The final putt has dropped at Augusta, the green jacket is back in the champion's closet, and for many golf fans, a a certain quiet settles in. But the most exciting part of the professional golf calendar is just getting started. This guide will walk you through the thrilling major championships and high-stakes events that come after the Masters, so you know exactly what to watch for next.
While the Masters hangover is real, the PGA Tour doesn’t take a week off. The tournaments immediately following Augusta are fascinating. They often attract big names who want to capitalize on good form or, for those who missed the cut, find a rhythm again quickly. It's a unique transition period from the first major to the intense build-up for the second.
Right out of the gate, you have premiere events like the RBC Heritage. Played at the iconic Harbour Town Golf Links, it's a "Signature Event" on the PGA Tour. This means a limited field, no cut, and a massive purse, drawing nearly all the top players. It’s a wonderful contrast to Augusta national. Harbour Town is tight, requires strategic shot-making, and has tiny greens. Pure ball-strikers, not just bombers, tend to shine here.
Following that, the schedule often includes unique formats like the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, which is the only official team event on the tour. Watching two pros partner up in formats like foursomes (alternate shot) and fourball (best ball) is a refreshing change of pace and offers great insight into on-course chemistry and strategy. These events serve as a bridge, carrying the excitement of the Masters toward the next major pillar of the season.
The chase for the next major championship trophy happens in May. After the pomp of the Masters, the season gets down to business with the PGA Championship. It's an event with its own distinct identity and a reputation for producing dramatic finishes on some of America's great golf courses.
Held annually in May, the PGA Championship moves to different prestigious courses across the United States. Venues like Valhalla, Oak Hill, and Southern Hills have recently hosted, each presenting a stern test that demands all-around excellence.
Run by the PGA of America, this major is known for having one of the strongest fields in golf. It traditionally invites the top 100 players in the world rankings, along with past champions. It also reserves 20 spots for PGA Club Professionals - the teaching pros you find at your local course. These dedicated pros get a chance to compete on the biggest stage, adding a wonderful "everyman" element to the competition. The event is a test of pure ball-striking and rewards players who are at the peak of their game at that moment in the season.
PGA Championship setups are known for being long and difficult, but fair. You’ll see lush fairways, thick rough, and fast greens, but not usually the punishing, over-the-top difficulty of a U.S. Open. This allows for more aggressive play and birdies for players who are dialed in. This is a championship for the best of the best - think players like Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, and Rory McIlroy, powerful players who can control their iron shots from long distances.
If the masters is a masterpiece of artful golf, the u.s. open is a demanding examination of grit. Held every June, it has rightfully earned the reputation as "Golf's Toughest Test." Winning a U.S. Open is a badge of honor that signifies mental fortitude as much as physical skill.
The united states golf association (USGA) is in charge of this tournament, and its philosophy is straightforward: a 'open' challenge to identify a fitting champion. They take amazing golf courses and set them up to be tremendously difficult, pushing players to their absolute limit. Key characteristics of a U.S. Open setup include:
Par is a fantastic score at this event. The winner is often the player who makes the fewest big mistakes.
One of the best traditions in golf is the open nature of this championship. While top pros are exempt, about half of the field earns their way in through both local and sectional qualifying tournaments held across the country and a handful across thee world. This beautiful process gives hope to aspiring amateurs, college players, and mini-tour professionals that they might get to rub shoulders with the pros should they survive a thirty-six hole final qualifier often dubbed 'golf's longest day'. This 'open door' has lead to some of the greatest Cinderella stories and upsets in all of sports.
Patience, patience, and more patience. This is not a birdie-fest. It’s about accepting bogeys, avoiding double bogeys, and executing a conservative game plan. The winner of the U.S. Open is almost always a player with incredible driving accuracy and a methodical, resilient mindset.
In July, the golf world turns its attention to the birthplace of the game for the sport’s oldest major. The Open Championship, often called the “British Open” by Americans, is played over links courses in the UK. it's a completely different brand of golf, often dictated much more by mother nature, rather than course set-up alone, providing some of the prettiest and most artistic moments of the entire year
For golfers accustomed to lush, tree-lined parkland courses, links golf is an entirely new game. As a coach, this is one of the most exciting shifts to watch. Links-style courses mean embracing a completely different sort of challenge, and strategy becomes paramount:
Steeped in more tradition than any other event, the open championship connects the modern game to its humble an historic past. Players compete for the iconic Claret jug, one of the most coveted, if understated trophies in all of sports. The "Champion Golfer of the Year" gets to take it home with them for the proceeding year.
Once the final major is decided, the best players on the PGA TOUR turn their eyes on season-long honors, the richest prize in golf. The end of the schedule from August to September is a frantic and thrilling sprint to crown a champion of champions.
The FedExCup Playoffs are a series of three tournaments that conclude the PGA Tour season. Players earn points throughout the entire year based on their finishes. At the end of the regular season, the top players on the points list qualify for the playoffs.
The playoff system is designed for high drama, progressively reducing the field from event to event:
The Tour Chmpionship has a unique starting format based on fed-ex cup points to give an honest an open 'first one across the line' conclusion to the proceedings - the leader starts at -10 with each of the other 29 in the field on starting strokes between 0 -8 strokes respectively..
The Masters might be the official start of spring, but what follows is a full season of incredible theater across four totally unique major championships and a high-stakes playoff race that goes right to the wire. The road from Augusta to East Lake offers a compelling journey through different styles of golf, rewarding every type of skill and making for a year full of can’t-miss moments for fans of the game.
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