History of PGA Tour in Timeline
The PGA Tour is a non-profit organization that organizes professional golf tours in North America. It oversees several tours, including the flagship PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champions, the Korn Ferry Tour, and PGA Tour Americas. The organization is based in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, near Jacksonville.
2 days ago : PGA Tour Cancels The Sentry in Kapalua; Sony Open Proceeds as Planned
The PGA Tour has canceled The Sentry tournament in Kapalua and failed to find a new venue. The Sony Open will proceed as scheduled. The Sentry will not be held in 2026 either.
April 10, 1916: Formation of the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA)
On April 10, 1916, the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA) was formed, marking the roots of the modern PGA Tour.
1916: Initial PGA Tour Schedule Formed
In 1916, several prestigious golf tournaments including the North and South Open, the Metropolitan Open, the Canadian Open, the Shawnee Open, the Western Open and the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship formed the initial schedule of what became the "PGA Tour".
1929: Formalization of "The Circuit"
In 1929, the PGA's professional golfer circuit, "The Circuit", became more formalized with the formation of a tournament committee.
1930: Bob Harlow Hired as Manager
In 1930, Bob Harlow was hired as the manager of the PGA Tournament Bureau to formalize a year-round schedule of tournaments.
1938: Babe Zaharias Competes in PGA Tour Event
In 1938, Babe Zaharias became the first woman to compete in a PGA Tour event.
1945: Babe Zaharias Makes Cut in PGA Tour Event
In 1945, Babe Zaharias became the first and only woman to make a cut in a PGA Tour event.
1945: Byron Nelson's Record-Breaking Year
In 1945, Byron Nelson had a record-breaking year, winning 18 PGA tournaments, including 11 consecutively.
1958: Arnold Palmer Wins Masters Tournament
In 1958, Arnold Palmer captured his first Masters Tournament, which was broadcast on CBS, increasing his popularity.
July 1968: Tour Pros Voice Dissatisfaction
In July 1968, following the PGA Championship, leading tour professionals voiced their dissatisfaction with the venue and the number of club pros in the field, contributing to friction with the PGA of America.
December 1968: PGA of America Spun Off
In December 1968, the PGA of America was spun off into a separate organization for tour players, distinguishing them from club professionals.
1968: The Byron Nelson Tournament Named
In 1968, The Byron Nelson became the first PGA Tour event to be named after a professional golfer.
January 1969: Joseph Dey Selected as First Commissioner
In January 1969, Joseph Dey, the recently retired USGA executive director, was selected as the PGA tour's first commissioner.
1974: Introduction of The Players Championship
In 1974, The Players Championship, the tour's flagship event, was introduced.
1974: Deane Beman Becomes Commissioner
In early 1974, Deane Beman, a tour player, succeeded Joseph Dey as the commissioner of the PGA Tour.
1975: Tournament Players Division renamed PGA Tour
In 1975, the Tournament Players Division officially adopted the name "PGA Tour".
1975: Official Name Change to PGA Tour
In 1975, the tour's name officially changed to the "PGA Tour".
1978: PGA Tour Removes Restriction on Women
In 1978, the PGA Tour "removed its restriction on women", though no women have joined the tour since this change.
1979: Addition of Continental European Players to Ryder Cup
In 1979, players from continental Europe were added to the Ryder Cup, enhancing the event's competitiveness.
August 1981: Name Change to TPA Tour
In late August 1981, the PGA Tour changed its name to the TPA Tour due to a marketing dispute with the PGA of America.
March 1982: Return to PGA Tour Name
In March 1982, the tour's name was changed back to the "PGA Tour" after resolving disputed issues.
1986: Introduction of Official World Golf Ranking
In 1986, the Official World Golf Ranking was introduced, leading to competition between the PGA Tour and the European Tour.
1987: Introduction of The Tour Championship
In 1987, The Tour Championship was introduced.
June 1994: Tim Finchem Becomes Commissioner
In June 1994, Tim Finchem became the third commissioner of the PGA Tour.
1995: The Open Championship Becomes a PGA Tour Event
In 1995, The Open Championship in the UK became a PGA Tour event.
1999: Start of World Golf Championships
In 1999, the PGA tour began play of the World Golf Championships.
2002: Retroactive Recognition of Open Championship Wins
In 2002, all Open Championship wins dating back to 1860 were retroactively recognized as PGA Tour victories.
2003: Annika Sörenstam and Suzy Whaley Play in PGA Tour Events
In 2003, Annika Sörenstam and Suzy Whaley played in PGA Tour events.
2004: Michelle Wie Plays in PGA Tour Events
From 2004, Michelle Wie played in PGA Tour events each year through 2008.
2005: Adam Scott at the 2005 Nissan Open
In 2005, Adam Scott at the 2005 Nissan Open was reverted to a 36 hole score as it stopped before 54 holes, and the win was considered unofficial
2005: PGA Tour "Drive to a Billion" Campaign
In 2005, the PGA Tour 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.
2007: The Players Championship Moved to May
In 2007, The Players Championship was moved to May to create a marquee event in five consecutive months.
2007: Tournament Introduced in Mexico
In 2007, the PGA Tour introduced a tournament in Mexico, an alternate event staged the same week as the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.
2007: Introduction of the Fall Series
In 2007, the PGA Tour introduced the Fall Series, a circuit of tournaments to help less successful players retain their tour cards.
2007: Golf Channel Serves as Pay Television Rightsholder
Since 2007, Golf Channel (a division of NBC Sports) has served as the pay television rightsholder of the PGA Tour.
2008: Michelle Wie Plays in PGA Tour Events
In 2008, Michelle Wie played in PGA Tour events.
2008: Tournament Introduced in Puerto Rico
In 2008, a tournament was introduced in Puerto Rico as an alternate event staged opposite the WGC-CA Championship.
2008: Fall Series Schedule Tweaked
In 2008, the Fall Series schedule was tweaked, holding the first event opposite the Ryder Cup and taking a week off for the Tour Championship.
2008: PGA Tour Policy Board Approved Cut Change
In 2008, the PGA Tour Policy Board approved a change in the number of players that will make the cut. Also in late February, the Policy Board announced a revised cut policy, effective beginning with the Honda Classic.
2008: Schedule Tweaked for Ryder Cup
In 2008, the PGA Tour schedule was tweaked, placing a break before the Ryder Cup and scheduling the Tour Championship the week after.
2009: PGA Tour Organizes Events and Runs Other Tours
As of 2009, the PGA Tour organizes 43 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 on five other tours: PGA Tour Champions, the Korn Ferry Tour (formerly known as Web.com Tour), PGA Tour Canada, PGA Tour China, and PGA Tour Latinoamérica.
2009: Fall Series Changes
In 2009, the Fall Series saw major changes, including one event moving to May and another being removed from the schedule. The series returned to its original start date following the Tour Championship, with a week off for the President's Cup.
2009: Fall Series Schedule Tweaked Again
In 2009, the Fall Series schedule was tweaked again, taking a week off for the President's Cup after the first event.
2009: Schedule Tweaked for President's Cup
In 2009, the PGA Tour schedule was tweaked, placing a break before the Tour Championship and scheduling the President's Cup two weeks after.
2009: Charity Raised in 2009
In 2009, the total raised for charity was some $108 million.
2011: Isabelle Beisiegel Earns Tour Card on Canadian Tour
In 2011, Isabelle Beisiegel became the first woman to earn a Tour card on a "men's" professional golf tour, the Canadian Tour, now PGA Tour Canada.
2011: Fall Series Reduced to Four Events
In 2011, the Fall Series was reduced to four events, all held after the Tour Championship, following the move of the Viking Classic into the regular season.
March 20, 2012: Radical Changes to Tour Announced
On March 20, 2012, the PGA tour announced radical changes to the tour's season and qualifying process.
2012: Tour Card Retention Criteria
In 2012, the top 125 players on the money list at the end of the PGA Tour season retained their tour cards.
2012: PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament Details
Through the 2012 edition, the top-25 finishers, including ties, received privileges to play on the following year's PGA Tour. Remaining finishers in the top 75, plus ties, received full privileges on the Korn Ferry Tour.
2013: FedEx Cup Points and Tour Card
At the end of each year, the top 125 in FedEx Cup points (top 125 on the money list before 2013) receive a tour card for the following season. Since 2013, players who are ranked between 126 and 200 in FedEx Cup points are eligible for entry in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, where they can regain their PGA Tour privileges.
2013: Minor Tweak to Details
For the 2013 season only, one of the final details for the radical changes announced previously received a minor tweak on September 11.
2013: Changes to Tour Card Retention Criteria
For the 2013 season, the top 125 players on both the money list and the FedEx Cup points list at the end of the FedEx Cup regular season in August retained their tour cards. The tour also indicated that a decision regarding the future of this qualifying system would be made later.
2013: Changes to PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament
In 2013, all competitors who made the final phase of Q-School earned status on the Korn Ferry Tour at the start of the following season, with high finishers receiving additional rights.
2013: Korn Ferry Tour Golfers Earn Privileges
Since 2013, 50 Korn Ferry Tour golfers earn privileges during the next PGA Tour season. A golfer who wins three events on that tour in a calendar year earns a "performance promotion" which garners PGA Tour privileges for the remainder of the year plus the following full season.
2013: Last Calendar Year Season
The 2013 season was the last PGA Tour season to be conducted entirely within a calendar year.
2014: FedEx Cup Points List and Korn Ferry Tour Finals
In 2014, the move to have the top 125 players on the FedEx Cup points list retain their tour cards took effect. The next 75 players, along with the top 75 on the Korn Ferry Tour money list, became eligible for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals in September, awarding 50 PGA Tour cards for the next season.
2014: Season Start Change
Since the 2014 season, the PGA tour season starts in October of the previous calendar year, shortly after the Tour Championship, and the tournaments in the now season-opening Fall Series are awarded full FedEx Cup points.
2015: PGA Tour Freezes Exemption for Military Service
In 2015, the PGA Tour added a clause which would freeze an exemption for those required to perform military service in their native countries in response to South Korea's Bae Sang-moon having to leave the Tour for that reason.
January 1, 2017: Jay Monahan Succeeds Tim Finchem
On January 1, 2017, Jay Monahan succeeded Tim Finchem as commissioner of the PGA Tour.
2017: PGA Tour Considers Opting Out of Broadcast Contracts
In 2017, the PGA Tour considered invoking an option to opt out of its broadcast television contracts but ultimately decided against doing so.
2017: Charity Raised in 2017
In 2017, the organization announced to have generated $180 million for charities through the tournaments of its six tours.
2020: Cut Line Reduced
For the 2020 season, the cut line was reduced to 65 plus ties and eliminated the 54-hole cut.
2020: Broadcast Television Rights Renewed
In 2020, the PGA Tour's broadcast television rights were held by CBS Sports and NBC Sports, under contracts most recently renewed to last through 2030.
2021: PGA Tour Expresses Concerns Over LIV Golf
In late 2021, the PGA Tour began communicating with White House officials and members of Congress to express concerns over LIV Golf and paid DLA Piper $400,000 to lobby lawmakers regarding LIV Golf proposals.
June 2022: PGA Tour Suspends Players for Participating in LIV Golf
In June 2022, the PGA Tour suspended 17 players who participated in the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational Series event. The memo from Monahan stated that any players taking part in future LIV Golf events will be subjected to the same punishment. Players included major champions Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed, Dustin Johnson, and Phil Mickelson.
August 2022: LIV Golf Players File Antitrust Lawsuit Against PGA Tour
In August 2022, 11 players who had joined LIV Golf filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour to challenge their suspensions, and three players failed to get a temporary restraining order.
June 6, 2023: PGA Tour, PGA European Tour, and LIV Golf Announce Merger Agreement
On June 6, 2023, the PGA Tour, PGA European Tour, and LIV Golf announced they would merge their commercial rights into a single, for-profit entity. The Saudi Public Investment Fund would serve as the "exclusive investor" and the agreement ends all pending litigation between the organizations. Jay Monahan would act as CEO.
September 2023: Antitrust Lawsuit Trial Scheduled
The trial for the antitrust lawsuit filed by LIV Golf players against the PGA Tour in August 2022 was scheduled to begin in September 2023.
December 31, 2023: Deadline for PGA Tour, PGA European Tour, and LIV Golf Deal
The deadline for completing the PGA Tour, PGA European Tour, and LIV Golf deal was December 31, 2023, although there were reports that the parties were attempting to negotiate an extension.
January 31, 2024: PGA Tour Agrees to Investment by Strategic Sports Group
On January 31, 2024, the PGA Tour announced it had agreed to a $3 billion investment by Strategic Sports Group into its for-profit arm, PGA Tour Enterprises. Active players will be given an opportunity to receive grants of equity in PGA Tour Enterprises.
2024: The Byron Nelson Tournament Played Annually
As of 2024, The Byron Nelson tournament is played annually near Dallas.
June 2025: Brian Rolapp Announced as Next CEO
In June 2025, NFL executive Brian Rolapp was announced as the next CEO of PGA tour, effective 2026.
August 2025: Tiger Woods Appointed Chair of Future Competition Committee
In August 2025, Tiger Woods was appointed chair of the PGA Tour's newly created Future Competition Committee, which was established to review and propose reforms to the Tour's competition model.
2026: Brian Rolapp Becomes CEO
In 2026, Brian Rolapp took office as CEO of PGA tour, after being announced in June 2025.
2030: End of Broadcast Television Rights Contracts
The PGA Tour's broadcast television rights contracts with CBS Sports and NBC Sports, renewed in 2020, are set to last through 2030.
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