The PGA Tour (officially rendered in all capital letters) is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, as well as the Champions Tour (for golfers age 50 and older) and the Nationwide Tour (for professional players who have not yet qualified to play in the PGA Tour). It is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, a suburb of Jacksonville.
Originally established by the Professional Golfers' Association of America, in 1968 it was spun off into its own separate organization for tournament golfers, as opposed to club professionals, who are the primary focus of the PGA of America. It adopted the name "PGA Tour" in 1975. The PGA Tour organization runs 43 of the week-to-week professional golf events on the tournament known as the PGA Tour, including The Players Championship, hosted at the TPC at Sawgrass, the FedEx Cup, and the biennial Presidents Cup. The remaining events on the PGA Tour are run by different organizations, as are the U.S.-based LPGA Tour for women and the other men's and women's professional tours around the world.
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The PGA Tour became a separate entity in 1968, branching off from the PGA of America, which is now primarily an association of club professionals. Tournament players formed their own organization, the Association of Professional Golfers (APG). Later in 1968, the tournament players abolished the APG and agreed to operate as the PGA "Tournament Players Division," a fully autonomous division under the supervision of a new 10-member Tournament Policy Board.[1] The name would officially change to the "PGA Tour" in 1975.[2]
In 1981, the PGA Tour had a marketing dispute with the PGA of America and decided to officially change its name. Beginning in late August 1981, it became the TPA Tour, for the "Tournament Players Association."[3] The disputed issues were resolved within seven months and the tour's name was changed back to the "PGA Tour" in March 1982.[4]
Due to the multiplicity of names, there is often confusion as to what the PGA Tour organization does and does not run. Of the events in the PGA Tour schedule, it does not run any of the four major championships (the Masters Tournament, the U.S. Open, The Open Championship and the PGA Championship), or the Ryder Cup. The PGA of America, not the PGA Tour, runs the PGA Championship, the Senior PGA Championship, and co-organizes the Ryder Cup with the PGA European Tour. Additionally, the PGA Tour is not involved with the women's golf tours in the U.S., which are mostly controlled by the LPGA. The PGA Tour is also not the governing body for the game of golf in the United States; this, instead, is the role of the United States Golf Association (USGA), which organizes the U.S. Open. What the PGA Tour does organize are the remaining 43 (in 2009) week-to-week events, including The Players Championship and the FedEx Cup events, as well as the biennial Presidents Cup. It also runs the main tournaments in two other championships, the Champions Tour and the Nationwide Tour.
The PGA Tour operates the following three tours, all of which are primarily contested in the U.S.:
- PGA Tour, the top tour
- Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. possession of Puerto Rico host one event each year. Note, however, that the events in Mexico and Puerto Rico are "alternate" events held opposite one of the World Golf Championships tournaments and therefore have weaker fields than a regular tour event. In addition, one of the four annual major championships is held in the UK
- Champions Tour, for golfers age 50 and over
- Nationwide Tour, a developmental tour
- As of 2011, Canada, Colombia, and Mexico host one tournament each.
The PGA Tour also conducts an annual Qualifying Tournament (known colloquially as Q-School), a six-round tournament held each fall; the top 25 finishers, including ties, receive privileges to play on the following year's PGA Tour. Remaining finishers in the top 75, plus ties, receive full privileges on the Nationwide Tour.
The top 25 money-winners on the Nationwide Tour also receive privileges on the following year's PGA Tour. A golfer who wins three events on that tour in a calendar year earns a "performance promotion" (informally a "battlefield promotion") which garners PGA Tour privileges for the remainder of the year plus the following full season.
At the end of each year, the top 125 money-winners on the PGA Tour receive a tour card for the following season, which gives them exemption from qualifying for most of the next year's tournaments. However at some events, known as invitationals, exemptions apply only to the previous year's top 70 players. Players who are ranked between 126–150 receive a conditional tour card, which gives them priority for places that are not taken up by players with full cards. Those players can also improve their status and regain full Tour privileges by going to the tour's Q School, going directly to the final stage.
Winning a PGA Tour event provides a tour card for a minimum of two years, with an extra year added for each additional win with a maximum of five years. Winning a World Golf Championships event or The Tour Championship provides a three-year exemption. Winners of the major championships and The Players Championship earn a five-year exemption. Other types of exemptions include lifetime exemptions for players with twenty wins on the tour; one-time, one year exemptions for players in the top fifty on the career money earnings list who are not otherwise exempt; two-time, one year exemptions for players in the top twenty-five on the career money list; and medical exemptions for players who have been injured, which give them an opportunity to regain their tour card after a period out of the tour. At the end of the season, the person leading the PGA Tour money list earns a five year exemption.
Similar to other major league sports, there is no rule limiting PGA Tour players to "men only." In 1938 Babe Zaharias became the first woman to compete in a PGA Tour event. In 1945, Zaharias became the first and only woman to make a cut in a PGA Tour event. In 2003, Annika Sörenstam and Suzy Whaley played in PGA Tour events, and Michelle Wie did so in each year from 2004 through 2008.
The LPGA like all other women's sports, is limited to female participants only.
There is also a PGA European Tour, which is separate from either the PGA Tour or the PGA of America; this organization runs a tour, mostly in Europe but with events throughout the world outside of North America, that is second only to the PGA Tour in worldwide prestige. There are several other regional tours around the world. However, the PGA Tour, European Tour, and many of the regional tours co-sponsor the World Golf Championships. These, along with the major championships, usually count toward the official money lists of each tour as well as the Official World Golf Rankings.
The PGA Tour places a strong emphasis on charity fundraising, usually on behalf of local charities in cities where events are staged. With the exception of a few older events, PGA Tour rules require all Tour events to be non-profit; the Tour itself is also a non-profit company. In 2005, it started a campaign to push its all-time fundraising tally past one billion dollars ("Drive to a Billion"), and it reached that mark one week before the end of the season. However, monies raised for charities derive from the tournaments' positive revenues (if any), and not any actual monetary donation from the PGA Tour, whose purse monies and expenses are guaranteed. The number of charities which receive benefits from PGA Tour, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour events is estimated at over 2,000. In 2009, the total raised for charity was some $108 million.[5]
In January 2006, the PGA Tour announced a new set of television deals covering 2007 to 2013. CBS Sports will remain the main carrier of PGA Tour events, and will increase its events from 16 to 19 per season. NBC Sports will increase its coverage from 5 to 10 events. Golf Channel will be the Tour's cable partner on a 15-year contract, providing early round coverage of all official money events and four round coverage of a few events at the beginning and towards the end of the season. As a result of Comcast's acquisition of NBC, Golf Channel also produces NBC's telecasts as of the 2011 season.
The fees involved were not mentioned in the press release, but it stated, "total prize money and other financial benefits to players will increase approximately $600 million over the term as compared to the previous six years, a 35-percent increase."[6]
As they are not organized by the PGA Tour itself, certain events (such as the major championships) are not part of the overall broadcast contracts, but are broadcast under separate contracts with their respective organizers. Despite this, as of 2011, CBS and NBC still hold broadcast rights to 3 of the 4 majors; CBS has traditionally broadcast the Masters Tournament and the PGA Championship (ESPN and TNT air first and second round coverage of these tournaments respectively), coverage of all four rounds of the U.S. Open are broadcast on NBC. ESPN has provided exclusive coverage of The Open Championship since 2010.
The PGA Tour is also covered extensively outside the United States. In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports was the main broadcaster of the tour for a number of years up to 2006. However, Setanta Sports won exclusive UK and Ireland rights for six years from 2007 for a reported cost of £103 million. The deal includes Champions Tour and the Nationwide Tour events, but like the U.S. television deals it does not include the major championships, and unlike the U.S. deal, it does not include the World Golf Championships. Setanta set up the Setanta Golf channel to present its coverage.[7] On June 23, 2009, Setanta's UK arm went into administration and ceased broadcasting. Eurosport picked up the television rights for the remainder of the 2009 season.[8] Sky Sports regained the TV rights with a eight year deal from 2010 to 2017.[9] In South Korea, SBS, which has been the tour's exclusive TV broadcaster in that country since the mid-1990s, agreed in 2009 to extend its contract with the PGA Tour through 2019. As a part of that deal, it became sponsor of the season's opening tournament, a winners-only event that was renamed the SBS Championship effective in 2010.[10] In 2011 however, Korean automobile manufacturer Hyundai took over the title sponsorship, but SBS still remains a sponsor of the event)[11]
The Indian broadcaster NEO Sports obtained exclusive rights to the PGA Tour on the Indian subcontinent in 2008, and has since extended its deal through the 2015 season.[12]
Since 2005, Sirius XM Radio has provided a PGA Tour branded station, the PGA Tour Network, which airs golf related programming and coverage of events, including the PGA Tour's circuits.
Three of the four majors take place in eight weeks between June and August. In the past, this has threatened to make the last two and a half months of the season anti-climactic, as some of the very top players competed less from that point on. In response, the PGA Tour has introduced a new format, the FedEx Cup. From January through mid-August players compete in "regular season" events and earn FedEx Cup points, in addition to prize money. At the end of the regular season, the top 125 FedEx Cup points winners are eligible to compete in the "playoffs," four events taking place from mid-August to mid-September. The field sizes for these events are reduced from 125 to 100 to 70 and finally the traditional 30 for the Tour Championship. Additional FedEx Cup points are earned in these events. At the end of the championship, the top point winner is the season champion. To put this new system into place, the PGA Tour has made significant changes to the traditional schedule.
In 2007 The Players Championship moved to May so as to have a marquee event in five consecutive months. The Tour Championship moved to mid-September, with an international team event (Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup) following at the end of September. The schedule was tweaked slightly in both 2008 and 2009. After the third FedEx Cup playoff event, the BMW Championship, the Tour takes a full week off. In 2008, the break came before the Ryder Cup, with the Tour Championship the week after that. In 2009, the break was followed by the Tour Championship, with the Presidents Cup taking place two weeks after that.
The Tour continues through the fall, with the focus on the scramble of the less successful players to earn enough money to retain their tour cards. A circuit known as the Fall Series, originally with seven tournaments but now with four, was introduced in 2007. In its inaugural year, its events were held in seven consecutive weeks, starting the week after the Tour Championship. As was the case for the FedEx Cup playoff schedule, the Fall Series schedule was also tweaked in 2008 and 2009. The first 2008 Fall Series event was held opposite the Ryder Cup, and the Fall Series took a week off for the Tour Championship before continuing with its remaining six events.
The Fall Series saw major changes for 2009, with one of its events moving to May and another dropping off the schedule entirely. It will return to its original start date of the week after the Tour Championship. Then, as in 2008, it will take a week off, this time for the Presidents Cup. It will then continue with events in three consecutive weeks, take another week off for the HSBC Champions (now elevated to World Golf Championships status), and conclude the week after that.
Most recently, the Fall Series was reduced to four events, all held after the Tour Championship, for 2011. This followed the move of the Viking Classic into the regular season as an alternate event.
2007 saw the introduction of a tournament in Mexico, an alternate event staged the same week as the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.[13] A tournament in Puerto Rico was introduced in 2008 as an alternate event staged opposite the WGC-CA Championship.
Main article:
2012 PGA TourThe 2012 season includes 45 official money events in 45 weeks, including three alternate events played the same week as a higher status tournament. The other three events are:
- The biennial Ryder Cup, matching teams of golfers representing the USA and Europe.
- The CIMB Asia Pacific Classic Malaysia, an event to be held in Malaysia; in 2012, it will end on October 28. The field will be limited to 40 players—the top 25 available players in the final FedEx Cup standings, the top 10 available Asian players, and five sponsor's exemptions, with at least one place reserved for a Malaysian player. Although it will not be an official money event, it is the tour's first sanctioned event in Southeast Asia.[14]
- The WGC-HSBC Champions, held the week after the Malaysia tournament. Despite its elevation to World Golf Championships status in 2009, it is not an official money event, although it is also sanctioned by the PGA Tour.[15] Starting in 2010, if the event is won by a PGA Tour member, it will count as an official win and carry the three year exemption of the other WGCs.[16]
Most members of the tour play between 20 and 30 tournaments in the season. The geography of the tour is determined by the weather. It starts in Hawaii in January and spends most of its first two months in California and Arizona during what is known as the "West Coast Swing," and then moves to the American Southeast for the "Southern Swing." Each swing culminates in a significant tour event. In April, tour events begin to drift north. The summer months are spent mainly in the Northeast and the Midwest, and in the fall (autumn) the tour heads south again.
In most of the regular events on tour, the field is either 132, 144 or 156 players, depending on time of year (and available daylight hours). All players making the cut earn money for the tournament with the winner usually receiving 18% of the total purse.
In 2008, the PGA Tour Policy Board approved a change in the number of players that will make the cut. The cut will continue to be low 70 professionals and ties, unless that results in a post-cut field of more than 78 players. Under that circumstance, the cut score will be selected to make a field as close to 70 players as possible without exceeding 78. Players who are cut in such circumstances but who have placed 70th or better will get credit for making the cut and will earn official money and FedEx Cup points. This policy affected two of the first three events with cuts, the Sony Open in Hawaii and the Buick Invitational. In late February, the Policy Board announced a revised cut policy, effective beginning with the Honda Classic. The new policy calls for 36-hole cut to the low 70 professionals and ties and, if that cut results in more than 78 players, a second 54-hole cut to the low 70 professionals and ties.[17]
- Majors: The four leading annual events in world golf are the Masters Tournament, U.S. Open, The (British) Open Championship, and the PGA Championship. These events each automatically receive 100 OWGR points.
- World Golf Championships (WGC): A set of events co-sanctioned by the International Federation of PGA Tours which attract the leading golfers from all over the world, including those who are not members of the PGA Tour. Note that the HSBC Champions was made a WGC event in the middle of the 2009 season. Because it takes place after The Tour Championship, it does not count as an official money event or an official win, but the winner is invited to the following season's edition of the winners-only Hyundai Tournament of Champions.[15] Beginning in 2010, if the winner is a PGA Tour member, the victory will count as an official win and the winner will receive a three-year Tour exemption (as with other WGC winners).[16]
- Unique: Two tournaments rate as unique, for different reasons:
- The Hyundai Tournament of Champions, the first tournament of the season, has a field consisting of winners from the previous season's competition only. This results in a field much smaller than any other tournament except for The Tour Championship, with no cut after 36 holes of play.
- The Players Championship is the only event, apart from the majors and the World Golf Championships, which attracts entries from almost all of the world's elite golfers. Official recognition is given to its unique position in the sport by the Official World Golf Rankings. Like a major tournament, it is allocated a fixed number of OWGR points (80), albeit 20% less than for a major. (The number of points allocated to "regular" events is dependent on the rankings of the players who enter each year, and is only determined once the entry list is finalized.) For purposes of the FedEx Cup standings, The Players has had an identical point allocation to that of the majors since the Cup was instituted in 2007. In North America, some people would like to make the tournament an official major with a ranking equal to the current majors in the OWGR. However there is little support for this in the rest of the world, and any revision to the points system for the world rankings would require a global consensus.
The FedEx Cup, presented to the winner of the season-ending playoffs.
- Playoff event: The last four tournaments of the FedEx Cup have fields based on the FedEx Cup rankings. The top 125 players on the points list are entered in the Barclays Classic. Each week after that fields are cut: Deutsche Bank Championship to the top 100 players; BMW Championship to 70 players; The Tour Championship to 30 players.
The Ryder Cup, contested in even-numbered years between teams from Europe and the United States.
- Team: A United States team of 12 elite players competes in the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup in alternate years. The Ryder Cup, pitting a team of U.S. golfers against a European team, is arguably the highest profile event in golf, outranking the majors. The Presidents Cup, which matches a team of U.S. golfers against an international team of golfers not eligible for the Ryder Cup, is less well established, but is still the main event of the week when it is played. There is no prize money in these events, so they are irrelevant to the money list, but an immense amount of pride rides on the results.
- Regular: Routine weekly tour events. The "regular" events vary somewhat in status, but this is fairly subjective and not usually based on the size of the purse. Some of the factors which can determine the status of a tournament are:
- Its position in the schedule, which influences the number of leading players that choose to enter.
- Its age and the distinction of its past champions.
- The repute of the course on which it is played.
- Any associations with "legends of golf." Six events in particular have such associations:
- The HP Byron Nelson Championship, named after Byron Nelson, was until 2007 the only current event named after a PGA Tour golfer.
- The Arnold Palmer Invitational, formerly the Bay Hill Invitational, closely identified with Arnold Palmer and played at a resort he owns.
- The Northern Trust Open and Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, both identified with Ben Hogan, although the Colonial is more closely identified with him since he won that tournament five times.
- The Memorial Tournament, founded by Jack Nicklaus, played on a course he designed, and annually honoring a selected "legend."
- The AT&T National, while not hosted by a "legend," was able to gather a strong field because it was hosted by "future-legend" Tiger Woods.
- Invitational: These events are similar to the regular ones, but have a slightly smaller (around 100–120 players), selective field. The top 70 on the previous year's money list can automatically take part in invitationals, as well as past champions of the event. There is an increased amount of sponsor's exemptions as well, and some invitationals allow the defending champion to invite one or several amateurs to compete. Invitational tournaments include the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Verizon Heritage, the Memorial Tournament and the AT&T National. The tournaments usually do have an association with a golf legend, or in the case of the Verizon Heritage, a famous course.
- Alternate: Events which are played in the same week as a higher status tournament and therefore have weakened fields and reduced prize money. They are often considered an opportunity for players on the bubble (near or below 125th or 150th) in the money list to move up more easily or to attempt an easier two-year exemption for winning a tournament. Because of their weaker fields, these events usually receive the minimum amount of points reserved for PGA Tour events (24 points).
- Fall Series: After the final playoff event of the FedEx Cup season (The Tour Championship), the season concludes with this series of events, usually passed on by the higher-status players. This provides an opportunity for players low on the Money List to increase their season's earnings enough to rank in the "magic" 125 and thus secure their "card" for the following season without having to re-qualify through Q-School.
There are also a number of events which are recognized by the PGA Tour, but which do not count towards the official money list. Most of these take place in the off season (November and December). This slate of unofficial, often made-for-TV events (which includes the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, the Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge, the Franklin Templeton Shootout, the Skins Game, etc.) is referred to as the "Challenge Season" or more disapprovingly as the "Silly Season."
On March 20, 2012, the tour announced radical changes to the tour's season and qualifying process, although many details remain to be worked out.[18][19]
First, the 2013 season will be the last to be conducted entirely within a calendar year. The 2014 season will start in October 2013, shortly after the Tour Championship, and future seasons will start in October of the previous calendar year. This means that the tournaments currently in the Fall Series will become part of the regular season. It has not yet been determined whether these tournaments will receive full FedEx Cup point allocations.
As a result of this change, the qualifying school will no longer grant playing rights on the PGA Tour, but will only grant privileges on what is now known as the Nationwide Tour. (The 2012 season is the last year of Nationwide's current sponsorship contract.)
After the end of the FedEx Cup regular season in August, the top 125 players on the PGA Tour money list will retain their tour cards, as in the current system. The next 75 players on the list, along with the top 75 on the money list of the Nationwide Tour, will play a series of three tournaments to be held after the end of the regular season, most likely on off weeks in the FedEx Cup playoffs. The top 50 players in this series will earn PGA Tour cards for the upcoming season. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem indicated that the top 25 from the Nationwide Tour may be seeded so that they are assured of finishing the series among the top 50. College players who turn professional can enter the series if their earnings are equivalent to a top-200 PGA Tour or top-75 Nationwide Tour finish. The players who earn their cards in this series will have as few as eight months, depending on the exact scheduling of tournaments, in which to finish among the top 125 on the main tour in order to maintain their playing privileges.
Finally, the HSBC Champions will become a full PGA Tour event, with official prize money on that tour, for the first time in November 2013 (the 2014 season). Currently, it is only considered an official PGA Tour win if won by a tour member, and money earned in the event is not considered official on the PGA Tour as it is held outside the tour season.
Players who lead the money list on the PGA Tour win the Arnold Palmer Award (since 1981).
| Year |
Money winner |
Earnings ($) |
Most wins |
| 2011 |
 Luke Donald |
6,683,214 |
2: 7 players (note 1) |
| 2010 |
 Matt Kuchar |
4,910,477 |
3: Jim Furyk |
| 2009 |
Tiger Woods |
10,508,163 |
6: Tiger Woods |
| 2008 |
 Vijay Singh |
6,601,094 |
4: Tiger Woods |
| 2007 |
Tiger Woods |
10,867,052 |
7: Tiger Woods |
| 2006 |
Tiger Woods |
9,941,563 |
8: Tiger Woods |
| 2005 |
Tiger Woods |
10,628,024 |
6: Tiger Woods |
| 2004 |
Vijay Singh |
10,905,166 |
9: Vijay Singh |
| 2003 |
Vijay Singh |
7,573,907 |
5: Tiger Woods |
| 2002 |
Tiger Woods |
6,912,625 |
5: Tiger Woods |
| 2001 |
Tiger Woods |
5,687,777 |
5: Tiger Woods |
| 2000 |
Tiger Woods |
9,188,321 |
9: Tiger Woods |
| 1999 |
Tiger Woods |
6,616,585 |
8: Tiger Woods |
| 1998 |
David Duval |
2,591,031 |
4: David Duval |
| 1997 |
Tiger Woods |
2,066,833 |
4: Tiger Woods |
| 1996 |
Tom Lehman |
1,780,159 |
4: Phil Mickelson |
| 1995 |
 Greg Norman |
1,654,959 |
3: Lee Janzen, Greg Norman |
| 1994 |
 Nick Price |
1,499,927 |
6: Nick Price |
| 1993 |
Nick Price |
1,478,557 |
4: Nick Price |
| 1992 |
Fred Couples |
1,344,188 |
3: John Cook; Fred Couples; Davis Love III |
| 1991 |
Corey Pavin |
979,430 |
2: 8 players (note 2) |
| 1990 |
Greg Norman |
1,165,477 |
4: Wayne Levi |
| 1989 |
Tom Kite |
1,395,278 |
3: Tom Kite; Steve Jones |
| 1988 |
Curtis Strange |
1,147,644 |
4: Curtis Strange |
| 1987 |
Curtis Strange |
925,941 |
3: Paul Azinger; Curtis Strange |
| 1986 |
Greg Norman |
653,296 |
4: Bob Tway |
| 1985 |
Curtis Strange |
542,321 |
3: Curtis Strange; Lanny Wadkins |
| 1984 |
Tom Watson |
476,260 |
3: Tom Watson; Denis Watson |
| 1983 |
Hal Sutton |
426,668 |
2: 8 players (note 3) |
| 1982 |
Craig Stadler |
446,462 |
4: Craig Stadler, Tom Watson, Calvin Peete |
| 1981 |
Tom Kite |
375,699 |
4: Bill Rogers |
| 1980 |
Tom Watson |
530,808 |
7: Tom Watson |
| 1979 |
Tom Watson |
462,636 |
5: Tom Watson |
| 1978 |
Tom Watson |
362,429 |
5: Tom Watson |
| 1977 |
Tom Watson |
310,653 |
5: Tom Watson |
| 1976 |
Jack Nicklaus |
266,439 |
3: Ben Crenshaw, Hubert Green |
| 1975 |
Jack Nicklaus |
298,149 |
5: Jack Nicklaus |
| 1974 |
Johnny Miller |
353,022 |
8: Johnny Miller |
| 1973 |
Jack Nicklaus |
308,362 |
7: Jack Nicklaus |
| 1972 |
Jack Nicklaus |
320,542 |
7: Jack Nicklaus |
| 1971 |
Jack Nicklaus |
244,491 |
6: Lee Trevino |
| 1970 |
Lee Trevino |
157,037 |
4: Billy Casper |
| 1969 |
Frank Beard |
164,707 |
3: 4 players (note 4) |
| 1968 |
Billy Casper |
205,169 |
6: Billy Casper |
| 1967 |
Jack Nicklaus |
188,998 |
5: Jack Nicklaus |
| 1966 |
Billy Casper |
121,945 |
4: Billy Casper |
| 1965 |
Jack Nicklaus |
140,752 |
5: Jack Nicklaus |
| 1964 |
Jack Nicklaus |
113,285 |
5: Tony Lema |
| 1963 |
Arnold Palmer |
128,230 |
7: Arnold Palmer |
| 1962 |
Arnold Palmer |
81,448 |
8: Arnold Palmer |
| 1961 |
 Gary Player |
64,540 |
6: Arnold Palmer |
| 1960 |
 Arnold Palmer |
75,263 |
8: Arnold Palmer |
| 1959 |
 Art Wall, Jr. |
53,168 |
5: Gene Littler |
| 1958 |
Arnold Palmer |
42,608 |
4: Ken Venturi |
| 1957 |
Dick Mayer |
65,835 |
4: Arnold Palmer |
| 1956 |
Ted Kroll |
72,836 |
4: Mike Souchak |
| 1955 |
Julius Boros |
63,122 |
6: Cary Middlecoff |
| 1954 |
Bob Toski |
65,820 |
4: Bob Toski |
| 1953 |
Lew Worsham |
34,002 |
5: Ben Hogan |
| 1952 |
Julius Boros |
37,033 |
5: Jack Burke, Jr., Sam Snead |
| 1951 |
Lloyd Mangrum |
26,089 |
6: Cary Middlecoff |
| 1950 |
Sam Snead |
35,759 |
11: Sam Snead |
| 1949 |
Sam Snead |
31,594 |
7: Cary Middlecoff |
| 1948 |
Ben Hogan |
32,112 |
10: Ben Hogan |
| 1947 |
Jimmy Demaret |
27,937 |
7: Ben Hogan |
| 1946 |
Ben Hogan |
42,556 |
13: Ben Hogan |
| 1945 |
Byron Nelson |
63,336 |
18: Byron Nelson |
| 1944 |
Byron Nelson |
37,968 |
8: Byron Nelson |
| 1943 |
No records kept |
1: Sam Byrd, Harold McSpaden, Steve Warga |
| 1942 |
Ben Hogan |
13,143 |
6: Ben Hogan |
| 1941 |
Ben Hogan |
18,358 |
7: Sam Snead |
| 1940 |
Ben Hogan |
10,655 |
6: Jimmy Demaret |
| 1939 |
Henry Picard |
10,303 |
8: Henry Picard |
| 1938 |
Sam Snead |
19,534 |
8: Sam Snead |
| 1937 |
Harry Cooper |
14,139 |
8: Harry Cooper |
| 1936 |
Horton Smith |
7,682 |
3: Ralph Guldahl, Jimmy Hines, Henry Picard |
| 1935 |
Johnny Revolta |
9,543 |
5: Henry Picard, Johnny Revolta |
| 1934 |
Paul Runyan |
6,767 |
7: Paul Runyan |
| 1933 |
|
9: Paul Runyan |
| 1932 |
|
4: Gene Sarazen |
| 1931 |
|
4: Wiffy Cox |
| 1930 |
|
8: Gene Sarazen |
| 1929 |
|
8: Horton Smith |
| 1928 |
|
7: Bill Mehlhorn |
| 1927 |
|
7: Johnny Farrell |
| 1926 |
|
5: Bill Mehlhorn, Macdonald Smith |
| 1925 |
|
5: Leo Diegel |
| 1924 |
|
5: Walter Hagen |
| 1923 |
|
5: Walter Hagen, Joe Kirkwood, Sr. |
| 1922 |
|
4: Walter Hagen |
| 1921 |
|
4: Jim Barnes |
| 1920 |
|
4: Jock Hutchison |
| 1919 |
|
5: Jim Barnes |
| 1918 |
|
1: Patrick Doyle, Walter Hagen, Jock Hutchison |
| 1917 |
|
2: Jim Barnes, Mike Brady |
| 1916 |
|
3: Jim Barnes |
Notes:
- Players with 2 wins in 2011: Keegan Bradley, Luke Donald, Webb Simpson, Steve Stricker, Nick Watney, Bubba Watson, Mark Wilson
- Players with 2 wins in 1991: Billy Andrade, Mark Brooks, Fred Couples, Andrew Magee, Corey Pavin, Nick Price, Tom Purtzer, Ian Woosnam
- Players with 2 wins in 1983: Seve Ballesteros, Jim Colbert, Mark McCumber, Gil Morgan, Calvin Peete, Hal Sutton, Lanny Wadkins, Fuzzy Zoeller
- Players with 3 wins in 1969: Billy Casper, Raymond Floyd, Dave Hill, Jack Nicklaus
The following players have won more than one money list title through 2011:
PGA Tour players compete for two player of the year awards. The PGA Player of the Year award dates back to 1948 and is awarded by the PGA of America. Since 1982 the winner has been selected using a points system with points awarded for wins, money list position and scoring average. The PGA Tour Player of the Year award,[20] also known as the Jack Nicklaus Trophy, is administered by the PGA Tour and was introduced in 1990; the recipient is selected by the tour players by ballot, although the results are not released other than to say who has won. More often than not the same player wins both awards; in fact, as seen in the table below, the PGA and PGA Tour Players of the Year have been the same every year from 1992 through 2011. The Rookie of the Year award was also introduced in 1990.[21] Players are eligible in their first season of PGA Tour membership; several of the winners had a good deal of international success before their PGA Tour rookie season, and some have been in their thirties when they won the award.
The following players have won more than one PGA Player of the Year Award through 2011:
The following players have won more than one PGA Tour Player of the Year Award through 2011:
The top ten career money leaders on the tour as of May 21, 2012 are as follows:
| Rank |
Player |
Country |
Prize money (US$) |
| 1 |
Tiger Woods |
United States |
96,665,592 |
| 2 |
Phil Mickelson |
United States |
66,279,655 |
| 3 |
Vijay Singh |
Fiji |
66,206,804 |
| 4 |
Jim Furyk |
United States |
50,331,143 |
| 5 |
Ernie Els |
 South Africa |
42,726,835 |
| 6 |
Davis Love III |
United States |
41,349,939 |
| 7 |
David Toms |
United States |
38,002,437 |
| 8 |
Steve Stricker |
United States |
33,387,150 |
| 9 |
Kenny Perry |
United States |
31,780,626 |
| 10 |
Justin Leonard |
United States |
31,611,048 |
There is a full list on the PGA Tour's website here.[24]
Due to increases in prize funds over the years, this list consists entirely of current players; the only player who is eligible for the Champions Tour is Kenny Perry, who turned 50 in August 2010 and competed on both tours in 2011. The figures are not the players' complete career prize money as they do not include FedEx Cup bonuses, winnings from unofficial money events, or earnings on other tours such as the European Tour. In addition, elite golfers often earn several times as much from endorsements and golf-related business interests as they do from prize money.
- ^ PGA.com – history – 1960–69
- ^ PGA.com – history – 1970–79
- ^ "Pro Golf Tour Changes Name". The New York Times. August 31, 1981. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0CE7DC133BF932A0575BC0A967948260. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
- ^ "Tour Changes Its Name Again". The New York Times. March 20, 1982. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA071EFA3D5D0C738EDDAA0894DA484D81. Retrieved June 17, 2008.
- ^ "PGA Tour Charity Blog". PGA Tour. http://www.pgatour.com/2009/blogs/01/13/pgatour.charity/index.html. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
- ^ "PGA Tour reaches television agreements". http://www.pgatour.com/info/company/story/9158540.
- ^ "Broadcaster is seeking £200m for TV soccer". The Sunday Times. July 1, 2006. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-2252447,00.html.
- ^ "Eurosport to show remainder of 2009 Tour events in UK" (Press release). PGA Tour. June 25, 2009. http://www.pgatour.com/2009/r/06/25/eurosport/index.html.
- ^ "Sky Sports, PGA TOUR extend deal for U.K viewers". PGA Tour. November 23, 2009. http://www.pgatour.com/2009/company/11/23/sky.sports/index.html. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
- ^ "SBS to sponsor season-opening event through 2019" (Press release). PGA Tour. May 7, 2009. http://www.pgatour.com/2009/tournaments/r016/05/07/sbs/index.html. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
- ^ "Hyundai taking over sponsorship at Kapalua". PGA Tour. November 4, 2010. http://www.pgatour.com/2010/tournaments/r016/11/04/hyundai-kapalua/index.html. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
- ^ "Tour extends broadcasting deal with India's NEO Sports" (Press release). PGA Tour. October 22, 2009. http://www.pgatour.com/2009/company/10/22/broadcasting.deal/index.html. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
- ^ "PGA Tour to conduct official-money event in Mexico". PGA Tour. January 13, 2006. http://www.pgatour.com/info/company/story/9163568. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
- ^ "First Tour-sanctioned event in Southeast Asia set for October" (Press release). PGA Tour. March 3, 2010. http://www.pgatour.com/2010/r/03/03/sponsor.malaysia/index.html. Retrieved April 18, 2010.
- ^ a b "China gets World Golf Championship with asterisk". Associated Press. Golf.com. April 29, 2009. http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1894510,00.html. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
- ^ a b "HSBC Champions, Round 1 Notebook, HSBC Champions and PGA Tour eligibility". PGA Tour. http://www.pgatour.com/2010/tournaments/r489/11/04/rd1-notebook/index.html. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
- ^ "PGA Tour Policy Board makes immediate changes to cut policy" (Press release). PGA Tour. February 28, 2008. http://www.pgatour.com/2008/r/02/26/cut/index.html.
- ^ "PGA Tour announces changes". ESPN. March 21, 2012. http://espn.go.com/golf/story/_/id/7714944/pga-tour-changes-schedule-qualifying-process. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
- ^ Harig, Bob (March 21, 2012). "Decoding tour's schedule changes". ESPN. http://espn.go.com/golf/story/_/id/7712436/decoding-pga-tour-scheduling-changes-2012-season. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
- ^ "PGA Tour Player of the Year: Past winners". PGA Tour. December 18, 2009. http://www.pgatour.com/2009/r/12/16/playersofyear.chart/index.html. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
- ^ "PGA Tour Rookie of the Year: Past winners". PGA Tour. December 18, 2009. http://www.pgatour.com/2009/r/12/16/rookiesofyear.chart/index.html. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
- ^ "No comeback player award this season". ESPN. November 8, 2011. http://espn.go.com/golf/story/_/id/7208152/pga-tour-award-comeback-player-year-award-year. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
- ^ Harig, Bob (November 11, 2009). "No comeback player of year in '09". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=4645808. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
- ^ "PGA Tour Career Money Leaders". PGA Tour. http://www.pgatour.com/r/stats/info/?110. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
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