professional golf tours explained

What’s The Difference Between A Tour Pro And A PGA Pro?

Modern golf professionals make their living in a variety of ways

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First thing to say when looking at the difference between a Tour Pro and a PGA Pro is that the two are not mutually exclusive – a PGA Pro may often play as a Tour Pro, competing in the same events, and many Tour Pros are also PGA Pros.

But at both ends of the spectrum of what golf professionals do for work, there are clear differences in how your average Tour Pro and regular PGA Pro earn their coin.

Here, in a nutshell, is how the Tour Pro and PGA Pro ply their trades - 

Rory McIlroy is one of the most famous and successful Tour Pros, who competes in all the Majors and biggest PGA Tour events

A Tour Pro or touring professional golfer predominantly aims to make their living by enjoying a successful competitive playing career. They focus their energies on getting everything they can from their games. The modern tour pro is an athlete who will spend every day trying to improve – practising golf, working on fitness , nutrition, mental strength … Exploring all avenues to give them a competitive edge.

Whether they compete at the very highest level – The PGA Tour, The DP World Tour, LPGA or LET circuits, or even the new LIV Golf tour – or at a lower level on a feeder tour or domestic circuit, their principal focus is winning golf tournaments, or at least finishing as high up on the final leaderboard as possible to earn prize money and status to get their name noticed by potential sponsors.

Across the globe there are thousands of Tour Pros, plying their trade on numerous circuits in each corner of the golfing globe. Those on the lower rungs of the ladder may be trying to climb upwards through the rankings to reach the loftier heights of the professional game – to play in those televised tournaments we see each week on the main pro Tours and even to make it into the Majors.

There will also be Tour Pros who play at a lower level and are content to stay at that level – In some cases being a bigger fish in a smaller pond can be more lucrative. The cost of playing on one of the main, international, professional tours is extremely high due to travel fees, hotels, food, caddies, insurance etc. and, if a Tour Pro doesn’t enjoy a level of success, they can easily spend more than they earn.

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Playing a circuit closer to home with lower prize funds is a more sensible financial set-up for many, given the far lower expenses incurred.

Tour Pros will supplement the prize money they earn with sponsorship money from golf manufacturers and businesses outside of golf. They will have a certain number of responsibilities each year through their sponsorship deals – to meet clients of their sponsor, to deal with the media, to use the right equipment and wear the correct badges/labels on the golf course.

At the highest level, these sponsorship deals will often earn the top players more money than they pick up in prizes. At a lower level, the sponsorship deals are often crucial to keep the journeying professional afloat.

PGA Professional

A PGA Professional is a member of the Professional Golfers’ Association. To become a member of the association in this country one must undertake a three-year training programme which since 2003 has been a nationally recognised qualification – a Foundation Degree in Professional Golf.

You also have to obtain an Association of Sports Qualification’s Level 2 certificate in coaching golf, as well as attaining a first aid certificate, undergoing a background check and to have competed at a professional level to an agreed standard – it’s a highly regarded qualification and one that opens doors .

The options for a PGA Professional are wide ranging. These days, there’s a great deal more to choose from than the inaccurate old cliché of simply, “selling Mars bars in a shop.” PGA Professionals work in coaching, managing, retail, administration and manufacturing. From designing courses to coaching an elite player – there are hugely exciting options to explore.

There is also the opportunity to work all over the world – The PGA in the UK has 8,000 members, with 1,500 of these working internationally in more than 80 countries. The PGA of America has tens of thousands of members, with 20 of its PGA Pros earning a spot into the PGA Championship Major each year - that's how Michael Block skyrocketed to fame after his incredible T15th finish in 2023.

Michael Block is the head pro at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California

The modern PGA Professional working at a golf club or facility has a raft of responsibilities that far exceed those of the traditional “club pro.” The role has transformed from that of a shopkeeper doing the odd repair job and giving an occasional lesson to one that’s far more dynamic with PGA Pros involved in at least some, if not all areas of golf club management as well as coaching, PR, finance, retail and sharing general golfing expertise in equipment, technique, Rules and golf technology.

Once a member of the PGA, it’s possible to progress up the ranks – from PGA Professional to PGA Advanced Professional, PGA Fellow Professional, PGA Advanced Fellow Professional, then, at the top of the pile – PGA Master Professional.

But, of course, most PGA Professionals are in the business because they love golf and there are many opportunities for PGA Pros to play the game competitively – there are PGA events in every region and, as qualified pros, they are able to enter qualifying for larger events and even tours. Ryder Cup players like Paul Lawrie and Ian Poulter began their careers as PGA assistant professionals and made their way into Tour golf.

The fundamental difference between a Tour Pro and a PGA Pro is a Tour Pro predominantly makes their living from playing the game, whereas a PGA Pro makes their living by using their knowledge of golf to instruct, manage, sell, make or promote within or around the game.

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly. 

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?

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How Does The PGA Tour Work? [Season Explained]

Not to be confused with the USGA and the PGA , the PGA Tour is the biggest professional golf tour in the world, with the best golfers competing each week for iconic trophies and huge prize money.

So how does it actually work? In this article, we’ll walk you through the PGA Tour season and how it works.

How Does The PGA Tour Work?

Table of Contents

How Does The PGA Tour Season Work?

The PGA Tour season runs from September until August the following year and features a total of 47 FedEx Cup events.

44 of the scheduled events are part of the regular season and include the four major events, as well as The Players Championship.

The final 3 events of the season are known as the FedEx Cup Playoffs, where the PGA Tour golfer with the highest number of FedEx Cup points will be crowned the FedEx Cup champion.

The season starts in September and each week the number of golfers competing varies between 144 and 156 . Not every week is a full PGA Tour event, with FedEx Cup points available, however, most weeks will have a golf tournament.

Each PGA Tour event, as part of the regular FedEx Cup season, is worth points. These points go towards the final standings and help players rise or fall in the rankings.

Most official PGA Tour events are worth 500 points to the winner, with points decreasing depending on the player’s finishing position for the tournament. This also includes a co-sanctioned event on the DP World Tour (European Tour), the Scottish Open, which is worth 500 points.

Points are given out to any player that makes the cut, with 2nd place gaining 300 points, and 3rd place picking up 190 points, reducing all the way down to the bottom of the field who made the cut.

There’s also a few PGA Tour events where the 1st place receives 550 points. The following events are 550-point events:

• World Golf Championships events
• Sentry Tournament of Champions (which includes the longest par 5 on the tour )
• The Genesis Invitational
• Arnold Palmer Invitational
• Memorial Tournament

Other golf tournaments which aren’t seen as full PGA Tour events on the schedule are only worth 300 points for the winner and are part of the strategic alliance between both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. These events include:

• Barbasol Championship
• Barracuda Championship

The most amount of points available to the winner in the regular season is at the majors and The Players Championship.

The Open Championship, US Open Championship , PGA Championship and The Masters tournament are all worth 600 FedEx Cup points, as well as the “5th” major and flagship event on the PGA Tour, The Players Championship.

Each week professional golfers will compete to try and gain as many FedEx Cup points as possible. After the final event in the regular season, the PGA Tour will then go into the FedEx Cup Playoffs in early August.

Although the top 125 players in the rankings will keep their tour cards for the next season, only the top 70 will progress to the first of 3 events in the Playoffs. Those outside the top 125 for the season will lose their full playing rights on the PGA Tour for next season.

The points system for the Playoffs is different to the regular season, with far more on offer and a greater emphasis on good scoring late on the season.

The winner of the first Playoff event will gain 2000 points (4 times as many as a regular season event). The top 50 players in the rankings after this tournament played will move on to the second event which is also worth 2000 points to the winner.

Finally, the top 30 players in the standings will progress to the Tour Championship for the FedEx Cup Playoffs Finale. The Tour Championship is different to the other season-ending golf events, in that it starts with a staggered start using Starting Strokes.

Starting Strokes means that players will start round 1 on a score based on how they’re sitting in the final top 30 rankings. The leading player in the FedEx Cup rankings will start at 10 under for the Tour Championship before even hitting a shot. Number 2 in the standings at 8 under, and so on, all the way down to the bottom 5 players who’ll start on even par.

Like other professional tournaments, after four rounds , the golfer who comes out top of the rankings will be crowned the FedEx Cup Champion, which includes a huge prize bonus.

What Are The PGA Tour Standings?

The PGA Tour has a rankings system which runs throughout the season and is known as the FedEx Cup Standings.

These rankings are used to keep track of which professional golfers are playing well and having a good season, compared to others who might be struggling to get good results.

Each week, players will earn points based on how well they did in tournaments played, with better results earning more points.

At the end of the season, the number of FedEx Cup points a player has, will determine whether or not they keep their playing rights for next season and whether they’ll be eligible for the end-of-season Playoff events.

Those players ranked in the top 125 of the rankings will be guaranteed a PGA Tour card for next season. Those outside the top 125, will most likely end up playing on the Korn Ferry Tour (the 2nd tier tour to the PGA Tour) or they will need to go through PGA Tour qualifying.

Those within the top 70 in the rankings will be eligible to progress to the final Playoff events.

Final Thoughts

The PGA Tour is the place every single golfer dreams of reaching. It’s the biggest and best tour in the world, with the best golfers competing week in and week out in some of the most prestigious tournaments.

The FedEx Cup is the main element of the PGA Tour and with that comes very lucrative returns, but as a result, PGA Tour cards are very difficult to come by.

The PGA Tour is set up to provide drama all year long but puts an emphasis on having a great finish to the season. With so many points on offer at the final PGA tournaments, as long as a player qualifies in the top 70, they can very easily have a run and end up becoming FedEx Cup champion.

Is the Masters part of the PGA Tour?

The Masters is an official PGA Tour event during the regular season with full FedEx Cup points available, however, it is organised by Augusta National Golf Club and not the PGA Tour.

Are the majors part of the PGA Tour?

All four of the major championships are part of the PGA Tour and all have 600 points on the offer to the winners. Each major is organised by a separate organisation, but the events are still included in the PGA Tour season.

Founder, Editor

Ed is the founder and editor at EEE Golf. He’s been playing golf for over 20 years, competing in many top amateur events. He’s played courses all over the world and played with some of the best players in the game. His aim is to help educate people about the game of golf and give insights into the sport he loves most.

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A Walkthrough of the Heritage Behind the PGA Tour

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The PGA Tour, or the Professional Golfers’ Association Tour, is a professional golf organization that was established in 1929. Originally, the PGA Tour consisted of a small group of elite golfers who played in a limited number of tournaments, primarily in the United States. 

However, as the sport grew in popularity, so did the PGA Tour, and it quickly became the preeminent professional golf organization in the world. 

Over the years, the PGA Tour has grown in size and scope, with players from all over the world competing in tournaments throughout the year, including major championships such as the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA Championship. It has also played a significant role in the development of the sport, helping to create new rules and equipment standards, as well as promoting golf at the grassroots level through initiatives such as junior golf programs and charity events. 

Today, the Tour continues to be a driving force in the world of professional golf, with a long and storied history that is closely intertwined with the sport itself.

How Does the PGA Tour Work?

If you’re a person who loves golf or a youngster who wants to begin, then knowing how the PGA tour works is important. In retrospect to the same, we’d also like to mention that golf is a sport on which bettors are allowed to bet these days. Hence, this information is also of use to punters who place bets on sites like Mr.Bet.

Such online casinos offer a range of sports games to choose from. But, for punters looking to follow the PGA tour closely, the   mr bet real money online casino NZ   is quite an attractive online sports betting site to go for. The site offers punters an interactive dashboard with consistent updates regarding the PGA tour across all of its segments and championships. Additionally, it also can get you the most advantageous odds ensuring high returns on your bets. 

The PGA tour is divided overall into a total of 7 regions :

Moving on from the regions, the PGA Tour has a composite total of 30+ tournaments as we have listed below in which players can participate:

• Fortinet Championship
• Sanderson Farms Championship
• Shriners Children’s Open
• ZOZO Championship
• The CJ Cup of South Carolina
• World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba
• Cadence Bank Houston Open
• The RSM Classic
• Sentry Tournament of Champions
• Sony Open in Hawaii
• The American Express Championship
• Farmers Insurance Open
• AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
• WM Phoenix Open
• The Genesis Invitational
• The Honda Classic 
• Arnold Palmer invitational presented by Mastercard
• Valspar Championship
• Corales Puntacana Championship
• Valero Texas Open
• Masters tournament
• RBC Heritage
• Mexico Championship at Vidanta
• Wells Fargo Championship
• AT&T Bryson Nelson
• PGA Championship
• RBC Canadian Open
• Travellers championship
• Rocket Mortgage Classic
• John Deere Classic
• Genesis Scottish Open
• The Open Championship
• Wyndham Championship
• FedEx St. Jude Championship
• BMW Championship
• TOUR Championship

The way the cup works is that players have to participate in each respective championship of their regions. Hereon after, the players will need to score FedEx points by winning the championship games in each season. After the initial championships come to an end, the top 125 players are selected for participation in the final TOUR. 

Winners of the Most Championships in the PGA Tour

The PGA TOUR and its championships are a pinnacle of prestige in the golfing world. It has seen some of the best names in the sport and several of them have left behind a legacy. The top 10 winners of all time are:

Thus, the PGA Tour has seen the golfing greats bless its fields and the tournament. It is by far the most prestigious event ever to be held in the golfing world. 

Interesting Trivia about PGA

Some of the facts about the PGA tour even hardcore fans would not know are:

• Phil Mickelson a.k.a Lefty was actually right-handed!
• Tiger Woods was known as Tiger “Money” Woods because he was a top money leader at all times.
• Allen Doyle was a PGA rookie at the age of 47, quite an impressive feat.
• The Augusta National Golf Club was shut down for years in 1942 and the innkeeper decided to raise cattle on the club grounds.
• Rodman Wanamaker, a fan of golf, hosted a luncheon where he created an association in 1916, that later went on to become the PGA.

Hence, the PGA tour is quite charming. Now that you know of it, we urge you to follow this exciting game!

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Major golf tournaments explained.

There’s a tangible buzz in the air when a major golf tournament is on the horizon. Trending topics light up social media. News feeds begin to highlight the event, the course, and all of the players in the field.  And of course, the ever so popular topic of ‘will Tiger win and beat Jack’ always resurfaces in weeks leading right up to these events.

Regardless of all the media buzz that comes with these increasingly popular golf events, have you ever really stopped to think about how the majors came about, why they’re so important to the golf community, and the storied history behind each tournament?

We’re here to help break it down for you, and explain why these events take over the world’s stage for four exciting weeks every year.

What are the Major Golf Tournaments?

There are four major golf tournaments played on the PGA TOUR every season, and they represent the most prestigious events in the game. Here are the four majors presented in order of their playing date each year.

• The Masters – The Masters is typically played in the second week of April and is hosted by invitation only at the renowned Augusta National Golf Club. The tournament was established in 1934 and the winner of this tournament receives the coveted Green Jacket, a huge purse, as well as some serious TOUR exemptions. No matter what else a player has done in his career, if you’re a Masters winner, you’re considered to have accomplished one of the greatest feats in all of golf. Viewed by millions of fans every year, the Masters Tournament is widely considered to be one of most prestigious and anticipated events in all of professional sports (here is a quick look 10 fun facts about the Masters and at our 10 favorite Masters moments).
• The U.S. Open – Hosted by the USGA, this major is held in the third week of June and is played at different location in the U.S each year. Unlike the invite-only Masters, a spot in the U.S. Open is accessible to any professional (or amateur) with an up-to-date men’s USGA Handicap Index at 1.4 or below. However, players do need to be either fully exempt or compete successfully in the qualifying round leading up to the event in order to earn a spot at the Open. The U.S. Open first took place in 1895 at Newport Country Club in Newport, RI, and was originally played as a one day 36-hole competition.  How’s that for a full day’s work?
• The Open Championship –  Hosted by the R&A (The Royal and Ancient Golf Club), The Open Championship is played every year during the 3 rd week of July on a links-style course at one of nine different locations in the United Kingdom. Established in 1860, this famous major event began awarding its winners the Challenge Belt, which Young Tom Morris won quite often. Soon after, the belt became Medals and then eventually evolved to the famous Claret Jug.
• The PGA Championship – The PGA Championship is the final major of the season and is hosted each year by the PGA of America. The event is played in the third or fourth week of August (right before the  FedExCup Playoffs  begin) and is held at various locations around the United States. The PGA Championship’s history dates back to 1916 when it was originally a match-play event (from 1916-1957) until evolving into a stroke play event in 1958. Tiger Woods and Bob May hold the tournament current record for finishing at 18 under par.

What’s the Significance?

Similar to the grand stages of the Ryder Cup, President’s Cup and the WGC events, the major golf tournaments offer the golf world a “super bowl” type atmosphere four times per year featuring both past winners and exciting new challengers. A major win, although the dollar prize is less than the Players Championship and most WGC events, will certainly give any player’s career a significant boost. Aside from earning a five year TOUR exemption, winning a major event often comes with huge sponsorship deals, additional Hall of Fame considerations, and plenty of other accolades that set a winner apart from the average TOUR player. Becoming a “major champion” is a common goal of just about every TOUR player, and the reason they practice with so much focus leading up to one of the four major golf tournaments.

Originally, professional golf only consisted of two British majors (The Open Championship and the Amateur Championship) and two U.S. Majors (The U.S. Open and the U.S. Amateur). Shortly after these initial tournaments gained success, the Masters and the PGA Championship stepped in to create today’s coveted list of four. Before the Masters was founded, Bobby Jones successfully completed the first Grand Slam of Golf, meaning that he won all the majors in that calendar year. Tiger Woods has come close to matching that feat, consecutively winning four majors in a row, with the final win being the Masters in the next calendar year. It was a conversation between Arnold Palmer and golf writer Bob Drum in the early 1960’s that led to the concept of the modern day Grand Slam of Golf.

It can truly be said that some of the greatest moments in golf’s history have occurred at major events throughout the years. With that said, what are some of your favorite major event memories? Share them with us in your comments below.

( Cover Photo Credit  & Top Photo Credit )

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• Professional golf tours

Professional golf tours explained

Professional golf tours are the means by which otherwise unconnected professional golf tournaments are organized into a regular schedule. There are separate tours for men and women; most are based in a specific geographical region, although some tours may hold tournaments in other parts of the world.

At least 95% of professional golfer s make their primary income as club or teaching professionals rather than from competition. A small elite in the profession who obtain income from prize money and endorsements are called "touring professionals", "tournament golfers", or "pro golfers". The best golfers can make up to 8-figure incomes in U.S. dollars from tournament play. Including endorsement income, pro golfer Tiger Woods was the highest earning sportsman for much of the first decade of the 21st century, according to Forbes magazine.

But making a living from tournament golf can be difficult. Tournaments have entry fees and the associated costs of travel and lodging, plus the hire of a caddie . Moreover, most tournaments have a "cut" after the second of four rounds, meaning that only the top half or so continue play. Only those who make the cut receive any prize money, and only the top players take home significant winnings.

The golf tour system evolved more by trial and error than by design. In the early days of professional golf, in each region of the world each professional tournament was established by a separate golf club, golf organisation or commercial sponsor. As the number of tournaments increased, the most talented professional golfers concentrated mainly on playing in tournaments rather than on club professional and golf instruction work. Once a good number of tournaments were being played in a region each year, they were formalised into a "tour", which was supervised by a single organisation, although many tournaments continue to be run by separate bodies.

The PGA Tour was the pioneer of the tour system, and its establishment date is not very clearly defined. The PGA of America was established in 1916. Lists of players with the most wins in each season are available from that year, and career win totals are based on results from 1916 onwards. However, the idea of a "tour" had not firmly crystallised at that time and several important developments came much later. Bob Harlow was named manager of the PGA Tournament Bureau in 1930, the first "playing pros" organisation was formed in 1932, and money lists are available from 1934. However the PGA Tour itself dates the formal establishment of the Tour to 1968, when the "Tournament Players Division" split from the PGA of America. [1] Similarly, the European Tour officially began in 1972, although it evolved from the British PGA circuit which merged with the Continental European circuit in 1977 before fully separating from the PGA in 1984. The dates of establishment of the other key tours include: LPGA Tour (1950); Sunshine Tour (1971), Japan Golf Tour (1973); PGA Tour of Australasia (1973), Asian Tour (1995). The Asian Tour was preceded by the Asia Golf Circuit , which operated from 1962 until 1999. The term "circuit" is often used to describe groups of professional golf tournaments, either organised tours, which may or may not include "unofficial" events, or simply to broadly categorize events in a local area or wider region.

As professional golf has continued to expand developmental tours such as the Challenge Tour (1986) and the Web.com Tour (1990; originally called the Ben Hogan Tour and later the Korn Ferry Tour) and senior tours such as PGA Tour Champions (1980; originally the Senior PGA Tour and later the Champions Tour) and the Legends Tour (1992; originally the European Senior Tour) have been established to give more golfers the opportunity to play on a tour, and to take advantage of the willingness of sponsors and broadcasters to fund an ever-increasing number of tournaments.

Structure of tour golf

There are more than twenty professional golf tours, each run by a Professional Golfers Association or an independent tour organisation which is responsible for arranging events, finding sponsors, and regulating the tour. Most of the major tours are player controlled organisations whose commercial objective is to maximise the income of their members by maximising prize money. The larger tours have a tournament almost every week through most of the year.

Each tour has "members" who have earned their "tour cards", meaning they are entitled to play in most of the tour's events. A golfer can become a member of a leading tour by succeeding in an entry tournament, usually called a Qualifying School ("Q-School"); or, by achieving a designated level of success in its tournaments when competing as an invited non-member; or, much rarer, by having enough notable achievements on other tours to make them a desirable member. Membership of some of the lesser tours is open to any registered professional who pays an entry fee.

There are enormous differences in the financial rewards offered by the various golf tours, so players on all but the top few tours always aspire to move up if they can. For example, the PGA Tour , which is the first-tier tour in the United States, offers nearly a hundred times as much prize money each season as the third-tier NGA Pro Golf Tour . The hierarchy of tours in financial terms, as of 2014, is as follows:

• Clear 1st: PGA Tour
• Clear 2nd: European Tour
• Clear 3rd: LPGA Tour
• Clear 4th: PGA Tour Champions
• Fifth to eighth (in alphabetical order): Asian Tour ; Japan Golf Tour ; LIV Golf; LPGA of Japan Tour

In the 1990s the Japan Golf Tour was the third richest tour, but in recent years its number of tournaments has been steadily contracting from a peak of 44 in 1990 to 24 in 2007, and tournament purses have risen only slowly. The (U.S.) LPGA saw a substantial decline in financial rewards in the late 2000s; when its commissioner Carolyn Bivens was forced to resign by a player revolt in 2009, it had only 14 events locked in for 2010. [2] Its 2010 schedule was ultimately unveiled with 24 events, [3] down from 34 as recently as 2008. The tour saw signs of recovery in 2012, with the addition of three new events, the sanctioning of a tournament in Australia , and the return of one tournament that had been off the schedule for a year. [4] By 2014, the LPGA had largely recovered from its 2010 trough, with that year's schedule consisting of 33 events.

The late-2000s economic crisis did not have an immediate impact on the PGA Tour, mainly because most of its tournament sponsors were locked in through 2010; there was media speculation that the expiration of those sponsorship contracts in 2011 would see substantial changes in the landscape of that tour. [5] However, this speculation proved misplaced or at least premature, as the 2011 season was announced with only one less official money event than in 2010 , with virtually identical prize money. [6] The Asian Tour and the LPGA of Japan Tour enjoyed rapid growth in prize money in the early 2000s, and were less affected by the economic crisis than the U.S. LPGA.

Men's tours

International federation of pga tours.

The International Federation of PGA Tours is an organization founded in 1996 to enable the world's leading tours to discuss common and global issues in professional golf. The founding members were

• the United States - based PGA Tour
• the PGA European Tour
• the Japan Golf Tour
• PGA Tour of Australasia
• the Southern Africa–based Sunshine Tour

In 1999 they were joined by the Asian Tour and a year later the Canadian Tour became an associate member. The South and Central America based Tour de las Américas became the federation's second associate member in 2007. [7]

In 2009 the federation announced a major expansion, as the Tour de las Américas and the Canadian Tour became full members alongside nine new members. [8] They were

• the PGA Tour China
• the Professional Golf Tour of India organizers of the six major Ladies tours (see below)

In 2011, the Tour de las Américas was effectively taken over by the PGA Tour, then, after the Tour de las Américas held its 2012 season, it was folded into the new PGA Tour Latinoamérica . [9] In October 2012, the Canadian Tour agreed to be taken over by the PGA Tour, with a name change to PGA Tour Canada taking effect that November. [10]

The International Federation of PGA Tours founded the World Golf Championships in 1999 and sanction the Official World Golf Ranking .

Other men's tours

World ranking points are also awarded for good placings in events on three developmental tours:

• Challenge Tour (second-tier tour to the European Tour)
• Korn Ferry Tour (second-tier tour to the PGA Tour)
• Asian Development Tour (second-tier tour to the Asian Tour), since 2013 [11]

In addition, until 2017 the OneAsia Tour , founded in 2009 as a joint venture between the PGA Tour of Australasia, the China Golf Association, the Japan Golf Tour, the Korean Golf Association and the Korean PGA, used to offer world ranking points.

The richest tour not offering ranking points was until 2011 the Korean Tour .

The official development tour in Japan is the Japan Challenge Tour . Other regional tours include the Professional Golf Tour of India , PGA Tour China and All Thailand Golf Tour .

The United States and Europe have additional tours for players who haven't made it onto the Korn Ferry Tour or the Challenge Tour. At this level the prize money is partly funded by entrance fees and only the most successful players will win enough to do more than cover their expenses: the emphasis is very much on moving up to a higher tour. Some of the players will also play on other tours when they are able to, and others will be club or teaching professionals who play tournament golf part-time.

In Europe there is a well-defined third tier of tours which are independently operated but offer promotion to the Challenge Tour for the most successful players. The four third level tours, known as the Satellite Tours, are the PGA EuroPro Tour , the Alps Tour , the Pro Golf Tour and the Nordic Golf League . Starting July 2015, the four Europe-based third-tier tours was accepted into the OWGR rankings. Below this level there are various minor professional tournaments, some of which are organised into series by national golf associations.

In 2016, the Dubai-based MENA Golf Tour announced an affiliation with the Sunshine Tour and was included into the world ranking system. Starting in 2018, the Sunshine Tour-affiliated Big Easy Tour was added to the world rankings.

Three lower-level tours offer world ranking points and direct promotion to the Korn Ferry Tour for a top five finish on their Orders of Merit, but they are based outside the United States: PGA Tour Canada , PGA Tour China , and PGA Tour Latinoamérica . There is not a well defined US-based third tier. The larger regional tours include the Swing Thought Tour, Gateway Tour , and the APT Tour there is a constantly changing roster of small "mini-tours".

The term mini-tour is colloquial and not easy to define, with the larger regional tours carefully avoiding applying the term to themselves. Some of the smaller and lower cost tours prefer the term "developmental tour" asserting that real pro golf with large audiences and great financial opportunities for its players starts at the Korn Ferry Tour level.

Either way, below Korn Ferry Tour level there is little possibility of earning a living from the prize money alone and players compete to gain competitive experience. Some are employed as club or teaching professionals and play tournaments part-time, while some may have sponsors or family backing. After the new Korn Ferry Tour Finals was established in 2013, mini-tour purses have decreased and players have moved to the Canada and Latin American tours. [12]

There have also been some well known sportsmen from other sports who, after retiring as wealthy men while still at an age when elite golfers are in their prime, have tried their luck as tournament golfers on the developmental tours, but none of them have made it into golf's elite so far. Examples include Ivan Lendl and Roy Wegerle . Two prominent professional athletes from other sports, however, have had modest success on the tour now known as PGA Tour Champions for golfers 50 and over. Former National Football League quarterback John Brodie won one tournament and had 12 top-10 finishes on that tour, and former Major League Baseball pitcher Rick Rhoden had three top-10 finishes.

Men's senior tours

Upon reaching age 50, male golfers are eligible to compete in senior tournaments. Golf is unique among sports in having high profile and lucrative competitions for players of this age group. Nearly all of the famous golfers who are eligible to compete in these events choose to do so, unless they are unable to for health reasons. A number of players win more than a million dollars in prize money each season, and once endorsements and other business activities are taken into account, a few of the "legends of golf" in this age group earn as much as any of the younger PGA Tour pros. The two main senior tours are:

• PGA Tour Champions (based in the United States )
• Legends Tour (formerly known as the European Senior Tour, and sponsored as the Staysure Tour)

Women's tours

Women's professional golf is also organized by independent regional tours. Leading female golfers make incomes well over US$ 1 million per year, more than most other women athletes other than top tennis players. There are currently seven first tier regional tours:

• LPGA Tour (based in the United States)
• Ladies European Tour
• LPGA of Japan Tour
• LPGA of Korea Tour
• Ladies Asian Golf Tour , for Asia outside Japan and Korea
• WPGA Tour of Australasia , based in Australia
• Sunshine Ladies Tour , based in South Africa

The LPGA Tour is the dominant tour, and is the main playing base of almost all the world's leading players. It also has tournaments in Canada, Mexico, France, England, Australia, China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and other Asian countries. The LPGA of Japan Tour is the second richest tour, and retains many of its leading players. The best players from the other tours usually move to the LPGA Tour at the earliest opportunity.

The second tier women's professional tour in the United States is the Epson Tour (formerly the Futures and then the Symetra). Although there is little opportunity for women's developmental play on the professional level in the United States besides the Epson Tour, women are welcome to compete against men on some mini-tours. At a lower level is the Cactus Tour, founded in 2005, which plays in the American Southwest . It expanded to hold 38 events in 2020, while the LPGA and Epson suspended play from April to August. [13]

Sweden , which is the European country where women's golf is most popular, had its own Swedish Golf Tour , established in 1986, since 2021 transformed to the Nordic Golf Tour, operated in cooperation by the golf federations in Denmark and Norway and Sweden .

The LET Access Series , launched in 2010, is the developmental tour of Ladies European Tour. The LPGA of Japan operates the Step Up Tour as a feeder for its main tour, and the LPGA of Korea operates two mini-tours (Dream Tour and Jump Tour) that effectively serve as feeders for its main tour.

The Moonlightgolf.com Tour in central Florida since 1992, offers women the opportunity to develop through frequent low cost pro/scratch events.

Women's senior tours

In 2001, the U.S.-based Women's Senior Golf Tour was founded, featuring golfers 45 and over. In 2006, it was rebranded as the Legends Tour and in 2021 The Legends of the LPGA. The LPGA of Korea now operates the Akia Tour, a four-event mini-tour for the same age group.

Further reading

• Web site: The Revival of the European Tour . Tim Rosaforte. Golf Digest. May 2, 2008.
• Web site: Mickelson: Olympics to bring support . Ahsley Hammond, Staff Reporter. Gulf News. January 20, 2011.

Notes and References

• https://web.archive.org/web/20060429034019/http://pgatour.com/info/company/pgatour_history PGA Tour history
• News: LPGA working to re-establish footing . Eric . Adelson . ESPN . July 24, 2009 . July 27, 2009.
• 2010 LPGA Tour Schedule Announced . LPGA . November 18, 2009 . November 22, 2009.
• News: LPGA Tour adds 4 events, with 3 in U.S. . Associated Press . ESPN . January 11, 2012 . January 14, 2012.
• News: With 2010 status quo, 2011 up in the air . Sobel . Jason . Harig . Bob . ESPN . November 3, 2009 . November 22, 2009.
• News: PGA Tour releases '11 schedule . Associated Press . ESPN . December 2, 2010 . December 4, 2010.
• Web site: Tour de Las Americas Joins International Federation of PGA Tours . Tour de Las Americas . July 30, 2007 . dead . https://archive.today/20070927151220/http://www.tourdelasamericas.com/read.php?id=843&lang=1 . September 27, 2007 .
• International Federation of PGA Tours expands . PGA Tour . June 16, 2009. November 17, 2018.
• PGA Tour Latinoamerica to launch in 2012 . PGA Tour . October 20, 2011 . October 27, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120806043739/http://www.pgatour.com/2011/r/10/20/pgatour-latinamerica/index.html . August 6, 2012 . dead . mdy-all .
• Canadian Tour to convert to PGA Tour Canada . PGA Tour . October 18, 2012 . February 6, 2013.
• Web site: Ranking Points Incentive For Asian Development Tour Hopefuls . January 29, 2013 . February 4, 2013 .
• News: On Grand Strand Golf: NGA Tour adapting to new developmental tour playing field . . March 3, 2014 . Alan . Blondin . April 5, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140407071206/http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2014/03/03/4069469/on-grand-strand-golf-nga-tour.html . April 7, 2014 . dead . mdy-all .
• $10,000 up for grabs in winner-take-all for top Cactus Tour players . . Todd . Kelly . December 24, 2020 . August 31, 2022.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License . It uses material from the Wikipedia article " Professional golf tours ".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy .

That's A Gimmie

Understanding The PGA Tour

The PGA tour is golf’s biggest stage and is the go-to if you are trying to watch the best golfers in the world face off. This association was founded all the way back in 1929 and remains the worlds leader in mens golf.

What Does PGA Stand For?

PGA stand for professional golfers association. The PGA is the main organizer for the main professional golf tours for male golfers in North America.

How Does The PGA Tour Work?

The PGA tour works by organizing a number or golf tournaments throughout the year. These tournaments include the best golfers in the world and play using stroke play format.

This means each of the golfers will play individually and will add up their total strokes after playing four rounds on the tournament course.

Throughout the year players are awarded points based on how they place in the tournaments. At the end of the PGA season, a winner is named based on the total points accumulated over the year.

Throughout the year there are four major tournaments. These tournaments are far and away the largest tournaments of the year and have significantly larger purses than the other tournaments played throughout the year.

Which PGA Tournaments Are Majors?

Each year the PGA will host four tournaments that are considered majors. These four tournaments are The Masters , The U.S Open , The Open Championship (The British Open), The USPGA Championship .

The masters each played each year at Augusta National Golf Club while the other majors have a rotation of courses or choose a new course each year.

How do pga players get paid?

If you are a golfer in the PGA you are paid a percentage of the tournament purse based on which pace you finish. Though, only some of the golfers in a tournament will finish high enough

For example, in the U.S open golfers who finished 1-60 we paid a portion of the purse while any golfers that finished out of this range did not get paid.

If you finish first place you are likely to receive roughly 17% of the total purse. This means if you won the players championship in 2020 which has a purse of 15 million you would walk away with 2.55 million dollars.

There are also other ways for golfer to get paid. You will notice that every golfer on tour has a specific brand of golf clubs they use as well as, a specific set of clothing. This is because these are all sponsorships.

Golfers are paid to use the brands of big golf companies in order to promote their product to the viewers of the sport. And just like with purses the better golfer you are the more money you will get for your sponsorship.

How do pga points work?

PGA points or Fedexcup points are a season-long accumulation of points. These determine which golfer played the best over the course of the season.

Points are awarded to golfers that finish in the top 85 positions of any given PGA tournament. The higher your position the higher your points rewarded.

The number of points given out also varies in which tournament you play. For example, the masters would be worth more than a regular PGA tour event.

Near the end of the year there are several fed ex cup playoff tournaments. These include 125 of the top fedex cup point leaders. These tournaments are worth more points than any other tournament throughout the year.

How do PGA tournaments work?

PGA tournaments work by playing a four rounds over the course of four days with a stroke play scoring system.

Over the first two days all the golfers will play two rounds. Typically the top 70 golfers then continue on while the rest are cut from the tournament.

The top 70 golfers then play two more rounds of stroke play. Once all four rounds are down the golfer with the lowest amount of strokes over the four days is the winner.

Conclusion Understanding The PGA Tour

We hope this guide to understanding the PGA has been helpful in you finding the answers you need. Do you have any more questions regarding the PGA or anything else we covered in this article? If so please be sure to reach out in the comments below.

If you liked this article and are interested in reading more please check out our guide to understanding tee time in golf or understanding GIR in golf .

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By: David Green

Published: 31 January, 2023

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• How Do I Earn a Senior PGA Tour Card?
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• Masters Golf Qualifications
• Masters Tournament Rules

List of Professional Golf Tours

Golf lovers who enjoy watching the best on the links have many options to see world-class golf each week. In the past 50 years, golf tours such as the PGA Tour and LPGA tour, have grown from small groups of touring professionals to large international circuits where hundreds of players play for millions of dollars in prize money on the world’s top golf courses.

Touring professionals separated from the PGA of America in 1968, and founded the Tournament Players Division, which was renamed the PGA Tour in 1975. The PGA Tour organizes weekly tournaments for male golfers in United States, as well as the possession of Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico, during 11 months of the year. One of the four annual major championships is in the United Kingdom. Tournaments are 72-hole events, scheduled for Thursday through Sunday, with a cut after 36 holes. Players stay on tour by means of various exemptions. The top 125 players on the PGA Tour money list receive full status for the following year.

Players can also qualify for the PGA Tour through a tournament–known as "Q School"–held each fall. The PGA Tour has headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

Nationwide Tour

The Nationwide Tour, a developmental tour for the PGA Tour, was founded in 1990, and has been called the Ben Hogan Tour, Nike Tour and Buy.com Tour during its history. Tournaments are 72-hole events scheduled for Thursday through Sunday, with a cut after 36 holes. Tournaments for the Nationwide Tour are held throughout North America, though tournaments have also been held in Australia, New Zealand and Colombia. Players on the Nationwide Tour have failed to qualify for the PGA Tour through “Q School” or didn't earn enough money on the PGA Tour to finish in the top 125 on the money list. Nationwide Tour players can earn a mid-season promotion to the PGA Tour by winning three events in one season. Tournament purses on the Nationwide Tour are about 10 percent of those on the PGA Tour.

Champions Tour

Operated by the PGA Tour, the Champions Tour comprises players who are 50 years old or older. The tour was formally founded in 1980, but before 2002, it was called the Senior PGA Tour. Most tournaments are played over 54 holes from Friday to Sunday, and do not have cuts.

Many of the top golfers from the PGA Tour have gone on to have success on the Champions Tour after turning 50. They include Mark Calcavecchia, Fred Funk, Greg Norman, Fred Couples and Hale Irwin.

The Ladies Professional Golf Association was founded in 1950, and is the main tour for women professional golfers.

The LPGA is separate from the PGA Tour and Professional Golf Association, and operates tournaments around the world. Tournaments are 72-hole events, with a cut after 36 holes.

The LPGA also operates the Duramed Futures Tour, a developmental tour similar to the Nationwide Tour. The LPGA is based in Daytona Beach, Florida.

A former sports and lifestyle reporter at the "Daily Nebraskan," David Green is a writer who has covered a variety of topics for daily newspapers. He was selected by the "Los Angeles Times" to participate in the Jim Murray Sports Writing Workshop. Green holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Nebraska.

What is LIV Golf? Explaining the PGA Tour competitor Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson are joining

The PGA Tour and LIV Golf have agreed to merge operations under common ownership.

That golf thing you’ve heard rumblings about for a while is finally here. Maybe you’ve heard it’s controversial, or that some big-name players — Phil Mickelson? Brooks Koepka? Dustin Johnson? Bryson DeChambeau? — are involved, or just that a lot of cash is on the table. But now it’s time to start thinking about whether or not you need to care about it.

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The first LIV Golf International Series event tees off Thursday. Here’s what you need to know:

What is LIV?

The LIV Golf International Series is an upstart league led by Australian former golf star Greg Norman meant to challenge the longstanding reign of the PGA Tour. The endeavor is controversial for multiple reasons, including that it’s backed by Saudi financing and plans to make stops at two Donald Trump-owned courses.

The eight-tournament circuit will feature seven regular-season events and one team championship in late October. Play begins in London on Thursday. The remaining stops are in Portland, Ore., New Jersey, Boston, Chicago, Bangkok, Saudi Arabia and Miami.

LIV is backed by an investment arm, LIV Golf Investments, of which Norman is the CEO. 

Why is it called ‘LIV’?

LIV is the Roman numeral for 54, the number of holes in each tournament (more on that next). It is also the score a player shoots if they birdie every hole on a par-72 course. 

What’s the format?

Each tournament will be a three-round, 54-hole contest with 48 players and no cuts. The events feature shotgun starts (every player starts at the same time, but at a different hole) and a team element.

The individual event will be scored as usual, by stroke play.

For the team event, players will be divided into 12 four-person groups based on a draft the week of each tournament. Each team will have a LIV-appointed captain who will select the other three teammates.

The best two stroke play scores over the first two rounds will count for each team. For the final round, the best three scores will count. The team with the lowest overall score after 54 holes will be named the team winner. The captain will set the lineup each week and choose the scores that will count. 

The team championship will be a seeded four-day, four-round, match-play knock-out.

Who are the most notable names at the first tournament?

Dustin Johnson headlined the initial field  for the inaugural event in London. Johnson’s participation came as a surprise after saying in February he would not participate in the LIV Golf circuit and would stick to the PGA Tour. 

On June 6, however, organizers announced that Phil Mickelson will tee off in London . T he six-time major winner is taking a leave of absence from the PGA Tour after apologizing for controversial comments he made in support of the rebel series and has not competed since the Saudi International in early February.

Talor Gooch, Matt Jones, Sergio Garcia, Kevin Na, Louis Oosthuizen, Ian Poulter, Hudson Swafford and Lee Westwood are among the other top names. Rumors are swirling that Rickie Fowler could also join.

Who else is joining late?

One-time major winners Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed will join LIV Golf in time for its second event, at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Ore., according to multiple reports. Brooks Koepka, a four-time major winner and former world No. 1, is also reportedly planning to play in Oregon. That event will be the first LIV tournament in the United States.

Bryson's agent says he's joined LIV & will play its next event: "Bryson has always been an innovator. Having the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of something unique had always been intriguing to him. Professional golf as we know it is changing & it's happening quickly." — Adam Schupak (@AdamSchupak) June 8, 2022

On June 2, DeChambeau said he wasn’t in a place in his career where he could “risk” joining the LIV series. Reed withdrew from the RBC Canadian Open, a PGA Tour event, on June 7.

DeChambeau and Reed are ranked No. 28 and 36 in the world, respectively, as of June 5. DeChambeau won the 2020 U.S. Open, while Reed claimed his lone major victory at the 2018 Masters.

Could these players be kicked off the PGA Tour and not be in majors?

It was unclear in the weeks leading up to the series exactly what discipline PGA Tour members could face over their participation in LIV. But as the inaugural event teed off in London, the PGA Tour announced that LIV players are suspended and no longer eligible to participate in tournament play.

The Tour issued a statement on June 1 reiterating that members had not been authorized to participate in the series and that those who “violate the Tournament Regulations are subject to disciplinary action.” Golfers were told on May 10 that regulations barred them from participating, the PGA Tour said.

Johnson, Garcia, Oosthuizen and Na were among those who preemptively resigned from the PGA Tour rather than face the potential discipline. A former world No. 1 with 24 career PGA Tour victories, Johnson said he still hoped to play in the majors, but he’ll now be ineligible for the Ryder Cup.

“I can’t answer for the majors but hopefully they’re going to allow us to play,” Johnson said. “Obviously I’m exempt for the majors so I plan on playing there unless I hear otherwise.”

BREAKING🚨: Dustin Johnson RESIGNS from the PGA Tour The golfer is now ineligible to play in the Ryder Cup. pic.twitter.com/LLmlmIDKmF — Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) June 7, 2022

“If I exercise my right to choose where and when I play golf, then I cannot remain a PGA Tour player without facing disciplinary proceedings and legal action from the PGA Tour,” Na, the world No. 33, wrote on social media . 

Mickelson had not resigned from the PGA Tour before the sanctions and told Sports Illustrated he is looking forward to playing in the U.S. Open (June 16-19). He intends to continue playing in majors, he said in a statement announcing he was joining LIV Golf.

Dominoes have started to fall with sponsors, too. Royal Bank of Canada became the first sponsor to publicly pull its support from LIV Golf participants, ending its relationship with Johnson and fellow Tour golfer Graeme McDowell.

The bank sponsors the RBC Canadian Open in Ontario, which is scheduled for the same weekend as the LIV opener, as well as the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, S.C. in April.

Read this story for ongoing coverage of how the majors are handling LIV players.

Why were they allowed to play in the US Open?

What are other stars saying.

Former world No. 1 Rory McIlroy said that LIV is “not something (he wants) to participate in” and implied that those doing so are in it “purely for money” during his news conference at the 2022 Canadian Open. World No. 6 Justin Thomas also weighed in on the topic, saying that he’s “disappointed” and wishes Johnson and others who have joined “wouldn’t have done it.”

How much money is involved?

A total of $255 million will be awarded in prize money across the eight LIV tournaments. Each of the regular-season events will have a $25 million purse — $20 million for individual prizes and $5 million for the top three teams. 

The top three individuals after the seven regular-season events — among those who play a minimum of four events — will also share an additional $30 million ($18 million, $8 million and $4 million each). Finally, another $50 million will be awarded at the team match-play championship. 

A key component is that no competitor will go home empty-handed from a tournament. The winner gets $4 million and the last-place finisher is set to earn $120,000. (For comparison: the U.S. Open, the biggest purse of the four majors, awards $12.5 million in prize money, with the winner getting $2.25 million.)

And there’s more than just prize money on the table in LIV. Johnson was reportedly offered a $125 million contract just to state his commitment to the new league. Norman told The Washington Post that LIV offered Tiger Woods a “mind-blowingly enormous” amount (think high nine digits) to sign on. 

Norman said LIV Golf Investments is aiming to put a total of $2 billion into the sport between 2023 and 2025, eventually increasing the number of events to 14. 

How long is the schedule and does it conflict with the PGA Tour?

The schedule runs from June through October and does not conflict with any existing majors. However, the first three LIV Golf tournaments do coincide with already scheduled PGA Tour events on the 2021-22 calendar.

Do we think this is sustainable?

Hugh Kellenberger, golf senior managing editor: The Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign-wealth fund, has essentially limitless resources to make this work. LIV Golf is happening, and will continue to happen. The question is whether or not it’s a direct competitor to the PGA Tour, or a side-show event that is happening but not in direct conflict.

There will inevitably be lawsuits that will determine a professional golfer’s ability to play on both tours. If those suits are successful from a LIV perspective, then just remember that no one has ever gone broke betting on pro athletes taking the largest paychecks imaginable. If they’re not, LIV’s future will largely depend on it luring more names on the level of a Johnson.

How does the PGA Tour need to respond?

Kellenberger: Johnson, Na and others found a convenient loophole, it seems, by resigning their membership — they quit before the PGA Tour could try to suspend them, essentially. Mickelson kept the door open by refusing to follow their path.

The first question is how the PGA Tour responds to Mickelson, because that’ll influence the next group through the door, including DeChambeau and Reed. Without decisive action from PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan that establishes very clearly a real consequence beyond the public relations blow, DeChambeau and Reed will not be the last to take the blood money.

Wait, are these goofy team names real?

Today in Not The Onion, we have 42-year-old Sergio Garcia captaining a team of fellow golfers called the “Fire Balls.” This is real life. pic.twitter.com/s4566HYmr2 — Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) June 7, 2022

How to watch

LIV is currently slated to stream on YouTube, Facebook and LIVGolf.com; it doesn’t presently have a U.S.-based broadcast partner. The Athletic’ s Richard Deitsch said he can’t see any network with a longtime relationship with the PGA Tour (CBS, NBC, ESPN, etc.) going anywhere near this series. Companies like Fox and Turner may not go for it in the near term with little proof of concept.

Arlo White, the former longtime play-by-play voice of NBC’s Premier League coverage, is serving as the lead broadcaster, joined in the booth by Jerry Foltz and Dom Boulet. The broadcast team will be completed by on-course commentator Su-Ann Heng and on-course reporter Troy Mullins.

The London event tees off on June 9 at 2 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET).

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Masters Tournament

Augusta National Golf Club

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2024 Masters: There are five lefties in the field—here's why you should care

AUGUSTA Ga. — Perhaps the most influential tournament in my golf-watching childhood was seeing Phil Mickelson birdie five of his last seven holes to slip on his first green jacket in 2004 . He was presented with the green jacket that year by Mike Weir, who became the first left-hander ever to win the Masters a year earlier.

The win sparked an interesting movement in golf history: The era of left-handers doing really well at the Masters.

Lefties Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson have a combined five green jackets. Mike Weir's sole major came at Augusta National, and in 2022, lefty Anna Davies claimed the Augusta National Women's Amateur at just 16 years old.

Despite being so vastly outnumbered, lefties have won more at Augusta National than all other majors combined, and that's not counting the myriad of other random lefty success stories at the Masters: Lefty Steve Flesch finished inside the top six in back-to-back years, and Nick O'Hearn appeared inside the top 10 at the 2006 Masters.

There are five lefties in the 2024 Masters field: Weir, Mickelson and Watson, joined by defending Open champion Brian Harman and Akshay Bhatia, who booked a last-minute ticket with victory at the Valero Texas Open .

So why do lefties seem to love Augusta National so much? It's something we explore in our most recent Game Plan video, which you can watch right here :

In short, the reason why lefties seem to thrive at Augusta National is that there are lots of key shots, especially on the back nine, that call for a shot that flies right-to-left.

Whereas in the past elite golfers would hit draws (those right-to-left shots for a right-hander), the go-to shot for the modern tour player is a fade—a shot which best takes advantage of the low-spin qualities of modern equipment. Well, for left-handed golfers, that means the right-to-left shots needed at Augusta are the fades that have become so popular. So they can can dial-up their go-to shot while other right-handed players have to take a more awkward route down the hole.

More Masters preview stories

Several of Augusta Nationals's holes—including Nos. 2, 5, 8 and 9) call for a left-to-right shot off the tee or into the green.

Some notable examples

• The tee shot on the 10th hole, where most right-handed faders drop down to hit 3-wood as they hit a draw, but lefties can hit their drivers, bomb a fade and enjoy a big distance gain. This happened during the final round of the 2023 Masters, for example, and resulted in Phil Mickleson hitting his driver more than 40 yards past Brooks Koepka's 3-wood during the final round.
• The approach shot into the 11th hole, where lefties can aim at safety and fade something towards the pin while faders often choose to aim away from the water, and hit a draw.

• The par-3 12th hole, where the shape of lefties' misses fit the hole better than right-handers ( you can learn more about that right here ).

• Around the corner of the tee-shot on the old 13th hole where, again, many right-handed faders drop back to hit 3-wood.

• The tee shot on the par-3 16th hole, which mirrors the dilemma right-handers face on the 11th hole.
• The approach shot into the Sunday pin on the 18th hole, which allows left-handers to aim for the middle of the green, and fade something closer to the hole.

Of course, just because lefty golfers play disproportionately well at Augusta National, doesn't mean they're the only players who play well. If that were the case, left-handers would win every year, and they don't.

There are other types of players who tend to thrive at Augusta National in the modern era …

• Elite shotmakers, who can navigate the different hole shapes
• Long-drivers off the tee, who can mitigate the disadvantage when they do need to drop back to shorter clubs on awkward holes
• Players whose stock shot is a right-to-left draw
• And, again, left-handed golfers

The real magic happens when you combine players in various categories. A long-hitting draw player (Tiger Woods), for instance, or a long-hitting, artful shotmaking left-hander (Bubba Watson).

It all makes for another fascinating little wrinkle in Masters lore. One that reveals itself more every year.

Once again, you can watch the full video right here:

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As golf comes together for the Masters, a chasm still divides the sport

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Golf’s biggest buzzword on the eve of its biggest tournament has nothing to do with technique or equipment or any of the superstars converging this week on Augusta National . The topic du jour is sustainability — or, rather, the perceived unsustainability of the current landscape, which has the world’s best pros competing on separate tours, their much-anticipated alliance still up in the air , and a sport enjoying surging participation but fearing a decline in fan interest.

“Things need a correction,” Rory McIlroy, one of the faces of the PGA Tour, said last week in Texas, “and things are unsustainable.”

“And it needs to happen fast,” Bryson DeChambeau, the LIV Golf star, said in Florida. “It’s not a two-year thing. It needs to happen quicker rather than later just for the good of the sport. Too many people are losing interest.”

While there’s more money than ever flowing through the sport, the dueling pro circuits are fighting for relevance. They’re tweaking and overhauling their business models in hopes of unlocking a return on investment, trying to funnel unprecedented sums of money to their players while still building profitable businesses. Meanwhile, a growing chorus is calling for some form of reconciliation.

This week, 13 LIV players will compete at the Masters with their PGA Tour counterparts, distinguishable only by the LIV team gear they’ll be sporting on golf’s most hallowed grounds — Sergio García, the Fireball; Bubba Watson, the RangeGoat. And for four days, fans will be reminded both of what today’s game isn’t — a unified tour where the best players consistently play against one another — and what they hope it might again become.

The sustainability discussion is two-pronged: Can the sport remain relevant and engaging to fans in its fractured state? And is the sport economically viable enough to support the current pace of spending?

“I just think with the fighting and everything that’s went on over the past couple years, people are just getting really fatigued of it, and it’s turning people off men’s professional golf,” McIlroy told reporters last week. “And that’s not a good thing for anyone.”

More than 10 months have passed since the PGA Tour announced plans to partner with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund , which owns LIV Golf. The sides blew past a Dec. 31 deadline and continue to work through details, but no deal is imminent.

LIV Golf continues to pour money into personnel on and off the course, even as its product has yet to reach a critical mass, particularly in the United States. And the PGA Tour responded to LIV’s flurry of activity by going on its own spending spree — with new expenses seemingly outpacing new revenue streams.

Because the game’s top players haven’t competed against one another in an individual event since last year’s British Open, fans have endured lackluster tournament fields and forgettable Sunday finishes. While LIV’s linear TV ratings aren’t publicized, LIV officials say their numbers on the CW Network are up 40 percent from last year and they’re pleased with early streaming viewership. The PGA Tour’s TV figures, which includes a much larger audience domestically, are down more than 15 percent.

“Ratings fluctuate from year to year,” said Sean McManus, head of CBS Sports. “As we all know, to a large extent, it depends on who is on the leader board and how close the tournament is. … But the advertisers seem happy, the sponsors seem happy, so it’s a little early to predict where there is a trend out there on the ratings.”

Neither circuit has seen its biggest stars shine on a weekly basis — last weekend’s winners were 22-year-old Akshay Bhatia on the PGA Tour and South African Dean Burmester for LIV — and the headlines focus on the off-course intrigue and the sport’s uncertain future.

“We talk so much about how important it is for players to be in the right place mentally, and I just think there’s an epidemic of distraction on the PGA Tour, whether it’s greed or trying to solve problems that are almost unsolvable, however you want to put it,” said Brandel Chamblee, a Golf Channel analyst. “I just think they’re hugely distracted.”

After shifting its business away from the nonprofit model, the tour now has to pay taxes, reward players who want more money and answer to investors who seek a return — in addition to TV executives and advertisers who expect a product that will reliably attract a huge audience.

PGA Tour officials have put together a plan that is not wholly dependent on the PIF following through on its early investment plans. The tour took on a $1.5 billion investment from a collection of U.S. sports owners known as Strategic Sports Group ; the amount could double. That money helped the tour launch PGA Tour Enterprises, which will oversee all of its commercial ventures.

“Prior to creating the structure of PGA Tour Enterprises and taking on outside investment, we’ve always had in our previous structure this natural conflict between an organizational objective to maximize player earnings with growth investment,” said Jay Madara, the tour’s chief financial officer. “I liken it to meeting payroll this month [or] this quarter and not having anything left over for investment, if you will. … If there were things that made sense strategically that created long-term returns, there wasn’t patient capital for that.”

According to its most recent tax filings, the tour saw $1.9 billion in revenue in 2022, compared with $1.87 billion in expenses — and both figures have steadily risen over the years. The tour has high-dollar commitments — $4 billion due from sponsors through 2035 and $5 billion in media rights through 2030 — but also has taken on new expenses.

With an ambitious plan to offer golfers an equity stake in the tour and with tournament purses that have more than doubled over the past decade, tour officials have been trying to create new revenue streams and expand existing ones. While its broadcast rights deals run through 2030, the organization plans to open its own 70,000-square-foot production studio next year, which will enable the tour to create and distribute more of its own content.

The tour is also looking to generate more revenue from its weekly tournaments and has overhauled its event funding formula. The tour relies on local organizations to run most of its tournaments but makes money by staging six events on its own — and could take on more. The tour recently acquired a golf cart company and a logistics outfit, which will make it easier and more cost-effective to host tournaments.

One of its most audacious efforts to balance the books: The tour informed event organizers this week that they’ll soon be on the hook for a hosting fee — $250,000 for full-field events and $500,000 for the signature events next year, and twice those amounts beginning in 2026. The tour also expects organizers to kick back a percentage of hospitality sales — 1 percent next year and increasing to 2.5 percent in 2027.

Tour events traditionally have involved a philanthropic component, and while the new initiative has created fears that these fees will eat into charitable donations, tour officials said they’re confident that contributions will not suffer.

“It is something that is important to our tradition, honor and legacy. It’s something we have to balance as we move forward, as well, in terms of our new structure,” Madara said.

LIV, thanks to its deep-pocketed Saudi benefactors, does not appear to face the same economic pressures, with officials saying they’re financially ahead of schedule.

“The critical piece for us is the creation of new value through all of this,” said Jed Moore, a senior LIV consultant. “People have misunderstood the investment into players. They’ve misunderstood the investment in the Asian Tour. They’ve misunderstood why golf needed to find a way to create that new value. Sustainable economics in sports — it’s become front and center because it’s now an asset class.”

LIV officials view their product similar to Formula One — fewer events, with top-tier athletes globe-trotting between major cities. And one key cornerstone: a team-based format that LIV hopes will inspire fan loyalty and drive value.

While LIV owns a 75 percent stake in each of its 13 teams, they function as independent entities and create revenue as each sees fit. Moore said some are already profitable. None is close to reaching maturity as an asset, he said, but someday they could take on investors or be sold outright.

“Can you imagine what the Golden Bears would have been worth if Jack [Nicklaus] played in a form of LIV in his heyday? Arnie’s Army, the Big Easys, the Great White Sharks?” he said. “Imagine those teams.”

While the LIV product has been slow to catch on with golf fans in the United States, officials have been pleased with the interest they’ve seen in places such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia.

LIV’s season debut in Mexico marked its highest TV numbers to date — 432,000 watched on the CW for the final round, and more than 3.5 million streamed some portion of the three-day event on YouTube or LIV’s app. While not as lucrative to advertisers, the direct-to-consumer streaming options are a valuable metric to LIV officials, who say they’re targeting a younger audience. (The final round of last year’s Masters, won by Jon Rahm, averaged more than 12 million viewers.)

And while many thought LIV’s days were numbered when the PIF agreed to partner with the PGA Tour last June, LIV has only kept building. Signing Rahm before this season was a major coup, and this week LIV is hiring four senior-level executives and working on its 2025 schedule.

Even LIV’s biggest detractors (see: McIlroy, Rory) have come to reluctantly accept its place in the golf ecosystem. LIV launched in 2022 with no corporate signage at its events, but this year it has already announced more than 20 global partnerships, including with Panini and Google Cloud. Its teams have separately inked deals with more than a dozen corporate sponsors.

LIV officials say the plan was never to replace the PGA Tour, just as Formula One isn’t trying to replace U.S.-based auto racing circuits. They think the tours can coexist — different leagues coming together for a major championship, akin to the Super Bowl or World Series.

Left unsaid: While LIV tries to expand and the PGA Tour adopts a new business plan, what becomes of a weary fan base? The sport’s participation numbers have never been higher — some 45 million Americans swung a club last year, according to the National Golf Foundation — and while professional players have never been richer, the fans have been left wanting more.

“Right now, we are in the disruption phase,” Phil Mickelson, among the first to bolt for LIV, said last week, “so we are in the middle of the process. And when it’s all said and done, it’s going to be a lot brighter. But while we go through it, it’s challenging. But we’ll get there.”

The Masters 2024

Professional golf makes its annual visit to Augusta National Golf Club at the 2024 Masters, beginning Thursday and ending Sunday. See the latest Masters updates, scores and schedule .

Tee times: First- and second-round pairings and tee times have been announced. See the full schedule .

Who’s playing: The Masters field has 89 players, including five-time winner Tiger Woods , defending champion Jon Rahm and 2022 winner Scottie Scheffler . Five amateur golfers are also in the field .

LIV and PGA: Thirteen LIV players will compete at the Masters with their PGA Tour counterparts, distinguishable only by the LIV team gear they’ll be sporting. More than 10 months have passed since the PGA Tour announced plans to partner with LIV Golf’s Saudi backers, but no deal is imminent.

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The Future of Men's Professional Golf

A New Investment that Benefits Players, Fans and Partners

Over the past half century, the PGA TOUR has been firmly rooted in its mission – to showcase and reward the game’s best players, competing at historic venues and positively impacting the communities in which we play. We have an unwavering commitment to further develop and build upon the rich tradition of professional golf in the U.S. and worldwide.

That’s why a potential minority investment is not only the clear, best path forward for professional golf but also is a highly favorable outcome for the PGA TOUR.

We remain focused on negotiating a deal with the DP World Tour and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia. If approved by the PGA TOUR Policy Board, such an agreement will make the game more rewarding and exciting to follow.

After reviewing unsolicited offers from outside investors, we also unanimously agreed to advance discussions with Strategic Sports Group, a consortium of U.S.-based professional sports team investors. The PGA TOUR Policy Board reviewed several extremely strong proposals, with input from Allen & Co., the TOUR’s investment bank, and The Raine Group.

Below are the investors who comprise Strategic Sports Group:

• Mark Attanasio, chairman and principal owner of the Milwaukee Brewers
• Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons, co-founder of Home Depot
• Gerry Cardinale, founder of RedBird Capital Partners
• Cohen Private Ventures
• Fenway Sports Group
• Mike Gordon, president of Fenway Sports Group
• Wyc Grousbeck, owner of the Boston Celtics
• John Henry, principal owner of Fenway Sports Group, Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club
• HighPost Capital
• Marc Lasry, owner of the Milwaukee Bucks
• Tom Ricketts, chairman of the Chicago Cubs
• Tom Werner, chairman of Fenway Sports Group

We are very confident in an eventual positive outcome for all players and the PGA TOUR as a whole.

Our Potential Agreement Explained

The Framework Agreement, as announced on June 6, provides clear, explicit and permanent safeguards that ensure that a newly formed subsidiary – if finalized and approved – is controlled by the PGA TOUR through majority representation on its Board of Directors. The TOUR will also have full decision-making authority with respect to all strategic and operational matters related to competition in golf and will oversee the commercial assets of the competitions and concentrate on making strategic investments in the game.

What's Next?

We are in a phase of negotiation to reach a final Definitive Agreement. If a final agreement is reached, it must be approved by the PGA TOUR's Policy Board, which includes our six Player Directors.

A Definitive Agreement would allow the TOUR to further invest in its players and the events, venues, communities and technology that bring the game to life for the benefit of fans. Our ultimate goal is to reunify the world of men’s professional golf, reward players for their performances, enhance the fan experience and further our charitable mission.

Our Commitment to Community

Our charitable impact and commitment to support and improve local communities continue to grow. PGA TOUR tournaments have raised more than $3.93 billion for charity since our inception in 1968.

More information on PGA TOUR Impact programs, click here .

.css-1hnz6hu{position:static;}.css-1hnz6hu::before{content:'';cursor:inherit;display:block;position:absolute;top:0px;left:0px;z-index:0;width:100%;height:100%;} At historic East Lake, Commissioner Monahan details the TOUR’s promising future

Commissioner Jay Monahan comments on the future and vision for the PGA TOUR

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PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf merger explained: What it means for Ryder Cup, Rory McIlroy and for golf's future?

The PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf announced on Tuesday they are merging to form "a new collectively owned" entity; the decision comes less than two weeks before the third major championship of the men's golf season, the US Open

Wednesday 7 June 2023 17:00, UK

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The PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf stunned the sporting world on Tuesday when announcing they are to form "a new collectively owned" entity. But what do we know so far about the shock merger, what does it mean for the Ryder Cup and golf's future, and how have the players reacted?

What has happened?

LIV Golf, launched in 2022, was able to lure some of golf's biggest names away from the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, with players like Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter among those to sign up and claim a share of the staggering sums of money being offered.

The new entity was bankrolled by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) - owners of Newcastle United - and critics accused it of being a vehicle for the country to attempt to improve its reputation in the face of criticism of its human rights record.

PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf agree to stunning merger

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After over a year of disharmony between the various tours, resulting in multiple lawsuits being filed and the suspensions of numerous LIV golfers from the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, Tuesday's deal hopefully signals the end of such rifts.

Key points from PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf merger

• LIV golfers who were suspended indefinitely by the PGA and DP World Tour will be able to re-apply for membership from the end of the 2023 season
• All lawsuits between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV golf will be ended
• Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which funded LIV Golf's emergence, will make a capital investment into the combined entity as part of the agreement "to facilitate its growth and success"
• A "comprehensive evaluation of LIV Golf to determine how best to integrate team golf into the professional game" will take place
• LIV Golf's 2023 schedule will continue as planned

PGA Tour commissioner Monahan, who had previously ruled out an agreement with LIV , said: "After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love."

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The decision to merge comes less than two weeks before the third major championship of the men's golf season, the US Open. For parts of 2022 and 2023, the majors were the only times LIV Golf players were included in the same field as PGA Tour and DP World Tour players.

How did the players react?

The move was announced to players in a letter from Monahan on Tuesday.

Golf reacts to shock merger

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It read: "Today is a momentous day for your organization and the game of golf as a whole.

"The PGA Tour - your Tour - is leading the formation of a new commercial entity to unify golf, one that sees the end of the disruption and distraction that has divided the men's professional game for the better part of three years."

Mickelson, who has become a de-facto spokesperson for the LIV Tour over the last year, tweeted: "Awesome news".

Awesome day today 😊 https://t.co/qUwVJiydym — Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) June 6, 2023

But some PGA Tour players, including two-time major winner Collin Morikawa, appeared to suggest they discovered the news via social media at the point it broke.

Morikawa tweeted: "I love finding out morning news on Twitter."

I love finding out morning news on Twitter — Collin Morikawa (@collin_morikawa) June 6, 2023

Nothing like finding out through Twitter that we’re merging with a tour that we said we’d never do that with. — Mackenzie Hughes (@MacHughesGolf) June 6, 2023

Very curious how many people knew this deal was happening. About 5-7 people? Player run organization right? 🤷🏻‍♂️ — Michael S. Kim (@Mike_kim714) June 6, 2023

Was having quite the nice practice session this morning too pic.twitter.com/qWBKuM2yHO — Justin Thomas (@JustinThomas34) June 6, 2023

Sky Sports News reporter Jamie Weir said: "This is, first and foremost, a complete shock. This came out of the blue,

"I think everybody was surprised by this - I've spoken to a lot of players this afternoon and they knew nothing about this at all, so they were finding out for the first time like a lot of us by scrolling through Twitter this afternoon, finding out bits and bobs here and there."

How will the Ryder Cup be affected?

A big question to come out of the announcement of the merger is how might selection be affected for this September's Ryder Cup teams in Rome.

DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley explained to Sky Sports News: "There's only two criteria to be a Ryder Cup player - you have to be European and you have to be a DP World Tour member. Those are the criteria.

"If you're not a DP World Tour member, you can't play in the Ryder Cup."

European stalwarts Garcia, Poulter, Lee Westwood and Henrik Stenson, who was initially named team captain, all resigned from the DP World Tour in May following further sanctions on players who competed in LIV Golf events last year without permission.

Pelley said of the quartet: "They're not members. They would have to be reinstated. Maybe they will request reinstatement but we will have to see."

Weir added: "Luke Donald will still be the European Ryder Cup captain in Rome this year.

"Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, the backbone of many successful Ryder Cup teams, they will not be in Rome this year.

"Under the DP World Tour criteria, by May you need to have become a member of the DP World Tour to be eligible for the Ryder Cup team. Those guys are not eligible for the Ryder Cup team as things stand.

"That's not to say that come 2024 they might re-join the DP World Tour and they could be on the team in 2025 and Ian Poulter could be captain."

McIlroy reacts to merger: I still hate LIV

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy was often at the forefront of the battle with LIV over the last two years, defending the PGA Tour.

In addressing the media for the first time since Tuesday's announcement, McIlroy said he learned of the deal "pretty much at the same time everyone else did", adding that he felt like a "sacrificial lamb".

McIlroy also said there has to be "consequences to actions" for the golfers that left the PGA Tour but believes the new merger is ultimately "good for golf".

He also maintained that despite welcoming the new entity he still "hates LIV" and he suggested that LIV Golf is not part of the new deal, adding that it's Saudi-backed Public Investment Fund that are joining as a partner.

McIlroy said: "Whether you like it or not, the PIF are going to keep spending money in golf... at least the PGA Tour now controls how that money is spent.

"One of the biggest sovereign wealth funds in the world, would you rather have them as a partner or an enemy? At the end of the day, money talks and you'd rather have them as a partner."

He added: "I think this is going to be good for the game of professional golf. It unifies it and it secures its financial future.

"There's mixed emotions in there as well, as there is going to be.

"At least it means that the litigation goes away, which has been a massive burden for everyone involved with the tour and playing on the tour."

Is Greg Norman still involved?

A key name absent from the press release announcing the merger was Greg Norman, LIV Golf's CEO and one of the leaders in the Saudi-backed Tour's creation.

He has been the target of a lot of criticism from those on the PGA Tour, and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan - who holds the position as chair of the newly-formed entity - told CBS he only informed Norman about the merger moments before making it public.

"I made a call just before this and of course he is a partner with us, and all the stakeholders that we have with us they had the call right before this interview," Al-Rumayyan said.

Sky Sports golf expert Dame Laura Davies said of that revelation: "It sounds like it's been a bit cloak and dagger; if Greg Norman didn't know about it, then if I was Greg Norman then I would feel like one of the losers in this deal because you would have thought he would have been at the forefront."

Weir added on Norman: "He's conspicuous by his absence in that statement.

"He's been an agent of disruption for Saudi Arabia over the past 12 months; he's ruffled a lot of feathers. There was a lot of people saying that for there to be some kind of consensus and common ground he would have to be moved to one side - it appears that might now well be the case."

Sky Sports News' Jamie Weir:

"There are a lot of unanswered questions. One of them is how will men's professional golf look next year?

"The PGA Tour have already created this new schedule for next year with designated events - how are they going to look now? There will be a DP World Tour schedule and will LIV continue in its own form?

"For the rest of this season it will continue presumably as normal but next season, will we see these 54-hole shotgun start tournaments with the Fireballs and the Majesticks? Perhaps not. All of this still needs to come out in the wash.

"What does it mean this Saudi involvement in golf? Deep in the statement, it says PIF now have first refusal on anybody else wanting to invest in the PGA Tour. Essentially now Saudi Arabia have a much larger stake in men's professional golf than they did before.

"And the big, big question is what happens with the players? The players that stayed loyal and the players who will be coming back.

"There needs to be some form of sanction for those players, I think is what a lot of the PGA Tour loyalists will feel. The players are understandably pretty aggrieved and a lot of them feel those huge sums of money they turned down, will they be recompensed for that and will there be any sanctions for these guys coming back?

"It's been a crazy 12 months for the game of golf. I don't think this is going to go away any time soon."

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How much do caddies make at the Masters? Here's how their pay at the PGA tournament works.

By Khristopher J. Brooks

Edited By Anne Marie Lee

Updated on: April 11, 2024 / 3:54 PM EDT / CBS News

Being a caddie at the Masters is an entirely different experience than doing the job anywhere else — just ask Ken Martin.

"Caddies are treated really great at Augusta," said Martin, who caddied for Scottish golfer Sandy Lyle at the major tournament last year. "We had our own locker room. They feed us just wonderful food — the best food I've ever had really. But it's a long week. You have to be fit to get around that hilly course."

Some of the biggest names in professional golf, including Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, will converge on the famously hilly course Thursday to compete in the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. Golfers are playing for a multimillion dollar cash prize and the chance to don the coveted green jacket for a year.

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Much of this year's attention will be on the cash prize the winning golfer will receive at this year's tournament. The purse for the 2023 Masters totaled $18 million, which was $3 million more than the purse the year before — the largest year-over-year increase in tournament history. Of that total, 2023 winner Jon Rahm took home $3.24 million .

But players aren't the only ones in line for a big payout. The winner's caddie can easily go home with a six-figure paycheck after four days of work. But snagging the four-day gig is the culmination of years spent working one-on-one with the same professional golfer, Martin said. 

Caddies develop a strong friendship with a golfer long before it's time for an elite competition like the Masters, Martin said. Fans seated in the stands, as well those watching at home, can only see the caddie handing the player a club, but in reality, there's a constant back-and-forth communication taking place between golfer and caddie during commercial breaks and while the two are walking to the next hole, he explained. Martin, who played professionally from 1982 to 2015, now teaches the sport at Keiser University in Florida. 

Aside from carrying the heavy bag, the caddie also provides input on which club to use, as well as swing technique, Martin said. That's because most caddies working PGA Tour games  are former professional players with a wealth of knowledge on the game. 

But technique is only a small part of the exchange, he added. With a strong camaraderie forged over the years, it's very likely the two spend most of time chatting like old friends, he said. 

"It's boring to talk about only golf for four to six hours," Martin said. "You're out there for a long time together so the friendship part of it plays a larger role." 

How much do caddies make at the Masters?

Caddies like Martin earn a salary from two sources during the Masters. One part is a weekly wage between $2,000 and $4,000 depending on the caddie's experience, the Association of Professional Caddies and the Caddies Network told CBS MoneyWatch. The weekly wage helps caddies recoup financially because they're required to pay their own travel to Georgia, along with hotel and food while working the tournament. 

Caddies also get a percentage of whatever their player earns after the tournament ends. The caddie of the Master's winner will get 10% of the prize money. For context, Jon Rahm won the Masters' last year and got $3.24 million. 

The caddie for the runner up at the Masters will get 7% of that player's prize winnings; every caddie after that will get 5%. 

Caddies Network CEO John von Stade told CBS MoneyWatch there are rare occasions when a caddie has a private contract with the player, in which case that person's salary will not follow the traditional setup. 

Over the past five years, caddie have seen some positive changes. PGA Tour officials have increased caddies' weekly wages and players' prize money has also climbed — potentially giving caddies a chance to bring home six figures after a tournament.

"But what hasn't changed is, if your player doesn't make the cut, there is no other source of money other than the weekly fee," von Stade said. 

Khristopher J. Brooks is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch. He previously worked as a reporter for the Omaha World-Herald, Newsday and the Florida Times-Union. His reporting primarily focuses on the U.S. housing market, the business of sports and bankruptcy.

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Lpga tour players enjoy masters as patrons.

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Live streaming feed to provide 40+ hours of featured group coverage

First of four LPGA Tour events on ESPN+ this season

Part of two-year agreement with ESPN

THE WOODLANDS, Texas, April 15, 2024  – ESPN+ will stream featured group coverage of The Chevron Championship, the first major championship of the 2024 LPGA Tour season. Fans will be able to watch more than 40 hours of live coverage of the featured groups from approximately 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 18, and Friday, April 19, and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 20, and Sunday, April 21.

The Chevron Championship on ESPN+ will feature a dedicated featured groups feed, showcasing two featured groups from both the morning and afternoon waves on each tournament day. Fans can expect in-depth commentary and analysis from renowned hosts and analysts, enhancing the viewing experience.

Will Haskett will headline the coverage alongside analyst Gerina Mendoza, with on-course reports and live player interviews conducted by Hally Leadbetter, Chantel McCabe and Hope Barnett. Additionally, popular golf “fanalysts” from No Laying Up will provide supplementary coverage during the broadcasts, offering fresh, engaging perspectives on the tournament action.

The Chevron Championship on ESPN+ is part of a two-year deal  announced  in November 2023 in which ESPN+ will present live featured group coverage of eight LPGA Tour tournaments through the 2025 season. The first event under the new agreement was the 2023 CME Group Tour Championship last fall, and The Chevron Championship this week is the first of four LPGA Tour events on ESPN+ this season.

This latest deal continues a longstanding relationship between the LPGA Tour and ESPN.

• In 2022, ESPN+ streamed the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G and the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G.
• ESPN televised a schedule of regular LPGA Tour events from 1979-2009, and ABC covered the CME Group Tour Championship from 2015-2018.
• ESPN aired the first two rounds of the AIG British Open from 1982-2002 and all four rounds from 2010-2015, as well as the first two rounds of the U.S. Women’s Open from 1982-2014.
• The first golf ever televised on ESPN was the LPGA Sahara Open on Sept. 8, 1979, ESPN’s second day on air.

The pairings for featured groups at The Chevron Championship will be announced on Tuesday, April 16, when pairings and tee times are finalized. The remaining slate of LPGA Tour events on ESPN+ this season will be announced later this year.

For an up-to-date tournament entry list,  click here . For more information on The Chevron Championship, visit  www.thechevronchampionship.com .

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Masters 2024 props, golf odds: Expert reveals top PGA Tour prop bets, parlay picks for Augusta National

Mike mcclure locked in his expert pga golf prop picks and parlay for the masters 2024 at augusta national.

The first 2024 Masters tee times will begin at 10:30 a.m. ET on Thursday after weather delayed the start of the opening round. At 100-1 to win outright in the 2024 Masters odds, it's unlikely that Tiger Woods will pick up his sixth career green jacket this week at the Masters 2024. However, there are still plenty of intriguing Masters Tiger props on the board for golf bettors to consider before he tees off. The latest 2024 Masters prop bets list Woods' Round 1 score over/under at 73.5, with the Over favored at -165 (risk $165 to win $100).

Other Tiger prop picks include a top-10 overall finish paying +900 and a top-20 performance returning +350. Which 2024 Masters props should you target involving Woods and every other golfer in the 2024 Masters field? Before locking in your 2024 Masters prop picks or entering Masters pool picks, you need to see what SportsLine DFS pro and PGA expert Mike McClure has to say . 

McClure is a DFS legend with over $2 million in career winnings, and he's been red-hot on his PGA picks dating back to the PGA Tour restart in June of 2020. McClure uses his proprietary simulation model to analyze the field and crush his  golf picks . He is up almost $9,500 on his best bets since the restart.  

McClure's model predicted Jon Rahm would finish on top of the leaderboard at the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions and The American Express. At the 2023 Masters, the model was all over Rahm's second career major victory heading into the weekend. It was the second straight Masters win for the model, which also nailed Scheffler winning in 2022. 

This same model has also nailed a whopping 10 majors entering the weekend. Anyone who has followed McClure's picks has seen massive returns.  

Now, McClure has dialed in on the Masters golf tournament and just locked in his top prop picks and PGA predictions. You can only see McClure's Masters 2024 prop picks at SportsLine .

Top 2024 Masters prop picks

We can tell you that one of McClure's favorite Masters prop picks is Ludvig Aberg to be the top debutant at +275. Despite turning pro less than a year ago, Aberg comes to Augusta in strong form. He's already picked up wins on both the PGA Tour and European Tour in the past seven months.

He's also made every cut during his 2024 PGA Tour schedule and hasn't finished worse than 25th in his past six events. His average finish position during that span is 12.8 and he's posted four rounds of 66 or lower this year, including an astonishing 63 in Round 4 of the Sentry. Wyndham Clark is the only other first-time Masters player who can claim a comparable recent run to Aberg, so McClure loves the value of betting on Aberg at a return that approaches 3-1.  You can see who else to back at SportsLine .

How to make Masters 2024 prop picks

McClure has also locked in a slew of other prop bets for the 2024 Masters, including a prop that pays almost 20-1 and comes from an unlikely player. You can find out who it is, and check out all of McClure's Masters prop picks at SportsLine .

Who wins the Masters 2024, and which golfer should you target for almost a 20-1 payout? Visit SportsLine now to get Mike McClure's Masters 2024 prop picks, all from the golf expert who is up almost $9,500 on his best bets since 2020 , and find out.

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Moscow City Golf Club

It is centrally located, just off Kutuzovsky Prospect, within 5 minutes drive from the Victory Park and the Triumphal Arch. Right in the center, yet green and picturesque with lakes and 15 Century Church next to it. Moscow City Golf Club was the first one to open in Russia on September 15, 1987 at the urban wasteland on the street Dovzhenko held long-awaited 'ground breaking' - famous sportsmen Pele, Mike Tyson, Sven Tumba and Alexander Ragulin made symbolic throws with the golf clubs. This day is considered to be the day of foundation of Moscow City Golf Club. The founder of the club is Sven (Tumba) Johansson ex World Champion hockey player. Thousands of golf fans gather here every season.

Throughout its history, Moscow City Golf Club tries to maintain and develop friendly relations with the golf clubs around the world, organizing the exchange of delegations, inter-club tournaments, social events, thereby making the life of the club members more interesting. Moscow City Golf Club has signed a cooperation agreement with American Golf Club 'Deep Cliff Golf Course', Finnish 'Aura Golf', French 'Cannes Mandle' and Cyprus' Aphrodite Hills Golf '.

Each year Moscow City Golf Club holds a lot of different tournaments and activities like: children's charity tournaments and much more attracting numerous visitors.

June 26, 2004 the Club House was open again after restoration. The opening ceremony was attended by the founder of the Moscow City Golf Club Sven Tumba Johansson and officials, senior officials from the Moscow Government.

As a result, the restoration Club House was transformed into a wonderful place for relaxition and organizing events. It has spacious and luxuriously furnished rooms available for the members of the Moscow City Golf Club: restaurant, golf bar, library, cigar and billiard room, conference room, office «Old Tom», Beauty Salon & SPA, gym, showers, saunas and relaxation rooms with personal lockers. Interior of the Club House was completed in classic English style by the famous designer from Hong Kong Garvin Chen (architect Garvin Chen).

Moscow City Golf Club has a nine holes field. Six of the nine holes are par-4 and three holes are par-3. The total playing distance is 2.343 metres. Detailed description of each hole you can find on the site of the Moscow City Golf Club with the plan.

Moscow City Golf Club is a wonderfull place with impecable service, the members can gain privileges in foregn golf clubs including in the International Association of the Clubs.

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Guest Essay

The Most Famous Golfer at the Masters Is Black. Why Aren’t There More Players Like Him?

By Peter May

Mr. May is a former sportswriter for The Times and The Boston Globe and the author of “Changing the Course: How Charlie Sifford and Stanley Mosk Integrated the PGA.”

When the Masters Tournament commenced on Thursday, featuring 89 competitors, there was exactly one Black golfer in the field: the one we all know, Tiger Woods. Beyond that, the field for the 88th Masters didn’t look all that different from the previous 87.

This is not what Charles Sifford envisioned when he and Stanley Mosk, the attorney general of California, fought to integrate the Professional Golfers’ Association of America. Sifford, who is often referred to as the Jackie Robinson of golf, became the first Black P.G.A. member in 1964 after a decades-long fight to join the organization that had, for much of its history, stated in its charter that it would admit only golfers “of the Caucasian race.”

Sifford blazed a trail for talented Black golfers such as Lee Elder, Calvin Peete, Jim Dent, Jim Thorpe and, of course, Woods. But 60 years later, their stories of success are still exceptions. The P.G.A. remains woefully inaccessible to Black golfers and has made only marginal and inadequate efforts to diversify its ranks. According to Golf Digest, less than 1 percent of the P.G.A.’s 29,000 members are Black. The P.G.A.’s tournaments and its professional golf shops need to take concrete steps to look more like the America they purport to represent.

In 2014 the P.G.A. identified diversity and inclusion as “foundational principles” but, in practical terms, that has meant little more than the occasional golf camp or clinic at a public course in a Black neighborhood. The P.G.A. recently partnered with the Advocates Professional Golf Association, which was founded in 2010 to diversify the game, and together they will host 18 tournaments this year. But the P.G.A. must do more to lead the way in action and by example, promoting inclusion at every level. Until private country clubs, elite prep schools and Division I golf programs actively recruit and train Black golfers, Sifford’s legacy will remain unfulfilled and the game will continue to be dominated by white players.

For the decades that Sifford and other Black golfers fought to become P.G.A. members, they dealt with bigotry, death threats and countless humiliations while simply trying to play golf with and against the best players of the era. Because the P.G.A. had explicitly codified racial discrimination in its bylaws, Black golfers not only couldn’t compete as PGA Tour members, they also couldn’t find jobs in P.G.A.-affiliated pro shops — which, until the 1950s, had been the traditional route golfers took to join the P.G.A. The P.G.A. continually thwarted the efforts of Black golfers, abetted by star players who failed to speak up for inclusion.

The battle to integrate professional golf stalled until Attorney General Mosk, enraged by Sifford’s exclusion from the P.G.A., threatened to sue the association to prevent it from holding its segregated tournaments in California. Several other state attorneys joined Mosk in the fight, and their resolve forced the P.G.A. to eliminate the Caucasians-only clause. The removal of what Mosk called “this obnoxious restriction” paved the way for Sifford to become a full-time member.

But Sifford’s breakthrough did not open the gates to Black players. Fifteen years after Robinson broke baseball’s color line, Black players represented over 10 percent of Major League Baseball rosters. Yet decades after Sifford’s breakthrough there was still only a handful of Black golfers on the pro tour. The Masters waited an unforgivable 41 years from its inception before inviting a Black player to participate, when Elder broke the color barrier in 1975. Even after Sifford won two PGA Tour events, the Masters refused to invite him to its tournament. Sifford never set foot on the grounds of Augusta National Golf Club.

Little has changed. The 2022 Masters featured just three Black players , which was a record high for the tournament. There were no Black golfers last year in the United States Open, and this year’s Masters features only Woods — who has publicly credited Sifford with making his career possible, calling him “the grandpa I never had,” and named his son Charlie in Sifford’s honor. But Woods, who is 48 and oft-injured, can no longer play a full schedule, which means there are only two Black golfers today who play professionally with any regularity. One is Cameron Champ, a three-time PGA Tour winner. The other, Harold Varner III, is no longer a member of the P.G.A., having joined the Saudi-backed LIV tour.

There are currently efforts to promote diversity in golf, such as the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption at the Genesis Invitational, which sets aside a spot in the tournament for a golfer of color every year. Why not introduce such an exemption at every P.G.A. tournament? The P.G.A. should also be funding more programs to develop young Black golfers, as well as interest in golf among Black athletes. This year, the basketball star Stephen Curry — who funded the revival of the golf program at the historically Black Howard University — will be honored at the World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony with the Charlie Sifford Award for advancing diversity in golf. The P.G.A. should follow Curry’s lead.

Sifford lived long enough to see significant change in the world. He saw Woods become the dominant player in golf. He saw other sports integrated in ways that once seemed unthinkable, including baseball in 1947 and, later, tennis with the rise of Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson and the emergence of Venus and Serena Williams. In 2004, Sifford became the first Black person inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and, in 2014, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama.

But when Sifford died in 2015 at age 92, he had yet to see a truly integrated P.G.A. Were he alive today, he’d still be waiting.

Peter May is a former sportswriter for The Times and The Boston Globe and the author of “Changing the Course: How Charlie Sifford and Stanley Mosk Integrated the PGA.”

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

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Who is Ludvig Aberg? Rookie pro golfer finished second in 2024 Masters, behind Scottie Scheffler

Editors note: This story has been updated to reflect Ludvig Aberg's finish at the Masters

Ludvig Aberg isn't playing like a rookie at The Masters.

Building off a strong Round 3 on Saturday in which he shot 2-under par, Aberg, 24, finished second in the 2024 Masters Tournament with an overall finish of seven under par. He trailed only World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler , who won his second Masters in three years.

"I think there is a lot of things we'd done very well this week, especially today," said Ludvig of his performance this week to CBS's Amanda Balionis. "I came out and was very nervous, obviously was shaking at the first tee. But those are all things that I enjoy doing and we said, 'It is a privilege to be hitting all these shots out here and it's a privilege to be in this position.'"

This is Aberg's first trip to the Augusta National Golf Club for the Masters, as the Swedish golfer turned professional in June 2023. He finished runner-up in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February and eighth in The Players Championship in March. He has one win on the PGA Tour, winning the 2023 RSM Classic with a score of 29 under par, four strokes ahead of second-place Mackenzie Hughes.

Aberg is 9 under in the first nine during the week at Augusta National but playing above par in the back nine at two over par according to the CBS broadcast. Here's everything to know about Aberg and his runner-up finish at the 2024 Masters Tournament:

REQUIRED READING: Masters leaderboard live updates, scores today: Scottie Scheffler seeks second green jacket

Who is Ludvig Aberg?

Aberg is a 24-year-old professional golfer currently playing on the PGA Tour after turning professional in 2023.

The native of Sweden is currently the ninth-ranked golfer in the world, according to the  Official World Golf Ranking. He played collegiately at Texas Tech, where he was the top-ranked amateur in the world and a three-time First Team All-American selection.

Aberg is making his first Masters appearance and first major championship debut this week at Augusta National. He was also part of Team Europe's Ryder Cup team in 2023.

REQUIRED READING: Look: Tiger Woods bids farewell to CBS's Verne Lundquist at Masters on historic Hole 16

Ludvig Aberg age

Aberg is 24 years old. He is a native of Eslov, Sweden.

Has Ludvig Aberg won the Masters?

No. Aberg is making his Masters debut this year.

If Aberg can hold his ground and find a way to come out on top Sunday, he would be the fourth golfer in Masters history to win golf's marquee tournament in his first attempt, joining Frank Urban Zoeller, Horton Smith and Gene Gene Sarazen according to Golfweek.

Ludvig Aberg's PGA Tour 2023 results

Here's a full breakdown of Aberg's results from tournaments this season on the PGA Tour:

• The Sentry: T-47 finish
• Sony Open in Hawaii: T-30 finish
• Farmers Insurance Open: T-9 finish
• AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: 2 finish
• The Genesis Invitational: T-19 finish
• Arnold Palmer Invitational: T-25 finish
• The Players Championship: 8 finish
• Valero Texas Open: T-14 finish

Masters 2024 prize money payouts for each player at Augusta National

AUGUSTA, Ga. — It pays to play well in major championships, just ask this week's winner, Scottie Scheffler .

The 27-year-old won the 2024 Masters Tournament on Sunday at 11 under by four shots over Ludvig Aberg to claim his second major title and second victory at Augusta National Golf Club in three years. Scheffler shot rounds of 66-72-71-68 to assert his dominance in professional golf and solidify his spot as the No. 1 player in the world.

For his efforts, Scheffler will take home the top prize of $3.6 million, a record-high winner's share in 2024. Aberg, who teed it up in his first major championship this week, will bank $2.16 million as a consolation prize. The trio of players to finish T-3 at 4 under – Tommy Fleetwood, Max Homa and Collin Morikawa – each earned six figures with $1,040,000.

Here's how much money each player earned at the 2024 Masters at Augusta National.

MORE: How Masters payouts have increased over the years

Prize money payouts

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Masters 2024 prize money payouts for each player at Augusta National