Professional sports players have one of the highest earnings in any profession. And most of it comes from tours like the PGA tour. To make sure they’re getting paid, they have to hone their skills and win competitions. And this is truer for golf than any other sport. 

Golf is up there as one of the sports with the most amount of prize money. Labelled as the sport of a gentleman, golf is also one of the hardest sports to master. In fact, you will find very few golf coaches out there. Some of these golf coaches are ex-players who have competed in the past.

There are multiple golf events that take place under the PGA Tour. Not only does it offer huge prizes to the champions, but punters can also get a piece of the action by betting on golf events.

Today, we’re going to learn all about the PGA Tour, its history, events, and the potential it has in the online betting scene. Let’s stop wasting time and get right to it.

PGA Tour

The journey of the PGA Tour to its current form has been a long and winding road. You could compare it to the history of the Olympics even.

As it all started back in 1916, there have been many changes over the years. All these changes and events have morphed together to become the modern organization as we know it today. 

During the 1960s as television coverage became a thing, players demanded to have a larger purse. Before that point in time, golf players could not make much. But this dissatisfaction of the players was one of the first steps in creating the modern PGA Tour. 

The Tournament Policy Board consisted of 10 members. The lineup includes 4 players, three PGA of America executives as well as three outside members who were also executives. 

Players Championship is one of the unique events organized by the PGA. Golf players hire the best golf coach to prepare themselves for this tournament.

If you know a little about golf, you should already know that these are some of the top golf events in the United States. Today, PGA Tour controls and manages all the men’s professional golf tours such as the Arnold Palmer invitational.

Tours operated by the PGA Tour

So, what are the tournaments operated by the PGA Tour in the United States? We’ll tell you one thing. They are not responsible for the four major championships. This means the Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and The Open. 

It instead manages 6 tours, three of which take place in the United States, while the rest are held in other countries.

Here is the list of all the tours that are operated by this non-profit organization. 

PGA Tour, the Top Tour

This is not to be confused with the PGA Championship. That event is run by the PGA of America, which is a separate entity. Besides the Championship, they also host the Senior PGA Championship. 

Under this tour, some of the events can take place outside the United States. Canada, South Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, the Dominican Republic, Bermuda, and part of Puerto Rico hold one event throughout the calendar year. The Top Tour is one of the three PGA tours that is held outside the United States.

PGA Tour Champions

This golf tour is held for players who are over the age of 50. You might mistake it for the Senior PGA Championship, but that event is not run by them. The PGA Tour Champions is on par with the Players Championship for seasoned veterans.

The events of the PGA Tour Champions are mostly held in the U.S. But one of the regular tournaments is held in Canada since 2016. It’s to be noted that one of the senior majors is if the PGA tour Champions is held in the U.K.

Korn Ferry Tour

This is a  US developmental tour that’s organized by the PGA Tour. Since 2014, one tournament from the Korn Ferry Tour has been held in Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, and Canada. You can identify the information about this tour on the website from the Korn Ferry Tour logo.

Q-School, which was originally a way to get to the PGA Tour has since become a Korn Ferry Tour qualifying method.

PGA Tour Latinoamérica

This tour is another internationally held tour. As of now, nine Latin American countries host the tournaments for the PGA Tour Latinoamérica.

PGA Tour Canada

This international tour wasn’t originally a part of the PGA Tour. It was known as the Canadian tour. But it became a part in 2012. 

During the 2013 season, there were two phases of the PGA Tour Canada. First, it began with a qualifying school in California. After that, there were 9 tournaments held in Canada. 

PGA Tour China

This is another international tour that was not part of the original PGA Tour. It was known as the China Tour. But in 2014, it merged and became known by its new name

Priority Ranking System

To determine, which players are allowed to qualify for the PGA Tour events, there is a priority ranking system. And this revolves mainly around the concept of the PGA Tour card. 

The way for getting a PGA Tour card is by getting ranked within the top 31 qualifications. To gain their status in the PGA Tour card, players will need to finish in the top 125 in the FedEx Cup PGA tour. Another way is by getting a promotion on the Korn Ferry Tour. 

The higher the status you have on your Tour card, the more guaranteed you are in qualifying for the tour events. This also includes the Masters Tournament. Basically, if you are high on the priority ranking, your place in any of the events is guaranteed.

Event categories

The events are divided into several categories. Let’s get a quick look at what they are. 

• Majors

There are 4 events that fall under the category of Majors. These are Masters Tournament, U.S. Open, The (British) Open Championship, and the PGA Championship. 

• World Golf Championships (WGC)

This includes a set of events that results in attracting the best golfers in the world. This is co-sanctioned by the International Federation of PGA Tours.

• Unique

There are two tournaments that fit under this category. These are the Sentry Tournament of Champions and the Players Championship.

• Playoff events

These are the final three events of the season. Does not include the Players Championship, 

• Team

The Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup are the two tournaments that fall under the Team category. 

• Regular

These are regular tournaments that are held by the PGA Tour regularly during the calendar year. The Charles Schwab Cup is a very good example of that. 

• Invitational

These are invite-only events that only select golf players can enjoy. Unless the player is invited, they won’t be allowed to play in the tour. The Arnold Palmer invitational is one of those tournaments. 

World’s Most Renowned Courses

Now you might be wondering, where are these golf tournaments held? Why don’t we look at some of the world’s most renowned golf courses to get a better idea? 

• Augusta National Golf Club
• Jim McLean Golf Center
• The Players Championship
• Pebble Beach Golf Links
• Torrey Pines Golf Course

There are lots of other golf courses out there. These courses have been home to some of the best golf tournaments ever held. In fact, a good golf coach will train players to adapt to the different golf courses. 

As each golf course is different, the way the games are played out also differs. No wonder this is one of the hardest sports to master. If you’re looking to learn golf we recommend Jim McLean Golf centre, where you can learn golf as a beginner.