How Does the $600M PGA Tour Work?
How does the PGA Tour Work?
PGA Tour Structure
The PGA Tour is the organiser of professional golf tours in North America, with some of the tournaments being held at selected international locations.
The PGA Tour is not to be confused with the Professional Golfer’s Association of America, which is a separate organisation. The two were once unified but split in the late 1960’s, a few years later the PGA Tour was born.
Pinnacle Golf events – The Masters, PGA Championship, U.S Open, and the Ryder Cup – fall outside of the PGA Tour. But players can still earn FedEx points from these majors.
However, The PGA Tour does operate six tours:
PGA Tour: The main tour of the world’s best golfers, competing for higher places on a metaphorical ladder.
PGA Tour Champions: Intended for golfers over the age of 50
Korn Ferry Tour: This is the most direct way to earn PGA Tour status.
PGA Tour Latinoamérica: This tour is the third layer of golfing and feeds into the Korn Ferry Tour.
PGA Tour Canada: Another Korn Ferry feeder tour, taken over by the PGA Tour in 2012.
PGA Tour China: The third Korn Ferry feeder tournament.
PGA Tour Point System and Qualification
The PGA Tour operates with a clear qualification and eligibility system. Points for the main standings, the FedEx Cup, are earned through the season based on finish places at PGA Tour tournaments.
A tournament winner can earn between 300 and 700 points to boost their FedEx Cup rankings while winning golfers in major tournaments and the PLAYERS Championship can earn up to 750 points.
You can view the live PGA Tournament leaderboard here.
In the PGA Tour schedule, there are eight signature events which have an inflated purse ($20 million) and as just mentioned, FedEx points reward.
The system is designed to reward those who are consistent across a season. For example, those finishing above the cut more frequently will be rewarded more than a competitor who wins one tournament but performs poorly outside of that.
After the annual PGA Tour schedule is complete, the 125 golfers with the most FedEx points are rewarded with a tour card for the following season.
Players ranked from 126 to 250 are invited into the Korn Ferry Tour finals, offering an opportunity to regain their PGA Tour privileges.
If players manage to win a tournament, they are provided with a tour card for a minimum of two years, with an extra year added for each win (maximum of 5).
Winning The Tour Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational, or the Memorial Tournament provides a 3-year exemption.
Winners of The Players Championship, major championships, and the FedEx Cup earn a 5-ear exemption.
Many of these eligibility systems are changing in 2026, you can find out more about those changes here.
Making it onto the PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is widely considered the pinnacle of golf and would be a dream for any aspiring professional.
However, earning a spot on the roster can be difficult and the system is often described as bureaucratic.
Naturally, the top 125 golfers rewarded with a PGA Tour card will not compete in every tournament, purely down to the number of competitions on the circuit. Therefore, opening space for others to grasp their opportunity.
Despite there being several routes to the PGA Tour roster, the most common route is through the Korn Ferry Tour, where the top performers earn their PGA card for the following season.
As mentioned, those who have won tournaments in previous years will have a space on the tour, some of which are ‘life members’.
There are a few other routes onto the Tour, but another worth noting is a sponsor exemption.
Each event will offer four sponsor exemptions restricted to PGA Tour members. In 2025, one additional sponsor exemption was added for players with 80 or more wins on the PGA Tour. Effectively, this is just Tiger Woods.
Competing with LIV Golf
The emergence of LIV Golf and its shoulder-to-shoulder relationship with the PGA Tour has been well documented.
The fact is, LIV Golf is here to stay. The PGA Tour has invested in tournament prize money and event restructuring to remain as the prestigious golf circuit.
It will also be interesting to see the impact of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TGL indoor golf competition. Unlike LIV Golf, this competition was created with the PGA Tour in mind, rather than butting heads against it.
When does the PGA Tour start 2025?
As this article is being written, the circuit is well underway with 11 tournaments being played. With the winners receiving a total of $25.3 million combined.
Tournaments run all the way through the year with the final one taking place in December. The Grant Thornton Invitational taking place in Florida.
An eye-watering PGA Tour Purse
Leading on from the point above, the PGA Tour has invested heavily in its purse totals.
In 2025’s schedule, golfers will be playing for over $600 million in prize money.
Let’s break down the tournament schedule and the specific purses.
2025 PGA Tour Schedule
January 2025
January 5: The Sentry – Hawaii – $20,000,000
January 12: Sony Open in Hawaii – Hawaii – $8,700,000
January 19: The American Express – California – $8,800,000
January 25: Farmers Insurance Open – California – $9,300,000
February 2025
February 2: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am – California – $20,000,000
February 9: WM Phoenix Open – Arizona – $9,200,000
February 16: Genesis Invitational – California – $20,000,000
February 23: Mexico Open – Mexico – $7,000,000
March 2025
March 2: Cognizant Classic – Florida – $9,200,000
March 9: Arnold Palmer Invitational – Florida – $20,000,000
March 9: Puerto Rico Open – Puerto Rico – $4,000,000
March 16: The Players Championship – Florida – $25,000,000
March 23: Valspar Championship – Florida – $8,700,000
March 30: Texas Children’s Houston Open – Texas – $9,500,000
April 2025
April 6: Valero Texas Open – Texas – $9,500,000
April 13: Masters Tournament – Georgia – To Be Announced
April 20: RBC Heritage – South Carolina – $20,000,000
April 20: Corales Puntacana Championship – Dominican Republic – To Be Announced
April 27: Zurich Classic of New Orleans – Louisiana – To Be Announced
May 2025
May 4: The CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Texas – To Be Announced
May 11: Truist Championship – Pennsylvania – $20,000,000
May 11: Myrtle Beach Classic – South Carolina – To Be Announced
May 18: PGA Championship – North Carolina – To Be Announced
May 25: Charles Schwab Challenge – Texas – To Be Announced
June 2025
June 1: The Memorial Tournament presented by Workday – Ohio – $20,000,000
June 8: RBC Canadian Open – Ontario, Canada – To Be Announced
June 15: U.S. Open – Pennsylvania – To Be Announced
June 22: Travelers Championship – Connecticut – $20,000,000
June 29: Rocket Mortgage Classic – Michigan – To Be Announced
July 2025
July 6: John Deere Classic – Illinois – To Be Announced
July 13: Genesis Scottish Open – Scotland – $9,000,000
July 13: ISCO Championship – Kentucky – To Be Announced
July 20: The Open Championship – Northern Ireland – To Be Announced
July 20: Barracuda Championship – California – To Be Announced
July 27: 3M Open – Minnesota – To Be Announced
August 2025
August 3: Wyndham Championship – North Carolina – To Be Announced
August 10: FedEx St. Jude Championship – Tennessee – $20,000,000
August 17: BMW Championship – Maryland – $20,000,000
August 24: Tour Championship – Georgia – Not Applicable
September 2025
September 14: Procore Championship – California – $6,000,000
October 2025
October 5: Sanderson Farms Championship – Mississippi – $6,000,000
October 12: Baycurrent Classic – Japan – $8,500,000
October 26: Black Desert Championship – Utah – $6,000,000
November 2025
November 9: World Wide Technology Championship – Mexico – $6,000,000
November 16: Butterfield Bermuda Championship – Bermuda – $6,000,000
November 23: RSM Classic – Georgia – $6,000,000
December 2025
December 4-7: Hero World Challenge – Albany, Bahamas – $5,000,000
December 12-14: Grant Thornton Invitational – Tiburón Golf Club, Naples, Florida – $4,000,000
Golf in 2025
Golf is growing at an incredible rate thanks to the introduction of new competitions and increased funding.
This provides an amazing array of events available for golf fanatics to attend throughout the year.
If you are interested in a golf-related experience, then get in touch today and speak with a dedicated member of our team.
