Qualifying

In general, qualifying for PGA Tour Champions events is restricted to those players who finished in the top 50 of last year's competition and those age eligible players who are in the top 70 of the all-time money list from PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions events.

In addition, exemptions are given to members of the World Golf Hall of Fame and winners of previous PGA Tour Champions events. As with PGA Tour events, sponsors are also allowed to bring a small number of golfer's into a given event.

A select number of spots in Champions Tour events are also up for grabs each week through Monday qualifying , similar to other professional tours.

History of the Champions Tour

While senior golf tournaments, like the Senior PGA Championship, have been around since 1937, a formal PGA Tour for seniors was not established until 1980. Don January and Arnold Palmer were the tour’s first two winners.

The idea for a senior tour grew out of the highly successful 1978 Legends of Golf tournament at Onion Creek Club in Austin, Texas. The event featured competition from some of the greatest senior golfers at the time who competed in teams of two.

From 1980 until 2002, the tour was known as the Senior PGA Tour before transitioning to the Champions Tour until the latest name change to PGA Tour Champions in 2016.

A typical seasons on the Champions Tour consists of 26 events, mostly in the United States.

PGA Tour & Champions Tour Differences

While sharing many similarities with the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champions has several differences.

One difference is the allowance of golf carts at some events. Most of the events take place over three rounds  with 54 holes and no cut instead of four rounds totalling 72 holes with a 36-hole cut on the PGA Tour.

While there are seldom cuts in the PGA Tour Champions events, three of the five senior majors play a standard four-round, 72 hole tournament with a 36-hole cut.

Senior Majors

Just like the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champions has its own series of major championships. The senior majors include The Tradition, the Senior PGA Championship, the Senior Players Championship, the U.S. Senior Open, and The Senior Open Championship.

Charles Schwab Cup

Each year, the tour ends in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, the final tournament in a three-tournament play-off series mirrored after the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup.

The Charles Schwab Cup began in 1990 and took its current format in 2016, when the tour moved to a playoff format, and the top 72 players on the money list automatically qualify for the first playoff event.

There is also a Wildcard Weekend the week prior to the playoffs at the SAS Championship which allows for one player who finishes in the top 10 that week, but is outside the money list’s top 72, to advance to the playoffs.

The first playoff event is the Dominion Energy Charity Classic event at Richmond’s Country Club of Virginia James River Course. The second event is the Simmons Bank Championship at Pleasant Valley CC in Little Rock Arkansas, and the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, the final event, takes place at Phoenix Country Club in Phoenix, Arizona.

Champions Tour All-Time Money List

Since the PGA Tour Champions inception in 1980, the circuit continues to grow. Lee Trevino became the first senior tour winner to win $1 million in 1990.

Hale Irwin is the winningest golfer in Champions history with 45 victories, but isn’t at the top of the all-time money winner list. There have been six golfers to surpass the $15 million mark, three have surpassed the $20 million and one player, Bernhard Langer, has made more than $30 million dollars.

As of the finish of the 2023 season, here are the top 10 PGA Tour of Champions All-time Money winners.

Image: Quinn Harris/Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

PGA Tour vs. PGA Champions Tour: What’s the Difference?

Which is best to wager.

• Champions Tour

The PGA Tour vs. PGA Champions Tour isn’t a rivalry you would imagine, and we look at the differences between the golf tours.

The PGA Tour leaderboard is always packed with the biggest names in golf, including Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm.

It gets much more attention than the Champions Tour, so let’s look at the difference.

What is the Champions Tour?

The Champions Tour is for players over the age of 50 who hold a PGA card.

Players under 50 must play elsewhere, whether it be the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, or any other tour, so long as they’re a PGA member.

Many of the Champions Tour tournaments are played over three rounds, which considers the age of some golfers, including the likes of Bernhard Langer, who is still winning at the age of 66.

Some ageing PGA Tour players wait patiently so they can join, although it’s not always a right of passage to join. Some players are good enough to stay on the PGA Tour and earn better money.

However, most over 50’s decide to play on the Champions Tour, where it’s much easier to win. It’s still tough competition, including Steve Stricker, who won on the PGA Tour not long ago.

The prize money is still generous, so it’s a great way for the older golfers to earn a living, without worrying about the strong younger players hitting it miles past them. Even Vijay Singh got back in the winners circle lately.

“It was a long time coming,” Singh said after his victory. “Whenever I tee it up on the Champions Tour, I have a chance to win. I’ve been working really hard… So I’m really happy with this win, and I look forward to the next events. I think my game’s coming around and this was the start of it.”

When deciding between the PGA Tour vs. PGA Champions Tour, a player must weigh up how well he’s playing. Phil Mickelson is eligible to play, and Tiger Woods is only three years away, but we can’t see either player teeing it up on the ‘Senior Tour’.

What is the PGA Tour?

The PGA Tour is the biggest tour in the world, and most of the world’s best players are members.

The PGA Tour schedule features one tournament every week, except for a few weeks after the TOUR Championship in August.

Making the tour isn’t easy, but there are various ways to be accepted, including posting a win, qualifying through the Korn Ferry Tour, or being a college standout.

It’s much harder to win on the PGA Tour than the Champions Tour, but it’s all relative. There are players who dominate the leaderboard PGA Champions Tour , such as Stricker and New Zealand’s Steve Alker, so winning isn’t easy no matter where you play.

What’s Better to Bet On?

The PGA Tour vs. PGA Champions Tour betting markets are very different.

Odds for the PGA Tour are often more generous because of the openness of the field. However, on the Champions Tour, there are some players who have little chance of ever winning.

There is usually a dominant favorite on the Champions Tour, whether it be Stricker, Alker or Langer, they are often well-backed with the sportsbook.

On the PGA Tour, depending on the strength of the field, the tournament favorite can be anywhere from +600 to +1200. There is always good value with PGA Tour markets, but it’s harder to predict.

If you enjoy backing favorites, give the Champions Tour a look. There is good value to be snapped up.

For golf betting news , odds, analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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Phil Mickelson unpacks fascinating difference between Champions Tour and PGA Tour

Phil Mickelson explained the differences between setups on the Champions Tour and PGA Tour.

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Phil Mickelson has looked at professional golf from both sides now.

Three weeks ago, Lefty was teeing it up in the first round of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs. He missed the cut in Boston and was eliminated, ending his season.

Two weeks ago, Mickelson made his debut on the PGA Tour Champions. He torched Ozarks National with an opening 61, shot 22 under for the three-day event (tying the tour’s record) and won by four .

Mickelson is back on the PGA Tour for this week’s Safeway Open, the first event of the new season, where he opened with a one-under 71. After the round, he was asked: What’s the biggest difference between the two tours? His answer included some fascinating insight into a typical PGA Tour setup.

You should always hit driver, except in these 4 situations

“Well, I mean, the biggest difference are the pin placements that we see,” Mickelson said. “The ones out here [on the PGA Tour], they’re always put on a little bit of a knob or a crown or something where you’ve got to be defensive or the ball will run five or six feet by, whether it’s a chip or a putt. Whereas on the Champions Tour they’re like normal pins that we used to have in the ’90s and early 2000s so you feel like you can be a little bit more aggressive.”

We’ve heard Tour pros talk plenty about these nuances of course setup before, but Mickelson is in a unique position to comment on 1. The way PGA Tour setups are now, 2. The way Champions Tour setups are now and 3. The way PGA Tour setups used to be. His comments serve as a reminder that professional golfers, like athletes in every sport, are continuing to get significantly better. In order to keep scores reasonable, Tour setups aren’t just getting longer — they’re getting harder, everywhere . Tee to green.

“In every Tour event they’re set up to prevent the scores from going too low. They’re always in little tricky spots. Even though if it doesn’t show on TV, there’s always deflection going on,” Mickelson said. “On the Champions Tour there wasn’t any of that, which was fun for me to play every hole aggressive and attack.”

Mickelson has shown in recent events that he still has the game to contend on either tour; he finished T2 at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude in early August for his second top-3 finish of the PGA Tour season (the other came in a third-place finish at Pebble Beach). But can he contend better on some Tour setups than others? Probably. On Thursday, he hit just five fairways at the Safeway Open, serving as a reminder that Mickelson’s driver could still use a bit of straightening.

That driver, Mickelson’s playing form and his general ethos about golf course difficulty are all going to collide next week at Winged Foot for what promises to be an absolutely brutish U.S. Open test. The event remains the white whale for Mickelson, a six-time runner up.

“Yeah, I’ve certainly been thinking about it a lot,” he admitted. “But I’ve got to play well, right? So I’ve got to play well this week to get a little bit of momentum and confidence heading into next week.”

Mickelson is 50 now, but that doesn’t mean he’s slowing down. After all, managing a second tour schedule can’t make things any easier. Winning, though, still takes care of just about everything — no matter what the pin placements look like.

Want to gear up like Phil Mickelson?

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Dylan Dethier is a senior writer for GOLF Magazine/GOLF.com. The Williamstown, Mass. native joined GOLF in 2017 after two years scuffling on the mini-tours. Dethier is a graduate of Williams College, where he majored in English, and he’s the author of 18 in America , which details the year he spent as an 18-year-old living from his car and playing a round of golf in every state.

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Pga tour champions charles schwab cup playoffs explained: format, tournaments, money and the $1 million annuity, share this article.

And down the stretch they come.

After combining the 2020 and 2021 seasons, the PGA Tour Champions 39-event “super season” has reached the playoffs, with the Charles Schwab Cup Championship capping the postseason.

The Schwab tournament a year ago, which was won by Kevin Sutherland after a nine-hole playoff, didn’t crown a season champion. Because of the COVID pandemic and ensuing schedule shakeup, the senior circuit made the decision to combine the 2020 and ’21 points race into one jumbo affair.

The Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs are similar to the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Championship in that it consists of three events and uses the first two to whittle the field down at subsequent tournaments. Unlike the FedEx Cup, where the Tour Championship winner is the FedEx Cup champion, there’s a chance one golfer wins the Charles Schwab Cup Championship but a different golfer wins the season-long Charles Schwab Cup points race.

The playoff events

The playoffs consist of three tournaments:

• Dominion Energy Charity Classic at the Country Club of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, Oct. 22-24
• TimberTech Championship at the Old Course at Broken Sound in Boca Raton, Florida, Nov. 5-7
• Charles Schwab Cup Championship at Phoenix Country Club in Phoenix, Nov. 11-14

The formats

The Dominion is a 54-hole event with 72 golfers from which the top-54 golfers advance to the 54-hole TimberTech Championship. From there, the top 36 advance to Phoenix Country Club, which puts a bow on the season with a 72-hole tournament. There are no cuts at any of the three events.

Eligibility

Players have been working on making the playoffs over the course of the last two years. Eligibility is based on their positions on the Charles Schwab Cup Money List, which converts money to points .

Bubble boys

Monday qualifier Thongchai Jaidee started the week in the No. 82 spot, well outside the playoff race, but after he poured in a 10-footer for birdie on 18 for a 69, he finished tied for fifth, and that vaulted him into the 72nd and final spot.

PGA Tour Champions : Playoff points standings

Davis Love III also played his way into the playoffs. He started the week No. 75 but finished tied for 20th, which moved him up to No. 71.

Just missing out: Corey Pavin (73), Larry Mize (74) and Jesper Parnevik (75).

At the top end, Bernhard Langer is No. 1, followed by Jim Furyk, Jerry Kelly, Miguel Angel Jiménez, Ernie Els and Kevin Sutherland.

The Dominion and TimberTech will each pay out $300,000 to their winners. At the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, $440,000 will go to winner out of a purse totaling $2.5 million.

The season-long Schwab points winner, meanwhile, will earn a $1 million annuity, to be paid out over 10 years. A total of $2.1 million in annuity bonus money will go to the top-five finishers of the points race, with the second-place finisher earning an annuity of $500,000; third-place, $300,000; fourth-place, $200,000; and fifth-place, $100,000.

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PGA Tour vs. Champions Tour Course Lengths

By willmillar August 3, 2018 in Tour Talk

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So what is the yardage difference between the regular PGA Tour and Champions Tour course lengths, on average? I'm watching the Champions Tour guys light up the course at TPC Twin Cities on the Golf Channel....

As a side note I'm seeing guys putting for eagle on a 582 par 5...hmmmmm...

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400 to 500 yards

I’d say 200-300 yards difference

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Having played over 60 events on the Senior PGA Tour back in the mid 90's, most courses would have a "advertised" tournament yardage of 6700 to 7000. There were some courses (Ojai, Griffith Park) where physical limitations prevented that type of yardage. This was true of some of the older traditional courses. Day to day actual playing yardage could vary due to weather or course conditions. A course would almost never be set up to play to its maximum "advertised" tournament yardage - this is true today on all tours.

Ideally, the tour would like firm and fast fairways which would give 30 to 40 yards of roll out. Played many 450 yard par 4 holes. I played when the huge advances in equipment was just beginning. In 1993, my 1st year, I believe still were using Titleist Tour Balata - then the "Professional" came out next. Most were using metal drivers.

Q School was always set up on average tougher than a regular tour stop. Easily 7000 yd.

I would say that if you were to put both tours on the same course, PGA tour setup would be 200 to 400 yards greater.

I was at the Champions event in Minnesota today, and noticed the "advertised" course length was over 7100. On 2 or 3 holes, they were not even using the back boxes, so I'm guessing the 7100 number was based on total max yardage. They will be playing the new regular tour event at this course next year, so I'm curious to see what changes will be made in terms of length and other things to make it tougher.

We followed K Perry all the way around, and practically fell over when he burned the edge for a possible double eagle on 18 that would have resulted in a 59!

@_the_crook

I was a walking scorer at the Senior Constellation Tournament in July.

They used the back tees. 7149 yards. Plus or minus a little for tee placement change during the round.

Course scorecard shows the back, Black tees as Par 75, Slope 137.

eight possible sets to play from there.

what a track.

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Jagpilotohio

Average length is about 7000. Shortest one I can think of is Newport Beach CC. That plays about 6600.

Regular tour averages a bit over 7200.

As someone said, they set them up very differently day to day depending on conditions. It isn’t often that all the tees are back at the tips.

Kookaburra1966

Poses an interesting idea for a one-off tournament. Main tour and Seniors tour side by side, off their respective markers, playing their own flights and perhaps an overall which would not be as important. Remove all variables (pin placements and course prep always seem a touch more generous on the Seniors and LPGA tours) except course length. See how scores stack up, as well as some of the micro factors like SG here and there.

Might just shine a light on what the “correct” % differential between course lengths could or should be at that level. Maybe repeat the dose with an LPGA field. After a few years of adjustment and fine tuning we might just see how players on the three tours could legitimately go head-to-head, if at all.

I believe the Pga Seniour Champ a few years ago was setup around 6900 Max distance. Junior Pga boys champ last week was just over 7000 Max. distance.

sciota was tipped, almost 7200 and mostly uphill second shots, I still have the scorecard

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What Golf Clubs Do the Pros Use? PGA vs Tour Champions Clubs

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Ever wonder what golf clubs do the pros use? In this article, Matt Callcott-Stevens captured all the critical data on the PGA Tour & PGA Tour Champions golf clubs and how players build their bags in comparison.

With the PGA Tour wrapped up for the season, I have had time on my hands to unleash my inner golf nerd. I have spent the past few weeks analyzing what golf clubs do the pros use on the PGA Tour Champions and the PGA Tour .

My ambition is to highlight the similarities and differences between pro tour golf clubs for seniors and the younger generation. After reading this guide, you will know what the top brands and golf clubs on the PGA Tour are. I will also leave you with a breakdown of the clubs your favorite tour pros swing. 

⛳️ Read More: The Most Forgiving Irons of All Time [Past & Present]

What Clubs Do Pros Carry?

Titleist, TaylorMade, Callaway, Ping, and Srixon are the most popular golf club brands utilized by pro tour golfers. I reveal the percentage of top PGA and PGA Tour Champions players using each brand.

Titleist Golf Clubs

Titleist trumps its competitor golf club brands in popularity on the PGA Tour. The brand accounts for 36% of all irons used by the top 50 players and 24% of drivers. That value rises when we look at wedges, with 48% playing Titleist Vokey wedges. Tour players appreciate Titleist golf clubs for their feel, feedback, compact designs, and workable flight.

Patrick Cantlay , Max Homa, Matt Fitzpatrick, Will Zalatoris, Jordan Spieth, and Justin Thomas are a few pros synonymous with Titleist. Although they employ different models in their bag, I found the T100 irons are the most popular. Ten of the top 50 PGA Tour pros currently play the workable T100 range.

Conversely, the brand does not enjoy the same prominence on the PGA Tour Champions with the longer clubs. Padraig Harrington uses their TSR3 driver, while Brett Quigley and Dicky Pride use Titleist irons.

TaylorMade Golf Clubs

TaylorMade is the next most popular brand, accounting for 30% of fairway woods and irons among the top 50 PGA Tour professional golfers. TaylorMade Fairway Woods are also a popular option for the Tour Champions players, with 30% of the top 30 players using the brand.

I find the presence of the brand dwindles as we reach the lower clubs in the bag, stemming from an abundance of short-game options. Only 8.2% of the players analyzed use TaylorMade wedges on the PGA Tour, while the result was 0% on the PGA Tour Champions.

Famed TaylorMade tour staffers include Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, and Scottie Scheffler. PGA Tour Champions players who use TaylorMade clubs include Fred Couples and Vijay Singh .

Callaway Golf Clubs

Callaway follows TaylorMade as the third most golf clubs on Tour, with a healthy selection of metal woods, hybrids, irons, wedges, and putters. The brand dominates the hybrid category on both tours, with 35.31% and 26.7% of the top 50 PGA Tour and senior players using them, respectively.

Their dominance is also seen in the putting department on the youngsters and veterans tour thanks to their acquisition of Odyssey Golf. Just under one-third of the top players use a Callaway putter on the PGA Tour, but the figure almost doubles to 52.21% of pros on the seniors tour.

I was always impressed by Callaway’s result in the driver department on the PGA Tour Champions. Just under half, or 44%, of the top 30 senior golfers use Callaway drivers. Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele , and Si Woo Kim are among the biggest names on the brand’s portfolio.

Despite severing ties with the brand in 2022, Phil Mickelson is the most famed golfer over 50 years old swinging Callaway clubs.

Ping Golf Clubs

Ping does not dominate one category specifically, but it is well represented through the bag. Twenty-four percent of senior golfers swing a Ping driver, while 18% of PGA Tour pros use the brand.

The next popular golf clubs category where the brand appears are the fairway woods and putter sections. Just under 17% of the top 30 seniors swing a Ping fairway wood compared to 16% on the PGA Tour. 

The most popular PGA Tour pros who play Ping golf clubs include Viktor Hovland, Tony Finau, Tyrrell Hatton, and Sahith Theegala. Miguel Angel Jimenez and Kevin Sutherland are two notable Ping staffers on the PGA Tour Champions.

Srixon Golf Clubs

Srixon produces value for money, soft feeling, high launching, and workable metal woods and irons for amateurs and pros. Srixon is dwarfed in tour representation compared to Titleist, TaylorMade, and Callaway golf clubs. However, they punch above their weight in the irons department.

Over 20% of the top Senior golfers employ Srixon irons in their golf bags for their feel, forgiveness, launch, and workability. It ties with Callaway for the most used irons brand by the top Champions Tour golfers.

Srixon does not manufacture wedges or putters, relying on their sister brand, Cleveland to handle this area. Hideki Matsuyama, Shane Lowry, and Brooks Koepka are the highest-profile players to operate with the brand’s irons. My former boss, Ernie Els , carries the Srixon flag high on the senior’s tour, using their irons.

Cobra Golf Clubs

Cobra is one of the least popular brands on the PGA and PGA Tour Champions with the top-ranked players. It only accounts for 2% of drivers, 4% of fairway woods, and 3.3% of irons swung by PGA Tour professional golfers.

I was surprised to find none of the best Tour Champions players using Cobra golf clubs , despite my experience of forgiving, easy launching, and long clubs superbly suited to senior golfers.

Rickie Fowler is the most popular name on the Cobra Golf books since the brand parted ways with Bryson DeChambeau in 2022.

Cleveland Golf Clubs

Although the highly forgiving Cleveland woods, irons, and hybrids perform for amateurs, they are tough to find in a pro’s bag. However, their wedges are highly popular with PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions players for their feel, acoustics, launch, and exceptional spin.

I recorded 14.3% of the top 50 PGA Tour golfers using Cleveland wedges, with the RTX ZipCore proving the most popular golf club. The quantity of pros using Cleveland wedges increases on the Champions Tour, with 20.8% of players using the brand’s short clubs.

Brooks Koepka, Keegan Bradley, Hideki Matsuyama, and Shane Lowry are the most famous profile players using Cleveland wedges. On the Champions Tour, Jerry Kelly, Ernie Els, K.J Choi, and David Toms play wedges from the Huntington Beach, California outfit.

Most Popular Golf Clubs on the PGA Tour

Most Popular Drivers on Tour

The Titleist TSR3 is the most popular big stick among the Top 50 PGA Tour pros, with 24% carrying one. Callaway came in second with the Paradym Triple Diamond, while the TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus is the third most popular driver on tour.

Breakdown of Drivers on the PGA Tour

Titleist tsr3 driver.

The Titleist TSR3 driver is the most popular pick for PGA Tour pros. It accounts for 24% of the drivers used by the Top 50 golfers on the planet. The aerodynamics, feel, acoustics, speed, and low spin deliver the optimal tee box experience.

Callaway Paradym TD Driver (8)

Eight top professional golfers swing the low spinning, high launching, neutral flying Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond driver. Chief among them is Cameron Young, who finished third on the PGA Tour in 2023 for average driving distance.

Although I appreciate the adjustable weighting design on the Paradym TD, I do not find it as forgiving as the standard Callaway Paradym. Low handicappers will appreciate the workability and acoustics of the Paradym TD. However, its reduced forgiveness is less ideal for mid and high-handicappers.

TaylorMade Stealth Plus Driver 2

The TaylorMade Stealth Plus 2 finds itself in the bags of 7 of the top 50 PGA Tour pros, including Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman was the longest hitter on tour in the 2022/23 season, with an average distance of 326.3 yards.

I love the low spin, elevated launch, forgiveness, feel, and acoustics of the Stealth Plus 2. Unfortunately, it’s not ideal for the average golfer. The reduced spin requires a higher swing speed to consistently get the ball airborne. This is why I prefer the easier launching Stealth Plus 2 HD driver for the average player.

5 Longest Hitters & PGA Tour Golf Clubs

Rory McIlroy produced the best driving distance average in the 2023 season, returning figures of 326.3 yards. The Northern Irishman swung a TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus to deliver low spin, forgiveness, and explosive ball speed. The remaining 4 players in the top 5 used a mix of Srixon, Callaway, and Ping drivers.

TaylorMade was the only brand to feature in the top 5 twice, with their Stealth 2 Plus and SIM 2 Max, swung by Matti Schmid.

⛳️ Read More: TaylorMade Stealth Driver Review

Most Accurate Drivers on PGA Tour

Russel Henley delivered the best fairway in regulation returns in the 2023 season, hitting 71.74% of fairways. He employed the services of a Titleist TSi3 to keep him on the short grass, the only Titleist big stick to feature in the top 5.

Henley was trailed by Morikawa and Ryan Moore, who swing a TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus and Cobra Aerojet LS, respectively.

Most Popular Fairway Woods on the PGA Tour

The Titleist TSR3 is the most popular big stick among the Top 50 PGA Tour pros, with 24% carrying the high launching, adjustable wood. The Callaway Paradym TD is the second most used fairway wood, with 5 players swinging it, while the Stealth 2 is played by 4 tour pros.

Breakdown of Fairway Woods on the PGA Tour

Callaway paradym td .

Callaway Paradym TD fairway woods are the single most used model on tour, with 7 of the top 50 carrying them. Jon Rahm, Tony Finau, and Xander Schauffele are among the golfers swinging the low-spinning, fast-face adjustable driver.

Titleist TSR3

Jordan Spieth and Cameron Young are two of the six tour pros who operated with a Titleist TSR3 this season. I find the adjustable fairway wood delivers workable flight and a mid-to-high launch to suit superior golfers seeking maximum control off the tee and on approach.

TaylorMade Stealth 2  

TaylorMade bags the final spot on the podium in the Fairway Woods category with their Stealth 2 range. I found that 4 professional golfers, including Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood, play the clean gliding sole and high-launching Stealth 2.

Most Popular Golf Hybrids on Tour

Only 17 out of the top 50 golfers on the PGA Tour carry a hybrid in their bag. Although traditionally associated with high handicappers, some tour pros desire the effortless launch and forgiveness of a hybrid on approach.

Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele, and Matt Fitzpatrick are the only 3 players inside the top 10 that play a hybrid. Titleist dominate the category with their TSi2 hybrid, followed closely by the Callaway Apex and Apex Utility Wood.

Titleist TSi2

Cam Young, Jordan Spieth , and Russell Henley are all aboard the TSi2 wagon, favoring it for its feel, turf interaction, and towering launch. I also find the TSi2 boasts an explosive clubface, which preserves ball speed and contains spin for maximum distance.

Callaway Apex Hybrid

Keegan Bradley and Emiliano Grillo carry the fast, long, and adjustable Callaway Apex hybrid. In my experience, the hybrid produced neutral ball flight and outstanding distance for consistent long-game results. I also appreciate the adjustable hosel to alter my launch and flight settings.

Callaway Apex UW

Xander Schauffele and Sam Burns turn to the fast, forgiving, stable, and easy-launching Apex UW hybrid on approach and off the tee. In my experience, the Apex hybrid offers the speed and turf interaction of fairway woods with the launch and forgiveness of hybrids.

What Irons Do the Pros Use?

TaylorMade and Titleist is the dominant golf irons brand on the PGA Tour, covering 60% of the top tour players. Despite the popularity of TaylorMade as a brand, none of their irons are among the 3 most played sets on tour.

The Titleist T100 range is the clear winner, with 10 tour players carrying the irons in their bags. T100 irons are followed by the Callaway Apex TCB and Srixon ZX7 MKII.

Breakdown Most Used Irons on Pga Tour

Titleist t100.

The dual-cavity constructed T100 range features in the bags of 20% of the top 50 players iron setups. Jordan Spieth, Will Zalatoris, and Cam Smith play the T100 set for their feel, workability, progressive center of gravity, and clean turf interaction.

Callaway Apex TCB

The Callaway Apex TCB iron models are favored by Jon Rahm and Sam Burns for their feel, flight, control, and compact design. I find these irons highly workable and appreciate the crisp acoustics of shots out of the sweet spot.

Srixon ZX7 MKII

Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka is one of four top 50 players swinging the Srixon ZX7 MKii irons. These modern clubs generate the feel, launch, spin, and workability tour players demand on approach.

5 Most Accurate Approach Players

The Callaway Apex TCB irons featured in 2 of the top 5 accurate golfers bags in 2023. Kevin Yu and Jon Rahm played the TCB iron model and were second and fifth most accurate for the season.

Scottie Scheffler recorded the highest greens in regulation percentage, hitting 74.43% of greens with the TaylorMade P7TW irons . Collin Morikawa, another TaylorMade staffer, had the third-highest GIR return, with 70.85%. The double major winner finished the season with a 70.85% success rate on approach.

Most Popular Golf Wedges on Tour

Titleist Vokey reigns supreme in the wedges section, accounting for 51% of the high-spinning pro tour golf clubs. The Vokey SM9 is a favorite, appearing in 18 of the top 50 players’ bags for its spin, flight, control, and abundance of sole grinds.

Cleveland and Ping brands account for the second most wedges, with 14.3% of the top golfers using their short clubs. I found the RTX ZipCore was the most popular Cleveland wedge, while the Glide 4.0 topped the standings for Ping.

Breakdown of PGA Tour Wedges

Titleist vokey sm9.

The Titleist Vokey SM9 is the single most popular wedge series on tour, appearing in the bags of 18 pros. Max Homa, Brian Harman , and Jordan Spieth are three of the top 50 pros currently relying on the high-spinning, versatile SM9 wedges.

Ping Glide 4.0

Ping Glide 4.0 wedges made it into the bags of 7 top 50 golfers this season, including the FedEx Cup Champion, Viktor Hovland . Pros appreciate the Glide 4.0 due to its clean turf interaction, enhanced friction, and consistent greenside spin.

Cleveland RTX ZipCore

Wedges are the only club where Cleveland-branded golf clubs are in a pro’s bag. The RTX ZipCore is the third single most popular wedge among the best golfers in the world. Brooks Koepka and Keegan Bradley carry it for its outstanding spin, feel, and durable grooves.

5 Best Scrambling Leaders in the World

The 2023 Open Championship winner Brian Harman thrived from the greenside this season, recording the best scrambling record . The Savannah local posted a 67.74% scrambling success rate using the Titleist Vokey SM9. Harman was followed by Jonathan Byrd on 66.35%, who also used a Titleist Vokey SM9.

The Titleist brand rounded out the top 5 with Tommy Fleetwood, who plays Vokey Wedgeworks Proto wedges. Matt Kuchar and J.J. Spaun placed third and fourth, respectively, using the Cleveland RTX ZipCore wedges.

PGA Tour: What Putters Do the Pros Use?

Titleist continued to dominate its fellow golf club brands in the short stick department, with their Scotty Cameron models accounting for 34% of the top 50 putters. Callaway Odyssey putters are played by 28% of the top 50 players and came in second.

The Callaway Odyssey Versa Jailbird was the single most popular putter found in 4 players bags. It was followed by the TaylorMade Spider X Hydroblast, used by Kurt Kitayama and Tom Hoge. Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young stroked the Titleist Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto, the third most used flatstick.

Breakdown of Most Popular Putters on the PGA Tour

Callaway odyssey versa jailbird.

Wydnham Clarke, Rickie Fowler, and Keegan Bradley are three stars who stroked Versa Jailbird. The top players appreciate the Versa for its elevated moment of inertia (MOI), stability, and forgiveness without impacting feel and control. 

TaylorMade Spider X HydroBlast

TaylorMade tied Titleist Scotty Cameron for the second most-stroked putter on the PGA Tour. Kurt Kitayama and Tom Hoge carried the flat stick for its clean roll, premium finish, and forgiveness across the putter face.

Scotty Cameron X T5 Prototype

The X T5 Prototype is developed for tour players seeking increased forgiveness, a premium finish, and a clean roll off the clubface. Patrick Cantlay and Cameron Young both carry the X T5 Prototype.

Lowest Putting Averages PGA Tour – Putting Statistics

Taylor Montgomery recorded the lowest putting average in 2023 using a decade-old putter. The Las Vegan averaged 1.665 putts per hole and converted his birdie attempts 38.31% of the time. His chosen flatstick is a TaylorMade Ghost Spider S .

Montgomery is the only member of the five best putters to stroke a TaylorMade flat stick. Sam Ryder and Eric Cole finished second and third respectively, with Callaway Odyssey putters. 

Most Popular Golf Clubs on the PGA Tour Champions Tour

Most Popular Drivers on the PGA Champions Tour

Contrary to the PGA Tour, Titleist does not enjoy the prevalence on the Champions Tour. Only 8% of the top 30 senior golfers carry a Titleist driver, compared to 44% who operate with a Callaway big stick. Ping ranks second for driver selection, followed by Tour Edge, which did not feature at all on the PGA Tour.

The Ping G430 LST is the single most popular driver among Champions Tour pros, with 10% of the players analyzed using the model. Callaway takes the second and third places on the podium with the Paradym Triple Diamond and Epic Speed Triple Diamond.

Breakdown of Drivers on the Champions Tour

Ping g430 lst driver.

The low-spinning Ping G430 LST is a popular option for faster-swinging, longer-hitting seniors like Phil Mickelson. Miguel Jimenez and Kevin Sutherland also use the fast, forgiving, medium launching driver despite lagging Phil on the distance front.

Callaway Paradym TD Driver

The ever-consistent Stephen Ames heads the lineup of Champions Tour players swinging the Paradym TD off the tee. David Toms and K.J. Choi follow Ames example by carrying the fast, adjustable, and neutral flying Paradym TD.

Callaway Epic Speed TD Driver

Although it is 2 years older than the Paradym, Steve Stricker and Steve Alker still find use for the Epic Speed TD in their bag. The adjustable hosel, neutral flight, explosive face, and high launch help faster swing speed golfers maximize distance off the tee box.

5 Longest Hitters on the PGA Tour Champions

Robert Karlsson enjoys the best average driving distance figures in 2023, with 308.9 yards off the tee. The Swede relies on the Titleist TS3 to maximize his yardage, while the runner-up, Tim O’neal, shoots with a Titleist TSi2.

The gap between O’Neal in second and Scott McCarron in third is almost 9 yards. McCarron operated with a Tour Edge Exotics C722 driver, averaging 297.1 yards.

5 Most Accurate Drivers on the PGA Tour Champions

Jerry Kelly boasts a superior tee shot accuracy to his peers, reaching 81.49% of fairways in 2023 with his Ping G425 LST. Bernhard Langer snuck in behind Kelly for second, hitting 79.94% of fairways using an older Ping G400 driver.

The only non-Ping player I found in the top 5 for FIR was Olin Browne, who swings the Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond. Unfortunately, I struggled to find an updated version of Fred Funk and Paul Goydos’ drivers, and I decided to leave them out. If any reader has spotted the bags of these players recently, please let me know so I can update the table.

Most Popular Fairway Woods on Senior Tour

Callaway and TaylorMade fairway woods are found in half of the top 30 senior players’ bags. Each brand contributes 25% to the cause. The TaylorMade SIM is the most played fairway wood, followed by the Tour Edge Exotics C722 and the Ping G430 Max.

Despite being a prominent fairway wood brand for seniors, the Epic Flash is the only Callaway fairway wood used by more than one player.

Breakdown of Fairway Woods on the Champions Tour

Taylormade sim.

The TaylorMade SIM is played by 3 Champions Tour pros for its accelerated clubhead speed, low CG, and clean sole interaction. Vijay Singh , Steven Alker, and Dicky Pride all carry the TaylorMade SIM despite being older model golf clubs.

Tour Edge Exotics C722

Two Germans, Two majors in 2023, and both individuals swing Tour Edge Exotics C722 fairway woods. Bernhard Langer and Alex Cejka play the C722 range for its explosive clubface, clean turf interaction, elevated launch, and consistency.

Ping G430 Max

The Ping G430 Max features in 2 top 30 players bags. Stewart Cink and Y.E. Yang use the adjustable, fast-paced, and spin-controlled face to maximize launch and distance on approach or off the tee. 

Most Popular Hybrids on PGA Tour Champions

Over 50% of the top 30 PGA Tour Champions players swing hybrids for their clean turf interaction, elevated MOI, and towering launch. Tour Edge and Callaway lead the way in the field, each accounting for 26.7% of hybrids.

Titleist, TaylorMade, and Ping take up the remaining spots, each contributing 13.3% to the total hybrids played on the senior’s tour.

Breakdown of Hybrids on the Champions Tour

The Tour Edge Exotics C722 is the single most popular hybrid on tour, played by 3 of the top 30 players. Bernhard Langer , Tim Petrovic, and Ken Duke employ the forgiving and adjustable hybrid to reduce turf interaction, lower spin, and send the ball consistently high off the deck.

Callaway Apex Utility Woods generate blistering speed across the surface and contain spin to encourage a powerful launch. Phil Mickelson and KJ Choi are the seniors inside the top 30 to swing the utility wood. Outside of the top 30 golfers in the world, David Duval and Jim Furyk carry the Callaway Apex UW.

The extremely high MOI, thin fast face, and spin-controlling Ping G400 is the third most popular hybrid on the Tour Champions. Steve Flesch and Kevin Sutherland are the two notable players who swing the older model Ping hybrid to boost distance on approach.

What Golf Irons Do Pros Use on the PGA Tour Champions?

Srixon and Callaway are the most popular tour pro golf clubs brands for irons on the senior tour. Together, the pair contributes 41.6% of irons to the top 30 seniors. Ping follows by supplying 16.7% of irons to the top players while Tour Edge is the fourth most popular, with 12.5% of top seniors swinging their irons.

The Srixon ZX7 range is the most popular choice among Tour Champions, followed by the Tour Edge EXS Pro blade irons. Callaway X-Forged are the third most popular, along with the newer Srixon ZX7 MKii irons.

Breakdown of Most Popular Irons on Senior Tour

The tour cavity back construction on the ZX7 irons enhances the stability and forgiveness of the golf club while preserving a compact profile. I find the long irons generate rapid pace and a powerful launch, and the short irons and wedges generate maximum spin on approach.

Jerry Kelly, K.J. Choi, and Steve Flesch play the older ZX7 range. Conversely, David Toms and Ernie Els play the newer ZX7 MKii irons .

Tour Edge EXS Pro

Tour Edge EXS Pro blade irons ensure a soft feel, crisp acoustics, and workable flight on approach. Ken Duke and Tim Petrovic play the slick-looking blades, which offer limited forgiveness but enhance the control of superior golfers on approach strikes.

It is interesting to note that the most accurate tour player on approach, Bernhard Langer, plays a different model Tour Edge blade iron. The German turns to the Tour Edge Exotics CBX Forged to handle his shots from the fairway and the rough.

Callaway X-Forged

My compatriots, Retief Goosen and Alex Cejka carry the Callaway X-Forged irons in their golf bags. I find these irons generate a buttery soft feel, controlled spin, and amplified acoustics thanks to their forged body construction. They are also a pleasure to gaze upon at address, and they encourage smooth turf interaction from any lie.

5 Most Accurate Approach Players on PGA Tour Champions

The ever-consistent Bernhard Langer has the highest GIR percentage on the Tour Champions in 2023. He has hit over 78% of all greens on approach, which is why he ranks among the top 3 earners on tour. Langer is followed by Steve Stricker, who reached 77% of GIR this season.

Most Popular Wedges on PGA Tour Champions

It is no surprise to see Titleist holding the largest share of wedges on the Tour Champions, with their Vokey range. Unlike the PGA Tour, it is the older version Vokey SM8, which is preferred by players like Steve Stricker and Steve Flesch. I discovered that 33.3% of the top 30 seniors are swinging a Titleist Vokey wedge.

Cleveland is responsible for the second most popular brand of wedges, with the RTX ZipCore a favorite among the veterans. Callaway contributes the third highest count of wedges to senior tour professional golfers.

Breakdown of Wedges on the PGA Champions Tour

Titleist vokey sm8 .

Titleist Vokey SM8 wedges are played by 13% of top Tour Champions players. The wedges are preferred for their master craftsmanship, controlled flight, soft feel, and exceptional spin to maximize control. The 3 Steves fly the Vokey SM8 flag high on the Champions Tour, with Alker , Stricker, and Flesch all carrying them.

Miguel Angel Jimenez , Stewart Cink, and Kevin Sutherland employ the Glide 4.0 wedges for their turf interaction, spin, and feel. Despite the elevated spin rate, the wedge launches low, feels soft, and is crafted in 4 grind options to excel from every lie.

David Toms, Darren Clarke , and Ernie Els ply their greenside trade with the soft-feeling, low-launching, and high-spinning Cleveland RTX ZipCore range. In my experience, these wedges boast durable, sharp grooves that encourage maximum shot-stopping power on pitches, flops, and short approach shots.

5 Best Scrambling PGA Tour Champions Leaders

The best senior golfer in the world also has the highest scrambling success rate on the Tour Champions this year. Steve Stricker has successfully gotten up and down from the greenside 71.74% of the time, 2% more than second-placed Jerry Kelly has produced.

Stricker is a Titleist loyalist in the wedge department, operating with an SM8 pitching wedge, SM7 sand wedge, and SM4 lob wedge. Third place Steven Alker also players Vokey SM8 wedges, while Jerry Kelly generates spin with the Cleveland RTX 3 and 4 golf clubs.

PGA Tour Champions : What Putters Do the Pros Use ?

Callaway Odyssey is the largest single proprietor of putters to the top 30 ranked seniors. This golf equipment brand accounts for over 52% of the top players’ putters, with the White Hot 2 Ball and White Hot OG 7 the most played flat sticks.

Titleist supplies the second most putters to top veteran golfers, with their Scotty Cameron range, while Ping places third. Several senior golfers play putters from boutique manufacturers like AR Golf, Sacks Parrente, and Bloodline Golf.

Breakdown of Most Popular Putters on the Senior Tour

Callaway odyssey white hot og 2 ball.

The famed Odyssey White Hot OG 2 Ball putter design is a hit with the senior golfers for its alignment aid, stability, and clean roll. Eight golfers stroke the 2 Ball construction, including Padraig Harrington, Bernhard Langer, and Steve Flesch .

While assessing putting stats, I noticed that two low putting averages were achieved with an Odyssey putter. However, none of the players were using an Odyssey 2 Ball. Steve Stricker, the best putter on tour this season, achieved the feat using a bladed White Hot No.2 flatstick. Fifth place, Steven Alker employed an Odyssey White Hot OG Rossie.

Callaway White Hot OG Odyssey Seven

Another premium, soft-feeling putter is the Callaway Odyssey Seven. The winged back mallet putter optimizes stability and friction, encouraging enhanced topspin on all putts. Alex Cejka and K.J. Choi rely on the Odyssey Seven to get them around the green.

Titleist Scotty Cameron Go Lo S1

The Titleist Scotty Cameron Go Lo S1 Proto combines forgiveness, premium looks, and a soft feel. I found the milled putter face increases friction and topspin to optimize roll and distance control. David Toms is the highest-profile player in the top 30, stroking the Go Lo S1.

5 Lowest Putting Averages on PGA Tour Champions

I thought it was interesting that no two players in the top 5 used the same putter to achieve their low putting averages . Top-ranked Steve Stricker added an Odyssey White Hot No.2 to the bag, while Miguel Angel Jimenez putts with a Ping D572C.

Brett Quigley and Y.E. Yang putted with Scotty Cameron flat sticks, but different models. Quigley struck the 009 Masterful Tourtype SSS, while Yang handled the GSS Tour.

How Does the Set Up Change from PGA Tour to PGA Tour Champions?

I noticed three predominant differences between the setup of PGA and Champions Tour pro golf clubs. Driver lofts, hybrids, and driving irons were the key differences in the bag structure. I also discovered that seniors often add older model clubs to their golf bags.

PGA Tour Driver Lofts

While comparing the drivers of Tour Champions to PGA Tour players, I noticed that the lofts differed. On average, senior golfers prefer higher lofted drivers set at 10.5°, compared to the PGA Tour, where the lower lofted 9° profile is popular.

There are exceptions to the rule, like Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson, who swing a 7.5° driver. Miguel Angel Jimenez and Steven Alker also unleash strong lofted 9° drivers for a lower launching golf ball.

Driving Iron vs Hybrid : Common Club Set Up

Only 34% of the top 50 PGA Tour pros carry a hybrid in their bag, with driving irons still being preferred by many of the game’s best. However, 53% of Tour Champions golfers play a hybrid for the elevated launch, clean turf interaction, and forgiveness.

I discovered that PGA Tour pros typically prefer the workability and controlled flight of a utility iron over a hybrid. Professional golfers may change their bags at any time to suit the conditions of a specific course. 

For example, a lower launching driver iron is ideal for windy days and dry courses. Conversely, the high-launching soft landing hybrid suits target golf courses that demand precise distance control on approach.

Best Golfers in the World Using Older Clubs on Tour

My research revealed that Champions Tour pros enjoy carrying older model clubs that they are comfortable swinging. Until recently, Bernhard Langer used Adams Idea Pro hybrids released 16 years ago. Steve Stricker also utilizes a 9-year-old Titleist 915F fairway wood.

Like anything, there are exceptions to the rules. The best putter on the PGA Tour this season, Taylor Montgomery, uses a 10-year-old Taylormade Ghost Spider S. So, having the latest golf equipment may not always be the answer for gaining more accuracy, even for the best players.

Do Most PGA Tour Players Use Lead Tape?

Yes, PGA Tour players do use lead tape on different clubs to achieve optimal MOI and CG placement. PGA Tour professional golfer, Akshay Bhatia explains that lead tape boosts the MOI of his driver and fairway woods for greater long-game forgiveness.

He also applies lead tape to his wedges to raise the CG level. This promotes a lower launch, consistent contact, friction, and spin. Finally, he uses lead tape on his putter to help it sit square at address and resist twisting at impact.

⛳️ Read More: Should I Add Lead Tape to My Golf Clubs?

Final Thoughts: What Golf Clubs Do the Pros Use?

After reviewing what clubs do pros use, it is clear that Titleist is the dominant brand on the PGA Tour. More top 50 PGA Tour players use their drivers, irons, wedges, and putters than any other brand. I found that 24% of the top 50 players swing the Titleist TSR3 driver .

The TSR3 fairway wood was another favorite with the pros, along with the Titleist T100 irons. Titleist Scotty Cameron putters ruled the roost on the PGA Tour, and the Callaway Odyssey brand leads the way with the seniors.

Callaway and Ping are the preferred metal wood brands on the Tour Champions, while the Srixon ZX7 set are the most popular irons. Finally, the Titleist Vokey wedges are king on both tours. Although PGA Tour pros prefer the SM9 while older pros prefer the SM8.

Frequently Asked Questions

What iron is used most on the pga tour.

The Titleist T100 iron range is the most used on the PGA Tour, appearing in 20% of the top 50 players’ bags. Callaway Apex TCB irons are the next most popular, performing for 8% of the top 50 PGA golfers.

What driver is most used on the PGA Tour?

What is the difference between pga tour and pga tour champions.

The primary difference between the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions is the competitiveness and age of the players. The PGA Tour Champions is for golfers age 50 and older. Profesional golfers become eligible for Tour Champions once they hit the age minimum. Secondary differences is that the PGA Tour offers substantially larger purse sizes. The Senior Tour also can use a golf cart.

What is the most common putter used on the PGA Tour?

Titleist Scotty Cameron models are the most common and dominate at 34% of the top 50 putters on the PGA Tour. Callaway Odyssey putters are played by 28% of the top 50 players and came in second. The Callaway Odyssey Versa Jailbird was the single most popular model of putter found in 4 players bags in 2023.

What golf ball do the pros use?

Titleist golf balls have dominated the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions for many years, whether for more distance or spin control. The Pro V1 and Pro V1x tend to be the preferred choice among top golfers in the world.

Related Golf Articles to Read Next

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The PGA TOUR Champions 2023 Ultimate Guide

Joe Durant WITB 2023 | The 9 Time PGA Tour Winner

Darren Clarke WITB 2023 | Senior Open Championship Winner

Rod Pampling WITB 2023 | What’s In the Bag of Lightning Rod

Matt Callcott-Stevens has lived and breathed golf since he was four. As a junior, he played competitively, until he discovered his talents were better suited to writing about the game. Matt holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing through the Johan Cruyff Institute in Barcelona and has provided golf game improvement tips to seniors and the average golfer for seven years.

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Frazar wins 1st PGA Tour Champions title in a playoff. Stricker clinches the Schwab Cup

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Harrison Frazar won his first PGA Tour Champions title Sunday when he birdied the 18th hole for a 3-under 69 to force a playoff with Richard Green, and then made an 8-foot birdie on the first extra hole at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic.

Frazar wasn't the only winner. Steve Stricker clinched his first Charles Schwab Cup title with two postseason events still to be played, even though he skipped the tournament.

Green also closed with a 69, helped by a 10-foot par putt on the 15th and an 8-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole. But he failed to birdie the 516-yard closing hole at the Country Club of Richmond, opening the door for Frazar and Brett Quigley in the final group.

Quigley birdied the 16th and 17th, and he had a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole that he left inches short for a 71 to finish alone in third, one shot behind.

Frazar didn't make his first birdie until the 11th hole, but he hit a superb wedge from 75 yards to short range for birdie on the 16th, and he two-putted for birdie from 40 feet on the 18th.

Frazar and Green finished at 11-under 205.

Returning to the 18th for the playoff, both players missed the fairway. Green whiffed on his fairway metal, but it caromed out of the trees into the fairway and he hit his third to 30 feet. Frazar cleared the cross bunkers, and his long pitch spun back to 8 feet below the hole.

He clenched his fist when he saw it drop for birdie. His first PGA Tour Champions victory came 12 years after his lone win on the PGA Tour at the St. Jude Classic.

“Emotions are all-time high right now,” Frazar said. “I'm so happy and so proud at what I've done. This means a bunch. You wonder if you can really do it. You wonder if you've still got it. To see that putt go in the hole, gosh, what a feeling.”

Stricker has been so dominant on the PGA Tour Champions, winning six times and three majors, that he built a lead of just under $2 million going into the Charles Schwab Cup playoffs.

With only 1,756,000 points available over the last two events, Stricker leads Steven Alker by 1,909,065. Stricker plans to play at least one of the next two events.

The top 54 players in the Schwab Cup standings advance to the next playoff event in two weeks. Four players moved into the top 54 on Sunday — Shane Bertsch, John Huston, Rocco Mediate and Charlie Wi.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

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The Alliance of LIV Golf and the PGA Tour: Here’s What to Know

The details of the partnership are far from complete, according to a document outlining the framework of the deal.

By Kevin Draper

The PGA Tour, the world’s pre-eminent professional golf league, and LIV Golf, a Saudi-funded upstart whose emergence over the past year and a half has cleaved the sport in two, have agreed to join forces.

The pact is complicated and incomplete: A document submitted to Congress and obtained by The New York Times includes only a handful of binding commitments . But numerous golfers hate it, and for the moment they are directing their wrath at the architects of the deal. Let’s start from the beginning.

What are the PGA Tour and LIV Golf?

The PGA Tour holds tournaments nearly every weekend, mostly in the United States but also in other countries in North America, Europe and Asia, with prize pools worth millions of dollars. The tour has been the home to practically every male golfer you can name: Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer and so on.

It has relationships with, but is separate from, the organizations that stage men’s golf’s four majors: the Masters Tournament, the P.G.A. Championship, the U.S. Open and the British Open. (The L.P.G.A., which runs the women’s tour, is separate.)

LIV Golf began in late 2021 with the former PGA Tour player Greg Norman as its commissioner and billions of dollars in backing from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, which is known as the Public Investment Fund. LIV lured several PGA Tour players, including the major champions Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka, with massive purses and guaranteed payouts that far surpassed what they could earn on the established circuit.

LIV promised a sharp break from golf’s fusty traditionalism, starting with its name, which, when pronounced, rhymes with “give” but is actually the Roman numeral for 54, the number of holes played in each tournament. LIV had music blaring at its events, looser dress codes and team competitions — and tournaments that lasted three days instead of four. Further, and of particular appeal to potential players, while the PGA Tour tournaments cut golfers with the worst scores after two rounds, LIV did not cut anyone.

What was the relationship between the leagues before the deal?

Acrimonious, to put it lightly. Players who joined LIV were forced to resign from the PGA Tour — and its European equivalent, the DP World Tour — under the threat of suspension and fines. LIV sued the PGA Tour, and the PGA Tour countersued, litigation that is technically continuing (though the deal is supposed to resolve it).

PGA Tour supporters and other critics of LIV said the venture was simply an attempt by the Saudi government to distract attention from its human rights record, while LIV supporters said the PGA Tour was a monopoly that used inappropriate strong-arm tactics to protect its position in big-time sports.

And yet now they are combining?

It seems so. The PGA Tour and LIV announced on June 6 the creation of a new entity that would combine their assets, as well as those of the DP World Tour, and radically change golf’s governance.

The PGA Tour would remain a nonprofit organization and would retain full control over how its tournaments are played. But all of the PGA Tour’s commercial business and rights — such as the extremely lucrative rights to televise its tournaments — would be owned by a new, yet unnamed, for-profit entity that is currently called “NewCo.” NewCo will also own LIV as well as the commercial and business rights of the DP World Tour.

The board of directors for the new for-profit entity would be led by Yasir al-Rumayyan, who is the governor of the Public Investment Fund and also oversees LIV. Three other members of the board’s executive committee would be current members of the PGA Tour’s board, and the tour would appoint the majority of the board and hold a majority voting interest, effectively controlling it.

What have they agreed on?

Not much, it turns out. The PGA Tour’s tentative deal with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund includes only a handful of binding commitments, such as a nondisparagement agreement and a pledge to dismiss acrimonious litigation. (The sides have already moved to end their legal fights .) What it does not include is a clear path of what lies ahead for the tours: Many of the most consequential details about the future of men’s professional golf have not been resolved, and were left to be negotiated by the end of the year.

Most crucially, the tour and the wealth fund must still come to terms on the values of the assets that each will contribute to their planned partnership. Bankers and lawyers have spent recent weeks beginning the valuation process, but a five-page framework agreement obtained by The New York Times includes no substantive details of projected figures or even the size of an anticipated cash investment from the wealth fund.

And one issue the two parties had agreed on has been removed. The framework agreement included a nonsolicitation clause, which said the PGA Tour and LIV Golf would not “enter into any contract, agreement or understanding with” any “players who are members of the other’s tour or organization.” But the two sides, facing pressure from the Justice Department, decided to abandon that clause .

When does this take effect?

First, the idea also has to be approved by the PGA Tour’s policy board, what it calls its board of directors, which includes some people who were left out of the secret negotiations for this deal in the spring.

The policy board is made up of five independent directors, including Ed Herlihy and Jimmy Dunne, who helped negotiate the deal. The board also includes five players: Patrick Cantlay, Charley Hoffman, Peter Malnati, Rory McIlroy and Webb Simpson.

Jay Monahan, the commissioner of the PGA Tour, said on June 6 that there was only a “framework agreement” and not a “definitive agreement,” with many details still to be decided. The definitive agreement needs a vote before it can go forward.

And for the rest of 2023, all the tours will remain separate, and all their tournaments will continue as scheduled.

And after that?

Who knows? This is how Monahan answered questions about what golf might look like in the future on the day the alliance was revealed.

Will LIV continue to exist as a separate golf league? “I don’t want to make any statements or make any predictions.”

Will LIV golfers go back to the PGA Tour and DP World Tour? “We will work cooperatively to establish a fair and objective process for any players who desire to reapply for membership with the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour,” Monahan wrote in a letter to players.

Will PGA Tour players, many of whom spurned LIV and its huge paydays, receive compensation? Will LIV players somehow be forced to give up the money they were guaranteed? “I think those are all the serious conversations that we’re going to have,” Monahan told reporters.

How do players feel about all of this?

Broadly, LIV players seem to think they have gained a major victory, and they are probably right. They got their cake (huge paydays) and can eat it (a pathway to returning to the PGA Tour), too.

Mickelson, the first major player to leave for LIV, tweeted that it was an “awesome day today.” Koepka took a jab at Brandel Chamblee, a former professional golfer and current television commentator, who has been vocally anti-LIV.

Many PGA Tour players were less jubilant. They were blindsided by the news, learning of the agreement when the public did, and they did not seem to understand why the tour waged a legal war against LIV and a war of morality against Saudi money, only to invite the wolf into the henhouse.

On the day the news broke, Monahan met with a group of players in Toronto at the Canadian Open, which was set to start in two days, and afterward told reporters it was “intense, certainly heated.”

Johnson Wagner, a PGA Tour player, said on the Golf Channel that some players at the meeting called for Monahan’s resignation.

“There were many moments where certain players were calling for new leadership of the PGA Tour, and even got a couple standing ovations,” he said. “I think the most powerful moment was when a player quoted Commissioner Monahan from the 3M Open in Minnesota last year when he said, ‘As long as I’m commissioner of the PGA Tour, no player that took LIV money will ever play the PGA Tour again.’”

Wagner estimated that 90 percent of the players in the meeting were against the merger.

McIlroy, perhaps the most influential PGA Tour player not named Tiger Woods, said he was reluctantly in favor of the agreement. McIlroy said he had “come to terms” with Saudi money in golf. “Honestly, I’ve just resigned myself to the fact that this is, you know, this is what’s going to happen,” he said.

I see a photo of former President Trump up there. Is he involved in this?

Yes, though not directly. The Trump Organization owns golf courses around the world, and Donald J. Trump has for years sought to host major tournaments on its properties. Those efforts suffered a setback after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, as the golf establishment distanced itself from the former president. Most significantly, the P.G.A. of America pulled the 2022 P.G.A. Championship from the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J.

But Trump had cultivated unusually close ties to Saudi Arabia while president, and Saudi-backed LIV had no problem embracing him. Last year, two LIV events were held at Trump courses, and this year it will be three.

Trump’s son Eric said that the agreement between LIV and the PGA Tour was a “wonderful thing for the game of golf” and that he expected tournaments to continue to be held at Trump-owned courses. He declined to comment on whether the Trump family played any role in bringing the two parties together.

If the PGA Tour was so against LIV and Saudi money, what changed?

“Listen, circumstances change, and they’ve been changing a lot over the last couple years,” Monahan said.

Get it? No?

“What changed? I looked at where we were at that point in time, and it was the right point in time to have a conversation,” Monahan said.

Between the lines, Monahan made it sound like the agreement came down to money and competition, as it often does. To compete with LIV, the PGA Tour has enhanced purses, supported the DP World Tour financially and pursued extremely expensive litigation. “We’ve had to invest back in our business through our reserves,” Monahan said.

He also said the ability to “take the competitor off of the board” while retaining control was significant.

Can anybody else stop the deal from going through?

The Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission or the European Commission could certainly try.

For about a year, the Justice Department has been investigating the tight-knit relationship between the PGA Tour and other powerful entities in golf. Among its questions is whether the organizations have exerted improper influence over the Official World Golf Rankings, which determine players’ eligibility for certain events and can be an important factor in their success and income.

As part of their deal, LIV and the PGA Tour agreed to drop their dueling lawsuits, but doing so would not necessarily change the Justice Department’s inquiry. If there were any illegal conduct by the PGA Tour, a merger would not prevent the PGA Tour from being punished for it.

“The announcement of a merger doesn’t forgive past sins,” said Bill Baer, who led the Justice Department’s antitrust division during the Obama administration.

The federal government, through the Justice Department and the F.T.C., also reviews more than 1,000 mergers for approval each year, and the European Commission reviews them for the European Union. Without a definitive agreement, it is not clear whether this might be the type of combination regulators could block or whether they would try to do so.

Saudi Arabia seems to have grand sports ambitions. Will it always remain a junior partner to the PGA Tour in golf?

As always, Saudi Arabia has the perfect vehicle to gain more control: money.

The Public Investment Fund will invest “billions,” according to its governor, al-Rumayyan, into the new for-profit entity. It will also hold “the exclusive right to further invest in the new entity, including a right of first refusal on any capital that may be invested in the new entity, including into the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and DP World Tour,” according to the release announcing the agreement.

If the Public Investment Fund invests more money, it will surely demand more board seats and greater voting rights, further tilting control of men’s professional golf toward the kingdom.

Kevin Draper is an investigative reporter on the Sports desk, where he has written about workplace harassment and discrimination, sexual misconduct, doping, league investigations and high-profile court cases. More about Kevin Draper

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Phil Mickelson wins PGA Tour Champions finale; Bernhard Langer claims 6th Schwab Cup title

• Associated Press

PHOENIX -- Phil Mickelson stood on the 18th green at Phoenix Country Club, a wide smile across his face as he held yet another PGA Tour Champions trophy.

Next to him was 64-year-old Bernhard Langer , grinning just as broadly as he hoisted the Charles Schwab Cup trophy at an age when most players are playing from the front tee boxes, not fighting for championships.

One ceremony, two champions with vastly different styles.

Mickelson birdied three of the final holes Sunday to win the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship, and Langer held on to win his sixth PGA Tour Champions season points title.

"It's so fun for us to come back and play in front of everyone and then to come out on top here was a special week,'' said Mickelson, who played collegiately at nearby Arizona State. "I want to congratulate Bernhard because he really is the gold standard for work ethic, discipline as well as talent and a great golf game. At 64, to win the season-long championship, that's pretty impressive, pretty inspiring.''

For Mickelson, it has always been about flash and creativity, pulling off shots few others would consider attempting. He did it through six major titles and 45 PGA Tour victories, and he has kept it going on the senior circuit.

Mickelson was at his creative best at Phoenix Country Club, shooting a bogey-free 6-under 65 in the final round to join Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win four of their first six starts on the 50-and-over tour.

Lefty showed off his short-game skills to avoid bogeys and poured in six birdies in Sunday's final round, the last an up-and-down from short of the par-5 18th to reach 19 under.

"It's been fun for me to play out here and see so many guys that I grew up and spent decades with lifelong friends,'' Mickelson said. "Then to play well and have some success is very meaningful.''

Langer made a name for himself with precision and toughness through a stellar career, winning two Masters and 64 times internationally. The German star became unstoppable once he turned 50, winning 11 major championships and 42 tournaments overall.

Langer needed to lean on that toughness to get through four rounds at Phoenix Country Club. He nearly withdrew two holes into the tournament because of intense back pain and battled as the discomfort lessened slightly each day.

Langer shot under his age for the first time in the third round, a sterling bogey-free 63 with bookend eagles that moved him within 6 shots of Jim Furyk 's 16-under lead. He pulled within 2 shots with birdies on Nos. 1 and 4, then rolled in a 15-foot eagle putt on the 306-yard par-4 fifth to reach 14 under.

Langer struggled getting putts to fall the rest of the way, laboring through a 2-under 69 to finish at 12 under. He finished 17th but was still in position to win the Schwab Cup after playing all 39 PGA Tour Champions events.

"I'm just overwhelmed, you know, at 64 to win this thing six times,'' Langer said. "It will probably be my last one, I'm almost sure of that, but it's very, very special.''

He had to wait a bit to get it.

Furyk needed to win the tournament or tie for third and have Langer end up worse than eighth to win his first PGA Tour Champions series title. He dropped in a long birdie putt on the par-4 17th to pull within 2 of the lead, but Mickelson's birdie on No. 18 made it 3 shots.

Needing an eagle to win the Schwab Cup, Furyk pulled his second shot into the grandstand left of the 18th green and had to drop in mulch. His next shot went across the green into the rough, and he got up and down for par. Furyk shot 71 to tie for fifth at 16 under.

"How exciting was it coming down the stretch?'' Langer said. "Literally, came down to the last shot. If he would have eagled 18, he would be standing here lifting the Charles Schwab Cup trophy and he would be the winner. I'm overwhelmed with emotion.''

New Zealander Steven Alker , a PGA Tour Champions qualifier just three months ago, shot 67 to finish second at 18 under. Darren Clarke had a 64 and David Toms a 65 to tie for third at 17 under.

Alker had no status after turning 50 in July and qualified for the Boeing Classic in August. He strung together top-10 finishes every week to keep playing and become eligible for the postseason, including a win last weekend at the TimberTech Championship in Florida.

Alker kept the roll going on Sunday, overcoming a bogey on the par-3 second with five birdies to finish one behind Mickelson.

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The PGA Tour vs. LIV: Inside the battle between a giant that won't budge and a startup that won't stop

The songs thundering through the course were indistinguishable, each pop track sounding like the one that came before. The only disruption was a voice. It was unclear to whom the voice belonged or where he was, although judging by the cadence and spirit it was more deejay than public announcer. The voice said a lot of things during the LIV Golf Invitational at Trump Bedminster in mid-July, most of which—like “Get on your feet!” and “Make some noise!” and “Who wants a free shirt?!”—was forgotten as soon as it was said. Yet how the voice ended each message was indelible, for it was both welcoming while serving as a warning.

“Thanks again for joining us at LIV Golf!” crooned the voice. “The future of golf … is here!”

The idea of a fledgling competitor to the PGA Tour has lurked in the shadows for years, discussed as a provocative hypothetical but one whose reality and viability were routinely dismissed. Only LIV Golf has proved in very little time how real and formidable it can be, siphoning talent from the PGA and DP World Tours and threatening a schism that could tear the collective tissue of professional golf into pieces.

The emergence of the Saudi-backed circuit has resulted in break-ups and alliances, and caused suspensions and lawsuits. It has made a game known for its civility become uncivil and brought politics and human-rights issues into a space supposedly reserved for sport. It has spurred reactions that span the emotional spectrum, from intrigue and excitement to existential angst and dread and everything in between.

While all that is true, they are mostly trappings of the present. What really matters is where this is going. Is the voice correct, that the novelty of LIV Golf is not just a curiosity but indeed the future? Or does the new venture share the destiny of so many other rogue professional leagues that similarly proposed disruption only to end in a graveyard? How secure is the PGA Tour and how does an entity shackled by finite resources do battle against not a company but a country with seemingly unlimited assets at its disposal? Is there room for cooperation? Coexistence? And if not, what are the ramifications the longer this war wages?

In pursuit of an answer Golf Digest spoke to more than 30 sources entrenched on both sides, along with a number of authorities outside the walls of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf who provided insight on how this could shake out. A look into LIV’s origins and its master plans, and the tour’s response to the threat, suggests professional golf is in the early stages of a dramatic overhaul.

Provided it doesn't implode first.

A Saudi long game

THE MAN BEHIND PROFESSIONAL GOLF’S RECKONING is not a golfer. He doesn’t care for sports, period. To understand where the schism is going you need to understand how it started, and with who.

Mohammed bin Salman, 36, is the crown prince, deputy prime minister, and minister of defense of Saudi Arabia. His father, Salman bin Abdulaziz, is the country’s king, but bin Salman is considered the de facto ruler. His rise to power over the past decade has transformed social and commercial life in the kingdom while strengthening the country’s position on the international stage as a geopolitical force.

“Saudi Arabia for the past 30 years was like watching a silent movie: one elderly king after another flickered across the screen saying nothing and doing nothing,” says Karen House, a Pulitzer Prize winner and former Wall Street Journal publisher who has covered Saudi Arabia extensively for four decades. “Saudi Arabia since 2016 is an IMAX movie on fast forward. Everything MBS does is big, bold, fast, loud, riveting.”

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Oct. 23, 2018.

FAYEZ NURELDINE

Bin Salman introduced Vision 2030, a blueprint to diminish Saudi Arabia’s reliance on oil by diversifying the economy and modernizing its public services. Some of its initiatives are not dissimilar from efforts of other countries, like combating unemployment and expanding e-commerce and technology. Others are high-profile projects like the development of ultra-luxury resorts and the construction of a megaproject city called Neom, which recently made news for its proposal of erecting two buildings each as tall as 1,600 feet that run parallel for 75 miles across coastal, mountain and desert terrain.

One of Vision 2030’s tenets is a “vibrant society,” and a means to reach this ambition is sports. It’s been a relatively successful venture, bringing in boxing, wrestling and tennis exhibitions, along with Formula 1 races to the kingdom. The country recently announced its bid to host the soccer AFC Women's Asian Cup, and in 2021 the Public Investment Fund—which is the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund—purchased an 80-percent stake in Newcastle United, a professional football club in the English Premier League.

"He doubles down. He is not accustomed to losing," House said of bin Salman. "When he fails at something, his inclination is to try harder."

Part of the sports campaign is Golf Saudi, led by Yasir Al-Rumayyan, who is part of bin Salman’s inner circle and serves as governor of the PIF. Al-Rumayyan is considered a passionate golfer, and his imagination for what the sport could do for Saudi Arabia is fertile. There are aspects that begin at the grassroots level, such as growing golf participation in Saudi Arabia and developing a national team and elite players, along with big-picture items, such as developing courses to aid tourism and hosting professional competitions. It is this last point that sparked the Saudi International into existence in 2019, a tournament that was initially sanctioned by the European Tour.

From an investment standpoint, LIV Golf is a small enterprise compared to other Vision 2030 projects. LIV Golf has somewhere in the neighborhood of $3 billion in funding; for context, Neom has a starting budget of $500 billion and the aforementioned 75-mile buildings are expected to cost $1 trillion and take 50 years to construct. However, the golf endeavor has heightened importance in the kingdom’s push for what it sees as a better tomorrow, multiple sources say. For one, Al-Rumayyan views LIV as his darling, and his voice carries particular weight in bin Salman’s circle. Another benefit is the conduit it can be to business and government leaders; it is not an accident LIV Golf has teamed with former U.S. President Donald Trump amid expectation Trump will begin his third campaign for the presidency this fall.

But a point that cannot be stressed enough, and arguably fuels the desire to make LIV Golf ultimately succeed, is bin Salman’s quest for total and absolute power, House says. They are sentiments at the heart of bin Salman’s reign.

“Despite sweeping social and economic changes that have liberated society, political life has moved in reverse,” House explains.

Bin Salman has continually and sometimes ruthlessly silenced dissidents. Human rights are oppressed. The Saudis have led a military invention in Yemen—out of fear that Yemen could be a satellite for Iran—and the resulting civil war has become a humanitarian crisis. A 2017 purge of nearly 400 princes, businessmen and religious leaders consolidated authority over every branch of the government. Saudis began calling bin Salman “Mr. Everything.” He does what he wants; the only person bin Salman answers to is his father, and House says bin Salman has his father’s total support.

Saudi Golf and, as an extension, Vision 2030 and bin Salman were rebuffed in their attempts to become part of golf’s political matrix with the PGA Tour and European Tour. The PGA Tour has been adamant it never held dialogue with LIV Golf or Golf Saudi, while the European Tour did listen to overtures before eventually coming to a “strategic alliance” with the PGA Tour . Theoretically, getting rejected from golf’s ecosystem should have scrapped the Golf Saudi project. That is not what bin Salman does.

“He doubles down. He is not accustomed to losing,” House explains. “When he fails at something, his inclination is to try harder.”

If golf’s current framework wouldn’t let the Saudis in, they would create their own. It sounds ambitious, and it is. But to those who dispute the formidable nature of LIV Golf, Golf Saudi and bin Salman, who hear grand ambitions of megacities in the desert and 75-mile buildings and laugh, it’s worth noting bin Salman’s true passion: video games. According to House, it explains both bin Salman’s fantastical aspirations and serves as a warning to his doubters.

“The reason he believes he can do anything is that, in the world of video games, anything is possible,” House says. “He’s in love with video games where all things are possible and believes that if you put your mind to it, that's what real life is like too.”

A startup unlike any other

THE QUESTION BORDERS ON OFFENSIVE: Are you, a Northwestern MBA, former chief operating officer of an MLS franchise and chief corporate development and brand officer for an NFL team, running a glorified PR exercise that will continue to hemorrhage money?

Atul Khosla, 43, left his job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to become the COO of LIV Golf in January 2022. Khosla is a sports-business veteran, and he wants to make one thing clear: This, too, is a business. A business that fully plans to turn a profit.

“If you look at the investment portfolio of our primary investor, PIF, they have invested all over the world in incredibly large businesses that they believe will be profitable,” Khosla says. “Their view of this is no different. That’s the expectation that we have from our board.

“Like any other startup, do we have upfront costs to get the product off the ground? Yes, we do. And it is no different than a burn rate that an Uber may have or any other startup tech might have to get the product off the ground with a vision of disrupting the space. We are fortunate, of course, to have an institution that has the patience to be able to go through this methodically and in the right fashion.”

Greg Norman, commissioner/CEO of LIV Golf, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, and Majed Al Sorour, CEO of the Golf Saudi, stand on the first tee of the third round of the LIV Golf Invitational Bedminster in July.

Icon Sportswire

LIV executives constantly refer to their enterprise as a startup. It’s a touch humorous, given they’re going toe-to-toe with an established American sports institution; this is hardly four guys in a garage with a dream. Still, they will tell you that this entire inaugural year is essentially a beta test of their product, that they’ll make changes on the fly and react to what’s working and what isn’t. The vast majority of startups lose money before they make money—burn rate, to use one of Khosla’s MBA terms—and LIV certainly qualifies. It’s not just the hundreds of millions going to the likes of Phil Mickelson , Dustin Johnson , Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka . It’s the rumored $40 million going to the Ian Poulter types. LIV is spending so much money to launch a professional sports league. It’s paying players guaranteed money; the PGA Tour does not. It’s paying for players’ travel and accommodations; the PGA Tour does not. It’s paying for caddies’ travel and accommodations; the PGA Tour does not. The same is true for agents, coaches and player families. It’s paying each host venue a healthy fee to take over the property for a week. It’s paying a full staff of executives. It’s paying musicians to play concerts. It’s paying for the grandstands, the hospitality tents, the signage. It’s paying for the production of the broadcast.

"The value is driven purely by demand," one top agent says. "This is like a real-life fantasy league."

And LIV is doing all this with virtually no revenue to offset the costs. Tickets for the two U.S. events could be had for a few bucks. The broadcast airs free on YouTube, with no commercials. There was not a single corporate logo (other than LIV’s) present at either Pumpkin Ridge or Trump Bedminster. When asked about their surely warped balance sheet, LIV executives begin talking about the future. The vision. LIV Golf, they say, hasn’t even properly started.

That’ll happen next year, when LIV transitions from a series of invitational tournaments to a 14-event “league schedule.” The three events this year, with five more to come, have been a bit scrambled—different fields, different teams. That will not be the case in 2023; the plan is for 48 contracted players to play in all 14 events, and for 12 four-man teams to be set at the beginning of the year and stay consistent throughout the season.

“The way I would look at it,” says Ron Cross, who worked at both Augusta National and the PGA Tour before becoming LIV’s chief events officer, “we’ve compared ourselves to, and others have compared ourselves to, the Formula 1 model. When you go to an F1 race, it’s a consistent look and feel. But Austin has some uniqueness. And Monaco is a little different from Spain, and other markets. You’ll find us doing the same thing.”

And, according to multiple agents from across different agencies, the vast majority of those league spots are spoken for—so much so that LIV has turned away multiple players in the top 50 of the World Ranking who have expressed interest in negotiating a contract.

“One of my players sort of nudged me toward seeing if there might be an offer on the table,” says one agent, “and we were told, basically, 'Sorry. We’re full for next year.’”

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Formula 1 does seem to be the guiding light for LIV’s future vision—particularly as it pertains to the team component. There are 10 teams in Formula 1, each owned by a corporation: Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, Alpine, McLaren, Alfa Romeo, Haas F1, AlphaTauri, Aston Martin, Williams. Each team has two drivers under contract. The driver’s deals are with each specific team, not with Formula 1. That, eventually, seems to be the vision for LIV Golf: to have 12 distinct teams, each with its own ownership group, each with the power to sign its own players, cut them and trade them. In an ideal scenario, and this is far down the line, each team would function more like a traditional sports franchise with its own merchandise, C-level suites and corporate sponsorships.

All 12 teams are owned by LIV now, and some players—think the more high-profile names: Mickelson, DeChambeau, Koepka—have an equity stake in the teams they captain. LIV’s goal is to develop these franchises into brands with identities and fans, and then sell them either to corporations or wealthy individuals who essentially want the latest and greatest plaything. There is no shortage of billionaires who love golf and, theoretically, would be willing to cut a check to be closer to the action. To play in the pro-am with Bryson. To host Brooks for dinner. Who knows—maybe even join Dustin and Paulina on the boat.

“Sports ownership is a high-demand space, where much of the value is derived from scarcity,” says one agent for a top-20 player. “Obviously you have to build a league with real revenues, but these are sellable commodities even without that. It’s just supply and demand. The value is driven purely by demand. This is like a real-life fantasy league.”

'If you can't see it, you can't sell it'

THEY ARE BILLED AS FANCY NEW TOYS for the mega-rich. But to achieve their full brightness, LIV Golf’s franchises need a place to shine.

To players and potential sponsors and owners, the number LIV Golf has pitched has stayed consistent, sources tell Golf Digest: a $1 billion potential valuation for a four-man club. If that sounds fantastical it’s because it’s based on something that hasn’t happened yet.

“Until significant media deals are done to cover LIV Golf,” says Patrick Rishe, the founding director of the sports business program at Washington University, “LIV team values will be stunted.”

The first three LIV Golf events have been broadcast free on YouTube, Facebook and LIV Golf’s website, and the audience numbers have been modest. The LIV Golf Invitational at Bedminster drew an average of 74,000 viewers to its Sunday final round YouTube broadcast while the PGA Tour’s simultaneous broadcast of the Rocket Mortgage Classic on CBS drew an average of 2.5 million. To a person, those around LIV Golf assert a larger broadcast agreement is near, and even its detractors acknowledge some sort of distribution deal will likely be in place before 2023. Where it is distributed, or more specifically on what platform, may have a bigger impact on LIV Golf’s sustainability than any mega-star player it signs.

The 4 Aces Team of Pat Perez, Talor Gooch, Patrick Reed and Dustin Johnson spray champagne after winning the team competition at the LIV Golf Invitational Series at Trump Bedminster.

To this point, all of the major television subsidiaries in the U.S. have shown little to no interest in LIV Golf, sources tell Golf Digest. NBC, CBS and ESPN just began a $7 billion, nine-year deal with the PGA Tour. The wild card is the FOX Corporation, which has multiple ties with LIV Golf. FOX founder and media tycoon Rubert Murdoch has a personal relationship with LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman; the two attempted to create a “World Golf Tour” in the mid-1990s, with Murdoch’s FOX Sports securing the rights. In January 2022, LIV Golf hired former FOX Sports President David Hill to help with production, and the right-leaning FOX News had a heavy presence at LIV Golf’s third event held at former President Trump’s Bedminster property. However, FOX abandoned its USGA agreement halfway through a 12-year deal, and even with the Trump connection sources say FOX Sports has not held serious discussions.

Sources say LIV Golf officials are aware immediate victory may not be had on the traditional television front in the United States and have pivoted to a streaming option. Some around LIV Golf insist streaming was the plan from the start, although multiple sources combat this notion. Nevertheless, be it orchestrated messaging or conviction that the league truly is close to a media deal, the importance of streaming was at the forefront of conversations at Trump Bedminster, with Mickelson making a case for why this is the best route to go.

“We, as a game and sport, the viewership has gone up five years to the average age, I believe, of 64, and we have to target the younger generation,” the six-time major winner said after Friday’s round at Bedminster. “I think that the way that's going to happen is two things. One, it's not a 12-hour day, having to watch golf all day. You've got a four-and-a-half-hour window. Second, when I think a streaming partner comes about, I think it's going to revolutionize the way golf is viewed, because you'll have no commercials and you'll have shot after shot after shot, and it will capture that younger generation's attention span. We'll open up a lot of opportunities to get the younger generation, which for 30 years we've tried to do and it's gone the other way.”

Streaming destinations are limited. Netflix has yet to dive into live sports. Hulu’s Disney/ESPN ties to the tour likely knock it out. Same with HBO Max and Discovery+ (Warner Bros. Discovery, which also owns Golf Digest) and Paramount Plus (CBS). Amazon Prime is getting into the sports space, but founder Jeff Bezos’ strained relationship with Saudi Arabia diminishes the prospect of a deal. Essentially, there is one home that has any subscription base to speak of, industry insiders tell Golf Digest: AppleTV.

The Apple, Inc. OTT service has not made the splash it hoped since launching in 2019, boasting only a little more than 33 million customers. (For context, Disney+ launched a week after AppleTV and claims 138 million subscribers.) To build its humble numbers, Apple has turned to live sports, signing deals with Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer in 2022, and LIV Golf could fit into that portfolio, sources say. Unlike the MLS, which signed a 10-year agreement, any LIV deal would likely be in the two- to three-year range, according to one source—enough time for LIV to prove it is a viable commodity. The buy-in would be relatively economical compared to other live sporting-event rights, both sources said, and nowhere near the neighborhood of the tour’s $7 billion, nine-year deal with NBC, ESPN and CBS. But LIV Golf isn’t necessarily looking for an infusion of cash in the same vein that other sporting leagues do with media rights. LIV is merely looking for publicity on a platform that adds validity to what it’s trying to do. (AppleTV has not responded to a request for comment.)

“Sponsor value for any team or league is driven by eyeballs, because one main purpose of any sponsor deal is generating awareness and exposure for your product. If you can't see it, you can't sell it,” Rishe says. “[It’s] incredibly hard to achieve awareness and exposure without a solid TV or streaming deal.”

But Rishe adds a caveat: “Until LIV attains a solid media-rights deal with a legacy network, this will place a de facto ceiling on the value of sponsor deals.”

Other experts agree that though media consumption is drastically evolving with more platforms and choices than ever before, a streaming-only deal will hamper LIV Golf. Most sports and especially golf are still watched in traditional, linear fashion. It’s one of the reasons sports rights are so expensive: They are one of the few programs watched as scheduled. Moreover, while LIV’s focus may be on a younger crowd, the type of companies that are involved in the golf business tend to target the older, affluent audience. Even with bringing in new sponsors that haven’t been in the space before, LIV Golf will need to tap into those existing advertisers.

“You need the high-earner male in his mid-50s. People don’t want to hear that, but that’s who buys the expensive products that are advertised on professional golf,” says Neal Pilson, former president of CBS Sports. “That’s what drives the golf ship. That’s the important sponsor support golf brings and makes it a commodity.”

LIV Golf has positioned itself as a global entity, to grab regions that the game has historically ignored. But that creates an issue in establishing a TV deal that Pilson and others in tour circles assert about the LIV Golf model.

“This won’t be the World Cup. This won’t be the British Open. People aren’t going to get up at 3 a.m. to watch in a different country,” Pilson says. “[This] could explain why [none of the traditional channels] want it. So it goes to streaming so customers can watch it on their time. Well, millennials will check their phones or computers to see the results of something that happened 12 hours ago, and once you see the results there’s a good chance you won’t watch. There are a lot of drawbacks with the streaming idea.”

Though it’s far from the affluent and older consumer that makes golf advertising so valuable despite its niche reach, the 18- to 35-year-old demo has value to marketers because if they capture that demo’s business early they can make a lifetime customer to maximize their return on marketing investment. And younger audiences do tend to gravitate towards streamers and cord-cutting services over legacy networks.

There’s the chance LIV Golf buys airtime with a channel. Or maybe LIV buys an entire channel.

But, as Rishe points out, the young audiences pose their own problem—specifically towards LIV. “Studies have shown that Gen Z and Alpha Gen consumers are more socially aware and care more about what the companies they buy from stand for,” Rishe says. “So as long as the ‘sportswashing’ undercurrent dogging LIV exists, LIV may have very little success courting corporate America.”

Of course, there’s a way around the TV issues in the U.S., Pilson explains, and it’s a thought that a number of tour officials mention as a worst-case scenario. Given the resources behind it, there’s the chance LIV Golf buys airtime with a channel, especially with many struggling to find new revenue streams in the cord-cutting era. Or maybe LIV buys an entire channel.

“I think if they do get it, it'll probably be on a cable channel that is comfortable with some negative responses [being associated with LIV Golf],” Pilson says. “That could use the money because LIV could buy its way onto a cable channel, just the way it buys the golfers to go play.”

With its own channel, LIV Golf wouldn’t have to worry about alternating its condensed, shotgun-start format and could keep it commercial-free. One person associated with LIV’s franchise efforts made the case that ad-free presentations bring value to the sponsors of each club. “Golf fans have made it known they hate the growing amount of dead time in golf broadcasts,” the source said. “By showing them more golf, our sponsors get more direct time with a consumer that is more native and agreeable to the viewing experience instead of banging them over the head with a commercial.”

It’s far from what LIV Golf wants to do. But it is a card they could play if realizing the streaming reach is not enough.

Nevertheless, in a scenario where LIV Golf has both streaming and traditional distribution behind it, the operation can start wooing legitimate sponsors, knowing their endorsements will be seen by far more than 74,000 viewers. In that scenario, the $1 billion franchise valuation, while still fantastical, doesn’t seem quite as outrageous. In that scenario, LIV Golf goes from tour nuisance to a full-on competitor.

'We're not interested in exhibition golf'

THE PGA TOUR HAS TAKEN THE HARDEST OF HARD-LINE stances against LIV Golf. The message from Ponte Vedra headquarters has been clear since rumors of the “Saudi Golf League”—the name that Monahan and the tour insist on using—began percolating in early 2020, and it underlined the unwillingness to listen to LIV’s initial proposal. The tour’s stance, to put it simply, was: This is not good for golf, and you’re either with us or you’re with them.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan has thus far taken a hard-line stance against LIV Golf, including the ban of players who have moved to the Saudi Arabia-backed circuit.

Richard Heathcote

The PGA Tour wasted little time this year drawing its line in the sand by informing its membership on May 10 that no releases would be granted for the first LIV event in London, and that players who participated anyway would be in violation of the PGA Tour handbook and subject to discipline. Once the first tee shots were hit at Centurion Golf Club at the same time on June 8—shotgun start and all—the PGA Tour announced immediate suspensions for all its members in the LIV field. This stance was immediately and very publicly lambasted by Norman, who called the move “anti-golfer, anti-fan and anti-competitive.” Norman and his associates have lobbed insults and taunts at the PGA Tour throughout the past couple months; the PGA Tour has been more careful in its communications and word choice, but Monahan has not wavered in his opposition to LIV’s existence.

"We want to be additive to the ecosystem," LIV's Khosla says. "We are very willing and want to continue to work with all the tours."

Despite the combativeness, LIV officials insist they’d love a meeting with PGA Tour executives.

“That has been our desire from the get-go,” Khosla says. “We want to be, and we believe we are, additive to the ecosystem. We are very willing and want to continue to work with all the tours. … I would love to [talk to the PGA Tour]. I would absolutely love to. And even if it’s just to build the relationship, I very much welcome the opportunity to do that.”

Some PGA Tour players want peace accords to take place. At the Open Championship, Jon Rahm responded to a question about the future of the Ryder Cup by expressing a desire for the bickering parties to come to the negotiation table. There was also Rory McIlroy, the de facto spokesman for the PGA Tour throughout this schism, saying at the J.P. McManus Pro-Am in July that he believed it was time for both sides to talk.

“If these people are serious about investing billions of dollars into golf, I think ultimately that’s a good thing,” McIlroy said. “But it has to be done the right way and I think if they were to invest, having it be invested inside the existing structures.”

Tour executives, however, seem to have no interest in such discussions or any parceling of the calendar. The PGA Tour declined to speak with Golf Digest for this story, but a spokesman did convey their ultimate position: “What exactly would we be discussing? The tour isn’t for sale, and we’re not interested in exhibition golf.”

Rory McIlroy has been among the most vocal supporters of the PGA Tour and has said it's worth listening to LIV Golf if it's interested in investing in a proven commodity.

Stuart Franklin/R&A

Which, of course, makes sense. The PGA Tour’s rigid stance is no doubt a strategic play, but one drawback of that approach is that it makes later cooperation that much less feasible. Instead, Monahan has vowed both privately and publicly to focus on improving his own tour. It started well before the first LIV event, when the tour devised the Player Impact Program as a way to reward its most famous players for something not directly related to their on-course performance. Despite the tour’s insistence that such a program was in the works long before, the PIP is widely seen on tour as a preemptive response to LIV—ironic, then, that five of the initial 10 winners have since left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf—though the inaugural PIP winner, Tiger Woods, reportedly turned down a $700 million to $800 million offer from LIV. And in a June press conference, Monahan outlined a number of rather significant changes to the PGA Tour’s structure, which again seemed heavily influenced by the existential challenge he faces. The general theme: more money going to the best players, a return to a calendar-year schedule and doubling down on its signature heritage events.

Starting for the 2023 FedEx Cup Playoffs, only 70 PGA Tour players—down from 125—will make it to the postseason and keep full status for the next season. The top 50 in the final FedEx Cup standings also will qualify for lucrative, no-cut “international series” events that will be held outside the U.S. in the fall. And purses for eight invitational events throughout the season are increasing to an average of $20 million per event. Rather than negotiate with LIV, the PGA Tour is banking that its proven business model, continued added investment in its own product, and the willingness to adapt—including veering away from its 72-hole format more often—will continue to make the circuit the best place to play professional golf. And that talented new prospects will fill the void left by others who might have left for LIV.

New and current stars will be paid handsomely. The PGA Tour has begun circulating a document to players that projects how much money they would’ve earned had their careers begun during the upcoming 2022-23 season based on a four percent year-over-year growth in the tour’s total comprehensive earnings. The projected figures are staggering: If Jim Furyk, who is now 52 years old, began his rookie season in 2022-23 and had the same 28-year career—including 17 wins—his total compensation from the PGA Tour would exceed $620 million. (Furyk’s current actual earnings are $71.5 million.) To sample a few others: Rory McIlroy would be at $373 million; Jordan Spieth at $240 million; Brandt Snedeker at $180 million; Ryan Palmer at $100 million; Keegan Bradley at $97 million; Jason Gore at $21 million.

But those projections do not include any guaranteed money—instead, they are calculated by applying future payment structures to past earnings.

“All of this money we’re projecting will be earned on a competitive basis,” the PGA Tour executive said, “and that’s a hallmark of the PGA Tour. Even with the PIP program, there are different components, but you’ve earned those based on how you’ve competed.”

Of course, this is a projection of a tomorrow that is under tour control. It also must reckon with a future it doesn’t fully control.

The next battlefront

ON AUG. 3, MICKELSON, DECHAMBEAU AND NINE OTHER LIV GOLF MEMBERS filed a lawsuit against the tour, believing the suspensions they received for defecting constituted antitrust actions . It is a lawsuit the PGA Tour has expected and feels confident about being in the right. History is on the tour’s side. It has successfully defended itself against antitrust claims from Morris Communications Corporation regarding the tour’s limitations on real-time scoring, and it prevailed in former tour player Harry Toscano’s Clayton Act antitrust lawsuit against the Senior PGA Tour. It also won a class-action lawsuit brought by caddies against the tour using antitrust and intellectual property claims.

Phil Mickelson is among the LIV players who brought an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour for not allowing them to play.

Jonathan Ferrey/LIV Golf

This is a different battle, and the tour is also staring down an antitrust probe from the Department of Justice. It’s worth noting the Federal Trade Commision concluded after a four-year investigation in the early 1990s that the tour had violated antitrust laws—partially due to the rule stipulating permission for a conflicting-event release—and recommended federal action. But no action was ultimately taken, a circumstance credited to the work of then-PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem (a lawyer himself who worked in President Jimmy Carter’s administration) and the tour’s lobbying mastery. Coincidentally, this clashed with Norman’s first try to challenge the PGA Tour through his attempt to launch the World Tour. This time, the tour is facing an entity that can match, if not usurp, its lobbying efforts. This time, the tour could lose.

The battle will be fought on multiple fronts. There are players who have not jumped but will, both after the FedEx Cup and Presidents Cup, along with those who defect after 2023 or 2024. While the first wave of LIV members mostly constituted injury-prone players, rank-and-file names, those past 40 and maligned personalities, LIV likely will sign those who are young, transcendent and marketable.

There are multiple sponsors, sources tell Golf Digest, that aren’t exactly thrilled with the tour’s handling of the LIV situation. Though the new media-rights deal accounts for most of the added money in bonuses and purses, the tour has gone to companies looking to aid its new fall series, and the reception has thus far been cold, sources say. Existing partners, upset at sponsoring tournaments with depleted fields, are not crazy about giving the tour more money. There is a fear in tour circles that if the circuit pushes too hard, these companies could eventually go to the other side.

Then there is the tour’s own media rights. Its new agreement started in 2022 and runs to 2030. Concerns that CBS, NBC or ESPN would want to renegotiate or invalidate its deal if the tour continues to lose a number of its marquee attractions are fair, although multiple sources with these stakeholders say, at this point, they are not worried about a diluted product and are in lockstep with the tour. Of greater worry for the tour are potential deals down the road. These media agreements are worked out years in advance, and sources tell Golf Digest the current deal was mostly finished by the middle of 2019. A LIV Golf circuit that is fully operational in 2025—and one that has a defined future—could wreak havoc on anything the tour hopes for in its new media framework.

The tour’s position against LIV is not just public posturing; those around the tour insist Monahan and his staff believe what he says to be true. But players, agents and others in the industry see how the tour is under siege and envision that peace—or at least a detente—will have to be struck to stave off a watered-down tour. So what would cooperation between LIV and the PGA Tour look like?

Make no mistake, there are reasons why cooperation might work for both sides. LIV Golf, which seemingly holds momentum, gets what it initially wanted: acceptance into the current framework. Saudi Arabia and Vision 2030 receive a blessing from a globally recognized institution that pushes them closer to the perception of a modernized culture. LIV Golf members get to keep the enormous sums they made and get the freedom they once had on the tour to pick their schedules. Not for nothing, it keeps the door open to play in major championships and Ryder Cup—a path that seemingly is starting to close and one that could be shut completely if LIV doesn’t receive OWGR accreditation. (As one Augusta National source relayed after the filing of the Mickelson lawsuit: “Know a good way to get curbed by ANGC? Bring ANGC into a lawsuit.”)

For the tour, things are messier. Yes, the LIV Golf financial resources would help subsidize the tour and its purses, the membership would be made whole again and a potential PGA Tour-LIV agreement would be perceived less of a merger and more of an acquisition. But there is the reality of weakening a previously strong stance and the optics that come with it. Would player suspensions—assuming the tour hasn’t lost the lawsuit—be dropped? How would it handle blowback from its existing members, who watched LIV members cash huge paydays and ultimately be allowed back while they missed out on similar opportunities out of loyalty? Even in a treaty there will be casualties.

In the days after the LIV golfers filed their suit, the tone from PGA Tour players toward their peers who jumped to LIV changed. While once respectful of the decision made to move on, there was more venom toward them as they went ahead with a legal challenge. 

“Their vision is cherry-picking what events they want to play on the PGA Tour," Billy Horschel, a former PGA Tour Policy Board member, said. "Obviously, that would be the higher World Ranking events and bigger purses. It’s frustrating. They made a decision to leave, and they should go follow their employer. I know there are guys a lot more angry and frustrated about it than me.”

Another victim in this fight could be the postseason race on the DP World Tour (formerly European Tour). While LIV Golf’s 2023 season will be spread across the calendar, multiple sources lay out a scenario in which the PGA Tour ultimately allows space for LIV Golf to operate during the fall, effectively taking the place of the yet-to-be-announced international series. LIV has already telegraphed it’s not opposed to this time frame: Five of its eight events this year occur after the FedEx Cup Playoffs have concluded. The tour would still use autumn to provide for those outside the top 50 to wrestle for following-year status, conceding its stars would play elsewhere in September, October and November. It’s a tough swallow for the tour, yet better to lose them during the football portion of the sports calendar than for the entire year. Unfortunately, the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai takes place in November, and while it could survive the PGA Tour’s three-event international series, a LIV Golf fall itinerary likely involves a minimum of five to six events. Moving the Race to Dubai to the end of summer would coincide with the tour playoffs. The DP World Tour already faces the knock of being a feeder circuit; a potential retrofitting would compound that stigma.

Although it’s a bit more far-fetched, there’s also the chance for LIV Golf competitions to be held during the tour’s season. There are a handful of tournaments that have struggled with sponsorship for years that could be vulnerable, and the fact that the WGCs having gone from four to one raises the question if LIV could take over the Match Play. There would be matters to sort out—who qualifies for the LIV events, how TV/streaming deals would work, and would the events be co-sanctioned.

The alternative is this: A professional golf landscape that looks a lot like professional boxing—a realm with multiple organizations and almost zero unification that has turned a once-popular sport into a niche entertainment. The game’s attention could be divided between a league that has popular figures but tournaments that border on exhibition, up against a traditional power that has real competition but has lost some of its most high-profile competitors. As one major championship official opined, “The PGA Tour could become what the Euro Tour is now, and LIV Golf would be like the Pro Bowl—big names, horrible watch.”

In regards to majors, there’s the theory that the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and Open Championship could be strengthened in a divided game, the already heightened weeks gaining importance if they’re the only four occasions when the entire sport gathers. But if the majors back the PGA Tour and restrict LIV Golf members from participating, they too will lose weight.

Should the DP World Tour and PGA of America stay true to their LIV threats, the Ryder Cup could be lost. Fair or not, the onus is on the PGA Tour to keep it together. Most of LIV’s members have already shown they don’t care about consequences, at least enough to prevent them from padding their bank accounts. The tour didn’t start the schism, yet it may be the only thing standing in the way of preventing the sport from ripping in two.

After the beta test

THEY SEE WHAT YOU SEE. The misspellings of player names, getting their members’ nationalities wrong, the press-conference disasters. For an organization trying its best to rid itself of sportswashing accusations, LIV Golf has been unable to put its best foot forward without tripping over the other through its first three events.

But it’s worth remembering this inaugural season is a trial run of sorts, and not just for those inside the ropes. Prior to the weekend at Trump Bedminster, one LIV liaison said the summer had been “revealing.” This person put the LIV workers into two groups: the adults and the children. The children are the ones making mistake after mistake, or they took a LIV offer as an early retirement package thinking little would be involved. The adults … they see what LIV has already done and what it could be once the children are sent packing. “If everyone would stop ragging on [LIV], you could see how good it can be,” the consultant said. Eventually, this person maintained, LIV would get things right.

The event at Bedminster was eventually won by Henrik Stenson. To grab the millions at LIV, the Swede had to surrender the Ryder Cup captaincy, a role and responsibility that was once viewed as priceless. For him to win millions, Europe had to lose its Ryder Cup captain. His decision to join was a zero-sum game. You didn’t have to squint to see the symmetry.

What’s the difference between the PGA of America and the PGA Tour?

For fans tuning into the PGA Championship, one of golf's four major championships, they may not be aware that it's the PGA of America who presents and runs this tournament rather than the PGA Tour.

What's the difference between the PGA of America and the PGA Tour?

So many casual sports fans assume the PGA of America and the PGA Tour are the same organization, or they assume the PGA Tour is a division of the PGA of America. That leads to confusion over the PGA Championship being a special, separate tournament from the unique events the PGA Tour presents, including The Players Championship and the season-ending Tour Championship.

For 50 years, the PGA of America and the PGA Tour have been separate organizations. This happened at a time when the likes of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus had established themselves as stars of the game in the television era. Exposure was increasing, and purses were expanding. The players didn't feel the PGA of America, which today is a 29,000-member organization of golf club professionals and teachers and other career golf-industry workers, was looking after the touring professional golfers as well as they should. The top players wanted to use the influx of TV money and, eventually sponsor money, to boost their livelihoods, rather than funneling much of that money back into the PGA of America.

Ultimately, Palmer, Nicklaus and others engineered a split from the PGA Tour in 1969, creating what was originally dubbed the Tournament Players Division. The Tournament Players Division was affiliated with the PGA of America, but the organization operated separately. The Tournament Players Division hired former long-time USGA executive director, Joe Dey, as its first commissioner, and the PGA of America's championship, the PGA Championship, continued to be recognized by the touring professionals.

In 1974, Deane Beman became the second commissioner and set the organization on a historic course. The Tournament Players Division was renamed the PGA Tour -- creating this confusion in the first place -- and the Tour and its tournaments were structured to run as nonprofit organizations, donating now billions to local and national charities. Tournament sponsor money runs through the nonprofit organizations, functionally making them a pass-through for charitable donations and payments to players.

Beman moved the PGA Tour from its headquarters in suburban Washington, D.C., to Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., where TPC Sawgrass is now. Beman also created the concept of the all-exempt PGA Tour, making it easier for a professional golfer to make a livelihood. Ultimately, the formation of PGA Tour Champions (originally the Senior PGA Tour), the Web.com Tour (originally the Ben Hogan Tour), PGA Tour Canada, PGA Tour Latinoamerica and PGA Tour China come out of the desire to give members playing opportunities to fulfill their golf potential.

The PGA of America, long headquartered in Frisco, Texas, is comprised of regional sections which offer their own competitions, designed specifically for golf professionals instead of professional golfers. This includes the PGA of America Professional Championship, from which the top 20 finishers earn a spot in the PGA Championship. This tradition has been maligned over the years as weakening the tournament's field strength, but it is a tribute to the daily work of the member-driven PGA of America.

The PGA of America also owns half of the Ryder Cup, along with the European Tour. The PGA of America also presents the Senior PGA Championship, Women's PGA Championship, Junior PGA Championship, Junior Ryder Cup and other events. The PGA of America makes a massive amount of money when the United States hosts the biennial competition. The organization owns Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky and PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., as well as their headquarters at PGA Frisco in Texas, and they license the PGA of America name for PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens.

About the author

Ryan Ballengee

Ryan Ballengee is founder and editor of Golf News Net. He has been writing and broadcasting about golf for nearly 20 years. Ballengee lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his family. He is currently a +2.6 USGA handicap, and he has covered dozens of major championships and professional golf tournaments. He likes writing about golf and making it more accessible by answering the complex questions fans have about the pro game or who want to understand how to play golf better.

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PGA Tour has team event in New Orleans; LIV returns Down Under

The PGA Tour has its only team event coming up at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

The field features Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry for the first time, along with Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele.

New Orleans has three sets of brothers among the 80 teams, and two of them are twins. Parker and Pierceson Coody are PGA Tour rookies. Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard are from Denmark.

AFTER THE MASTERS: Analysis, statistics and more

Find out what players are up to next, what their statistics are and how the 2024 Masters made history.

The LPGA Tour suffered a blow when Nelly Korda withdrew from LA right as she was coming off a major title and going for a record sixth straight win. LIV Golf is in Australia.

ZURICH CLASSIC OF NEW ORLEANS

• Site: Avondale, Louisiana.
• Course: TPC Louisiana. Yardage: 7,425. Par: 72.
• Prize money: $8.9 million. Winner’s share: $1.286 million for each player.
• Television: Thursday-Friday, 3:30-6:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS).
• Defending champions: Davis Riley and Nick Hardy.
• FedEx Cup leader: Scottie Scheffler.
• Last week: Scottie Scheffler won the RBC Heritage.
• Notes: This is the PGA Tour’s only team event, with two rounds of fourballs and two rounds of foursomes. ... The winners do not get world ranking points or a Masters invitation. ... Rory McIlroy is playing for the first time, partnering with Shane Lowry. Friends since their youth, they have played only one Ryder Cup match together. ... The field includes three sets of brothers, two of them twins — Parker and Pierceson Coody, and Rasmus and Nicolai Hojgaard. The other set is Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick. ... Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele are the only team where both players are ranked in the top 10. They won the Zurich Classic two years ago. ... Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald is playing with Francesco Molinari, one of his assistant captains in Rome. ... Steve Stricker is making a rare appearance on the PGA Tour. Stricker won the Charles Schwab Cup last year on the PGA Tour Champions. He is playing with Matt Kuchar.
• Next week: AT&T Byron Nelson.
• Online:  https://www.pgatour.com/

JM EAGLE LA CHAMPIONSHIP

• Site: Los Angeles.
• Course: Wilshire GC. Yardage: 6,258. Par: 71.
• Prize money: $3.75 million. Winner’s share: $562,500.
• Television: Thursday-Friday, 6:30-9:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 6-9 p.m. (Golf Channel).
• Defending champion: Hannah Green.
• Race to CME Globe leader: Nelly Korda.
• Last week: Nelly Korda won The Chevron Championship.
• Notes: Nelly Korda withdrew from the tournament coming off winning her second major and fifth win in a row. ... The prize money was raised to $3.75 million and the sponsors are paying for players’ hotels. It still attracted only six of the top 10 in the world. ... Among those not playing are Lydia Ko and Lilia Vu, who withdrew last week with injury. ... Patty Tavatanakit and Alison Lee are among those who played college golf nearby at UCLA. ... Paula Creamer is in the field based on being in the top 20 on the LPGA career money list. ... This is the second LPGA event in the Los Angeles area in the last five weeks. Korda won the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship down the coast at Palos Verdes Estates. ... Rose Zhang is coming off a missed cut in the first LPGA major of the year. ... Lexi Thompson, who has not won in five years and is coming off a missed cut in the Chevron Championship, is not in the field.
• Next tournament: Cognizant Founders Cup on May 9-12.
• Online:  https://www.lpga.com/

LIV GOLF LEAGUE

LIV GOLF ADELAIDE

• Site: Adelaide, Australia.
• Course: The Grange GC. Yardage: 6,946. Par: 72.
• Prize money: $20 million. Winner’s share: $4 million.
• Television: Thursday-Saturday, 9:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. (CW app). Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (CW Network-tape delay).
• Defending champion: Talor Gooch.
• Points leader: Joaquin Niemann.
• Last tournament: Dean Burmester won LIV Golf Miami.
• Notes: LIV Golf’s tournament in Adelaide last year featured one of the largest galleries of the year. ... LIV Golf Adelaide is where Talor Gooch won the first of his three titles last season. He is not in the field for any of the majors this year. ... LIV Golf had three players finish among the top 10 in the Masters. Cameron Smith and Bryson DeChambeau tied for sixth, and Tyrrell Hatton tied for ninth. ... Jon Rahm has yet to win since joining LIV in December. Rahm’s last victory was the Masters a year ago. ... Dustin Johnson, who won LIV Golf Las Vegas in early February, has missed the cut in his last two majors. Joaquin Niemann remains the points leader this year based on his two LIV titles. He made the cut in the Masters and already has received an exemption to play in the PGA Championship. ... Peter Uihlein began his three-week swing by playing the Saudi Open last week. He shot 66-63 on the weekend to finish third.
• Next week: LIV Golf Singapore.
• Online:  https://www.livgolf.com/

EUROPEAN TOUR AND JAPAN GOLF TOUR

ISPS HANDA CHAMPIONSHIP

• Site: Gotemba, Japan.
• Course: Taiheiyo Club. Yardage: 7,262. Par: 70.
• Prize money: $2.25 million. Winner’s share: $375,000.
• Television: Wednesday-Thursday, 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 11 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. (Golf Channel).
• Previous winner: Lucas Herbert.
• Race to Dubai leader: Rory McIlroy.
• Last tournament: Scottie Scheffler won the Masters.
• Notes: This is the second year of a European tour co-sanctioned event with the Japan Golf Tour in Japan. ... The tournament is the third of four events in the Asian Swing. The winner of this series gets a $200,000 bonus, and the top three get spots in the PGA Championship at Valhalla next month. ... The field includes Matthieu Pavon of France and Christiaan Bezuidenhout of South Africa. Both played in the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head last week. ... Keita Nakajima makes his first start since winning the Hero Indian Open for his first European tour victory. ... Kazuma Kobori received a sponsor exemption. The 22-year-old was born in Japan and plays under the New Zealand flag. He has three wins this year on the PGA Tour of Australasia. ... The field includes most of the rising Japanese stars, such as Nakajima, Takumi Kanaya and Taiga Semikawa. ... Lucas Herbert is not defending his title because he is with LIV Golf in Australia.
• Next week: Volvo China Open.
• Online:  https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/  and  https://www.jgto.org/en/

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CLASSIC

• Site: Duluth, Georgia.
• Course: TPC Sugarloaf. Yardage: 7,179. Par: 72.
• Prize money: $2 million. Winner’s share: $300,000.
• Television: Friday, noon to 3 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel).
• Defending champion: Stephen Ames.
• Charles Schwab Cup leader: Steven Alker.
• Last week: Paul Broadhurst won the Invited Celebrity Classic.
• Notes: Paul Broadhurst became the seventh winner in the seven tournaments on the PGA Tour Champions this year. ... Steven Alker returns to action after taking last week off. ... Ricardo Gonzalez is the only first-time winner on the PGA Tour Champions this year. ... Broadhurst (58) became the third player 58 or older to win this year. He joins Stephen Ames (Chubb Classic) and Joe Durant (Cologuard Classic), both of whom are 59. ... The seven winners on the PGA Tour Champions come from seven countries — New Zealand, Canada, England, United States, Argentina, South Africa and Ireland. ... Thomas Bjorn has been a runner-up and tied for third in his two starts on the PGA Tour Champions this year. ... One week after Vijay Singh made his 20th cut at the Masters, the 61-year-old tied for sixth in the Invited Celebrity Classic. ... The TPC Sugarloaf hosted a PGA Tour event until 2007.
• Next week: Insperity Invitational.
• Online:  https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions

KORN FERRY TOUR

VERITEX BANK CHAMPIONSHIP

• Site: Arlington, Texas.
• Course: Texas Rangers GC. Yardage: 7,010. Par: 71.
• Prize money: $1 million. Winner’s share: $180,000.
• Television: None.
• Defending champion: Spencer Levin.
• Points leader: Steven Fisk.
• Last week: Tim Widing won the Lecom Suncoast Classic.
• Next tournament: AdventHealth Championship on May 16-19.
• Online:  https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour

OTHER TOURS

• PGA of America: PGA Professional Championship, Fields Ranch at PGA (East and West), Frisco, Texas. Defending champion: Braden Shattuck. Television: Tuesday, 5-8 p.m. (Golf Channel); Wednesday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel). Online:  https://www.pga.com/
• Epson Tour: IOA Championship, Morongo GC at Tukwet Canyon, Beaumont, California. Defending champion: Miranda Wang. Online:  https://www.epsontour.com/
• Challenge Tour: UAE Challenge, Saadiyat Beach GC, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Previous winner: Maximilian Rottluff. Online:  https://www.europeantour.com/challenge-tour/
• Ladies European Tour: Investec South African Women’s Open, Erinvale Country and Golf Estate, Somerset West, South Africa. Previous winner: Ashleigh Buhai. Online:  https://ladieseuropeantour.com/
• PGA Tour Americas: Diners Club Peru Open, Los Inkas GC, Lima, Peru. Previous winner: Marcos Montenegro. Online:  https://www.pgatour.com/americas
• Japan LPGA: Panasonic Open, Hamano GC, Chiba, Japan. Defending champion: Lala Anai. Online:  https://www.lpga.or.jp/en/
• Korea LPGA: KLPGA Championship, Lakewood CC, Yangju, South Korea. Defending champion: Dayeon Lee. Online:  https://klpga.co.kr/

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

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PGA Tour stars reflect on “amazing” Scottie Scheffler, Nelly Korda history

Scheffler and Korda have taken over professional golf, and PGA Tour players discussed how incredible it is to watch.

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Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda have won in nine of their last 10 combined starts. The LPGA superstar has won five straight , while the men’s World No. 1 has won four.

It has been a while since a run of this magnitude has happened in golf. Fans want more of this duo, and many want to see Scottie vs. Nelly in a match-play setting.

Various PGA Tour players recently reflected on this historic run that both of them are on. The Tour produced a video mashup with their comments.

“Scottie’s four of five or whatever it is, and that’s unbelievable,” Wyndham Clark said after the RBC Heritage before turning his attention to Korda.

“To win five in a row is amazing. Especially one being a major that she just won. Kudos to her. She’s playing amazing and clearly the best female in the world.”

Witnessing greatness TOUR players discuss @NellyKorda 's 5 wins in 5 starts pic.twitter.com/b9eQFzYLJU — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 23, 2024

Clark has been right there with Scheffler. He has recorded two runner-ups and 4 top 10s this season. In two of Scheffler’s wins, Clark finished second behind him.

Meanwhile, Billy Horschel won for the first time since 2022 on Sunday at the PGA Tour’s alternate event, the Coralas Puntacana Championship. Despite the win, Horschel remained humble and in awe of what they are accomplishing.

“What Nelly and Scottie are doing is unreal,” Horschel said. “I can’t imagine that. Over a period of time, not just five weeks in a row, they’ve done over, you know, six, seven, eight weeks.”

“Who they’re playing against in today’s generation of more talented players, as a golf fan, I’m just lucky to be able to see that,” Horschel said.

J.T. Poston also chimed in on Scheffler and Korda. He had a quick start in Hilton Head but would settle for T5.

“Obviously, what Scottie’s been doing has been pretty impressive and for her to reel off five in a row is, I mean, that’s hard to fathom,” J.T. Poston said.

Scheffler even commented on the situation. After winning his fourth event of 2024 at RBC Heritage, which gave Scheffler $18 million in earnings for the season, he told a funny story.

“One of the people asked me, ‘Is this turning into a competition between you and Nelly?’ I was like, ‘I don’t know, man. If it’s a competition, she’s got me pretty beat right now,’” Scheffler said.

The former Texas Longhorn did not stop there.

“Five wins in a row, you know, she had that T-16 at the beginning of the year, which was terrible. I can’t believe she did that,” Scheffler said jokingly. “It’s pretty special stuff. I’m extremely happy for her, and I think we’ve all seen the golf swing. Obviously, some great golf, some historic stuff, and hopefully, she keeps it up.”

The best golfer on planet earth. I love how Nelly Korda’s swing always looks like it’s gathering speed as she swings, in one motion. Smooth, constant acceleration. pic.twitter.com/O9XuMwN51G — LKD (@LukeKerrDineen) April 24, 2024

The competition on both the LPGA and PGA Tours is astronomical. This duo goes up against talented players weekly and still has found ways to win.

Scheffler and Korda took off this week, so the players teeing it up can take a sigh of relief. The 10-time PGA Tour winner is expecting his first child any day now, while the 13-time LPGA winner is getting some rest.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

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• Tiger Woods to land $100M, PGA Tour equity payments for loyalty, revealed
• LIV Golf Adelaide: Greg Norman addresses Rory McIlroy rumors with cryptic comments
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• Zurich Classic: How to watch, streaming, format, preview, tee times, and more

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2024 Zurich Classic prop bet picks and PGA Tour predictions

S ome of the PGA Tour's best players will team up this week at the 2024 Zurich Classic , a partner event that features 2 rounds of best ball and 2 rounds of alternate shot. The 1st round from TPC Louisiana begins Thursday morning.

Below, we search for the best value prop bets among the 2024 Zurich Classic odds and make our PGA Tour picks and predictions .

Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele , the 2022 champions, are the favorites to win this week at +450. Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are a team for the 1st time and have the 2nd-best odds to win at +750. Sahith Theegala and Will Zalatoris have the 3rd-best odds (+850) as a young tandem in this field.

TPC Louisiana is a very flat course, but it's a fairly long one. As a par-72, it's 7,425 yards and features a lot of water throughout the 18 holes, with more than 100 bunkers spread throughout, as well.

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Zurich Classic – Top-5 picks

Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook ; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 5:03 p.m. ET.

Will Zalatoris/Sahith Theegala (+175)

Zalatoris and Theegala have as much upside as any pairing in this tournament, and they could very easily win it in their 1st year as partners. They're both terrific ball strikers and plenty long off the tee, so they're a good fit for TPC Louisiana.

Collin Morikawa/Kurt Kitayama (+240)

Morikawa has found a groove with top-5 finishes at both the Masters and RBC Heritage the last 2 weeks, so he comes into this week with momentum. Kitayama knows how to win on the PGA Tour, too, having won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2023.

Zurich Classic – Top-10 picks

Adam hadwin/nick taylor (+230).

Taylor is having a strong 2024 season with a win and 2 other top-12 finishes, and he joins fellow Canadian Hadwin for this team event. They finished 2nd last year and should be considered contenders to win this week.

Billy Horschel/Tyson Alexander (+333)

Horschel is fresh off a win at the Corales Puntacana Championship last week and teams up with the big-hitting Alexander, who finished 16th at the Cognizant Classic and 14th at the Valero Texas Open. Horschel won this event in 2018 with Scott Piercy as his partner.

Zurich Classic – Top-20 picks

Tom hoge/maverick mcnealy (+100).

Hoge came in the top-20 at the RBC Heritage last week despite making a 9 on the 72nd hole, showing all week that his ball striking is still very good.

Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen (+140)

Mitchell is one of the best iron players on tour and could easily have a win already this season after falling apart in Round 4 of the Valspar Championship, while Dahmen seems to be rounding into better form this season.

Zurich Classic – Matchups

Suggested play is golfer in bold .

Hadwin/Taylor (-110) vs. Garnett/Straka (-110)

Straka had not been playing very well before finishing 12th at the RBC Heritage last week, while Hadwin and Taylor are each trending in the right direction.

Zurich Classic – First-round leader

Patrick cantlay/xander schauffele (+1200).

Getting the tournament favorites to lead after Round 1 at +1200 is a good value, especially with it being the more predictable format (best ball) Thursday. They shot 59 in the opening round 2 years ago so they can obviously go very low in this format.

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For more sports betting picks and tips , check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW .

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• Zurich Classic of New Orleans 2024 odds, course history and expert picks to win

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This article originally appeared on USA Today Sportsbookwire: 2024 Zurich Classic prop bet picks and PGA Tour predictions

More From Forbes

Here’s why an underwear company partnered with pga tour caddies.

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In a unique partnership within the world of professional golf, the underwear brand SAXX has teamed ... [+] with a group of caddies instead of players.

While professional golfers get the headlines and notoriety, it’s caddies that help with the dirty work behind the scenes and often out of the public eye. So perhaps it’s only fitting a men’s underwear brand, SAXX, chose to pursue a partnership with five PGA Tour caddies.

Two of the caddies – Geno Bonnalie, who works with Joel Dahmen, and John Elllis, who is teamed with reigning U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark – have had greater visibility recently through their appearances on the Netflix Netflix docuseries about professional golf, Full Swing. The others to sign the group endorsement deal with SAXX, which first ventured into golf sponsorship a year ago, are Aaron Flener (J.T. Poston), John Limanti (Keith Mitchell) and Joel Stock (Will Zalatoris).

Caddie Geno Bonnalie (right) with his boss, PGA Tour player Joel Dahmen, pose together during the ... [+] Michelob Ultra & Netflix Full Swing Premiere & Super Bowl After Party. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

SAXX has been around since 2006 and, with its patented BallPark Pouch, lays claim to being the first pouch underwear brand in the market. When the brand looked at getting involved in golf from a promotional perspective, Vice President of Brand Marketing Shawna Olsten said SAXX gravitated toward pro caddies because they’re often overlooked on the course and could be featured in a fun, authentic way.

Perhaps not suprisingly, as part of the Ball Masters campaign there is plenty of publicity and marketing language tied in to one of the main caddie responsibilities: taking care of their player’s golf balls. And that, of course, plays into the primary responsibility of SAXX’s underwear.

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While specific terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, the group of five pro caddies will receive more than $100,000 in total and wear not only the company’s underwear on the course, but its new chino-style shorts and cooling polo shirts.

The group of five PGA Tour caddies who teamed with SAXX will wear the brand's underwear, as well as ... [+] shorts and polo shirts, on the course during tournaments this year.

In addition, SAXX will hold a fan activation at an upcoming PGA Tour event, the Travelers Championship in Connecticut, and said it will donate $100 to the Testicular Cancer Foundation for every birdie made by the caddies’ players for the rest of the season. The company is also on a search to find golf fans to become honorary “Ball Masters,” with winning applicants getting free underwear for a year.

As part of its continued reach into the golf space, SAXX is targeting resort and hotel as one of its fastest emerging wholesale channels and has secured product placements at properties such as JW Marriott, Ritz Carlton and Fairmont that have well-known golf destinations. But uniquely teaming with caddies instead of players is proving to be the brand’s most high profile venture in expanding its visibility in the golf world.

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