Golf is highly regarded as one of the most popular sports in the world, so it is no surprise that there are already hundreds of players playing golf in recent years. Gone are the days when the said sport was dominated by big names that have won many trophies, as golf would often have new names that would have a surprising run in tournaments and would even best some of the most popular golfers. One of the most popular tournaments that big names and new players of golf participate in is the PGA Tour.
The PGA Tour is an organizer of golf tournaments that are played in North America, although most of the golf games are played in the United States. On the PGA Tour, you will be able to see veteran golf players and new players with plenty of potential competing to get a trophy.
With so many veterans joining the PGA Tour, it is quite difficult to determine how long a PGA career actually lasts. There are some that would play for only a few years, but there are also a few that would play for more than 20 years. To learn more about PGA careers, we should take a look at the PGA Tour in general, as well as some of its most popular players that have played in the tournament for decades.
What is the PGA Tour?
As mentioned earlier, the PGA Tour is an organizer of golf tournaments that are usually played in the United States and also in some parts of North America and other regions in the world. The PGA Tour was created on December 2, 1929, by the PGA or the Professional Golfers’ Association of America in 1968.
The PGA Tour is considered the most popular golf organizer in the world, and they host a variety of tournaments or tours that are catered to different types of players. Here are details about the tours that the PGA Tour organizes.
PGA Tour (Top Tour)
The PGA Tour is the main line of tournaments organized by the PGA. Most of the tournaments are organized in the United States, although there are some that are held in other countries like Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Bermuda, Japan, and Korea.
The tournaments that are held in Bermuda, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico are actually alternate events that are organized opposite to the World Golf Championship Tournaments, and because of this, they would have weaker fields or significance compared to other PGA tournaments.
PGA Tour Champions
The PGA Tour Champions, which is formerly known as the Champions Tour and the Senior PGA Tour, is a professional senior golf tour for men. This line of tournaments was founded in 1980 and served as the tour for professional golfers that are 50 years and above in age. Most of the tournaments in this tour were once held exclusively in the United States, but since 2016, one major senior tournament has been held in the United Kingdom, while one major tournament has been held in Canada.
Korn Ferry Tour
The Korn Ferry Tour is a development tour that is played by professional golfers that haven’t reached the PGA Tour yet or have not earned enough FedEx Cup points to be on the PGA Tour. Players that will be on the top 25 of the tour’s money list will be given PGA Tour memberships next season, which is why the Korn Ferry Tour is considered one of the most competitive tours, as there are many players that are doing their best just become a player of the PGA Tour.
PGA Tour Latinoamérica
The PGA Tour Latinoamérica is a third-level golf tour that was founded in 2012 as a way to expand the reach of the PGA Tour in other regions of the world. Despite being one of the lower-tier tours in golf, it still serves as a great stepping stone for many Latin American players to reach the prestigious PGA Tour.
PGA Tour Canada
The PGA Tour Canada, also popularly known as the Canadian Tour, is a professional golf tour for men that was founded in 1970 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. As its name suggests, this tour is primarily held in different areas of Canada. Much like the PGA Tour Latinoamérica, the PGA Tour Canada is a low-tier tournament that serves as a stepping stone for a lot of players to get to the Korn Ferry Tour before they reach the PGA Tour.
PGA Tour China
The PGA Tour China is a relatively new line of tournaments hosted by the PGA Tour, as it was just founded in 2014. This tour is supposed to expand the reach of the PGA Tour in Asia, and much like the PGA Tour Canada and Latinoamérica, it is a low-tier tour that allows players in Asia to have an opportunity to become a member of the PGA Tour by winning multiple tournaments within the Asian tour.
How Long Does a PGA Career Last?
Because of the existence of the PGA Tour Champions, it could be said that a golfer’s PGA career can last for more than 50 years. However, those golfers that played within the PGA Tour Champions are no longer eligible to play in the PGA Tour, so some would also say that the peak of a golfer’s career in the PGA would end once he reaches 50 years of age.
Here is a list of the golfers with the most PGA Tour wins and has a long lifespan within the sport. Take note that most of the people on the list are considered the best golf players of all time.
- Sam Snead – 82 wins for 30 years
- Tiger Woods – 82 wins for 24 years
- Jack Nicklaus – 73 wins for 25 years
- Ben Hogan – 64 wins for 22 years
- Arnold Palmer – 62 wins for 19 years
- Byron Nelson – 52 wins for 17 years
- Billy Casper – 51 wins for 20 years
- Walter Hagen – 45 wins for 23 years
- Phil Mickelson – 45 wins for 31 years
So, unlike many sports where a career of a player would end once he or she reaches 33 years of age, a golfer’s career would last much longer. The longer lifespan of a golfer’s career is mainly attributed to how golf is less strenuous compared to other sports, and it would also be attributed to how golfers would still be proficient in playing the sport even after many years of participating in tournaments.