Understanding the landscape of professional golf can feel like trying to read a complicated subway map. With different tours, series, and acronyms all over the globe, it’s easy to get lost. This guide will give you a clear look at the major golf tours, explaining what they are, who plays on them, and how they all fit together to create the exciting world of professional golf.
At the pinnacle of men's professional golf, two tours have historically stood above the rest. These are where you'll find the household names competing for the biggest purses and a place in golf history.
When you think of professional golf, you're likely thinking of the PGA TOUR. Based in the United States, it is unquestionably the most prestigious and lucrative golf tour for men. The slogan "These Guys Are Good" isn't an exaggeration, the TOUR is home to the world’s elite players. Throughout the season, which now runs from January to August, players compete in a series of events for millions of dollars in prize money and valuable FedExCup points.
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Formerly known as the European Tour, the DP World Tour is the other dominant force in men’s golf. While historically centered in Europe, it's a truly global tour, with tournaments spanning across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. It has its own roster of world-class players and serves as a major pathway to global stardom.
In recent years, the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR have formed a "strategic alliance," creating more co-sanctioned events and a clearer path for the top players on the DP World Tour to earn PGA TOUR status. This has intertwined them more than ever.
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Professional golf's elite is not just a men's club. The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour is the highest level of competition for women's golf and features some of the most gifted and skillful golfers on the planet. Its global reach rivals, and in some cases surpasses, that of its male counterparts.
The LPGA Tour is remarkably diverse, with stars hailing from South Korea, Thailand, Canada, Japan, Australia, and across Europe and the United States. The level of ball-striking, creativity, and clutch putting on display week in and week out is simply exceptional.
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What happens when a professional golfer turns 50? They don't just fade away, they get a new lease on their competitive life. Senior tours allow fans to continue watching their favorite players from decades past compete at a very high level.
This is arguably the most successful senior sports league in the world. For players aged 50 and over, the PGA TOUR Champions features legendary names like Bernhard Langer, Fred Couples, and Steve Stricker. Don't let their age fool you, the competition is fierce, and the quality of golf is outstanding. These players still know how to score, and they combine their decades of experience with a desire to keep winning.
The season culminates with the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs, a three-event series to determine the season-long champion.
This is the European equivalent of the Champions Tour, affiliated with the DP World Tour. It showcases European golf legends, competing at beautiful venues primarily across Europe for players aged 50 and above.
No golfer just appears on the PGA TOUR or LPGA Tour. They have to earn it. A network of developmental tours serves as the battleground where players prove they have what it takes to ascend to the next level.
The primary pathway to the PGA TOUR is the Korn Ferry Tour. Think of it as the Triple-A of professional golf. The season is a grind, with players traveling across North and South America hoping to finish inside "The 30." The top 30 players on the season-long points list at the end of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship are awarded a PGA TOUR card for the following season. Performing well on this tour is the most direct - and most competitive - way to get to the big show. It's where the next generation of PGA TOUR stars are forged under pressure.
While the PGA and DP World Tours are dominant, professional golf is thriving all over the world. Several other tours have a significant presence and a rich history.
A new and disruptive force in men's golf, LIV Golf launched in 2022. Backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, it attracted several high-profile players with enormous contracts. Its format is different from traditional tours:
LIV's emergence has created a major split in men's professional golf, and its future relationship with the traditional tours remains a major storyline.
The Asian Tour is a principal men’s tour in Asia, and the JGTO is the premier tour in Japan, known for its passionate fans and high level of competition. Both have produced world-class players who have gone on to succeed on the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour.
From the proving grounds of the developmental circuits to the global stages of the PGA and LPGA Tours, the world of professional golf is a tiered ecosystem built on performance. Each tour offers its own unique dramas and opportunities, creating a continuous pipeline of talent and compelling competition for fans to follow all year long.
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