PGA TOUR Top Tournaments
The first thing you must know about PGA TOUR tournaments is that there are four major tournaments, the Master, US Open, British Open and PGA Championship. Anyone who knows anything about golf knows at least that much. If you aren't privy, then take notes.
The Masters is always played at Augusta National in Augusta, Georgia in early April (Masters). It is the only major tournament that never changes venue; therefore the greatest golfers in the world have played more holes of major golf there then any other location (Sowell). The Masters and Augusta National are the creations of golfing legend Bobby Jones, and the Masters is considered one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world. The 2006 purse totaled $7 million and Phil Mickelson was the winner at seven under par ("2006 PGA TOUR Schedule").
The US Open is managed by the United States Golf Association, the USGA, and is played on a different golf course each year, usually in June. An important point of interest is that the USGA always selects very difficult courses, requiring brilliant strategic and physical skills (Parker). The 2006 purse was $6.25 million and Geoff Ogilvy was the winner at five over par ("2006 PGA TOUR Schedule").
The British Open is organized by the R&A of St. Andrews, Scotland, which is the equivalent of the USGA outside of the US. The tournament is held on various courses in Brittan -- which includes England, Scotland and Northern Ireland for those of you needing some geography help -- and it usually takes place in July. An interesting fact about the British Open is that it's the oldest golf tournament in the world, dating back to 1860 (R&A, St. Andrews). The 2006 purse totaled $6.75 million and Tiger Woods won with a score of 18 under par ("2006 PGA TOUR Schedule").
The PGA Championship is the final major of each season, usually played in mid August. The tournament is run by the Professional Golfers' Association and has been played on various courses each year since 1916. A fact sure to impress your buddies is that Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus both won the tournament five times; however, Hagen's were back-to-back (Professional Golfers' Association). The 2006 purse was $6.5 million and Tiger Woods won with 18 under par ("2006 PGA TOUR Schedule").
Although not considered a major, The PLAYERS Championship is of special interest. It has the largest purse of any tournament at $8 million as of 2006 and is managed by the PGA TOUR, which is the organization of the tournament playing golfers (PGA TOUR). The tournament is always played at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The tournament is considered by some to be the unofficial fifth major.
PGA TOUR Top Players
If you are going to talk a good game as well as play one, you must know who the top players are on the PGA TOUR. There is no concrete way to determine who is better than who; however, by looking at both the money rankings - which players have won the most money - and the world golf rankings - a point system based on a wide range of playing factors - you can get a good enough idea. Here are the top five players based on both money rankings and official world golf ranking as of the completion of the final major tournament, August 20, 2006.
1. Tiger Woods is the best PGA TOUR player. He is first in winnings at $6.35 million and first in world points with an average of 20.99 ("PGA TOUR Stats"). Woods was born in Cypress, California and turned pro in 1996.
2. Phil Mickelson is the second best PGA TOUR player. He is second in world golf ranking at an average of 8.93 points and third in total winnings at $4.22 million ("PGA TOUR Stats"). Mickelson was born in San Diego, California and turned pro in 1992.
3. Jim Furyk is the third best PGA TOUR player. He is second in money at $4.73 million and third in world golf ranking at an average of 7.67 points ("PGA TOUR Stats"). Furyk was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania and turned pro in 1992.
4. Vijay Singh is the fourth best PGA TOUR player. He is fourth on the world golf ranking list with an average of 7.32 points and fifth on the money list with $3.43 million ("PGA TOUR Stats"). Singh was born in Lautoka, Fiji and turned pro in 1982.
5. Geoff Ogilvy is the fifth best PGA TOUR player. He is fourth on the money list at $4.18 million and seventh on the world golf ranking with an average of 5.98 points ("PGA TOUR Stats"). Ogilvy was born in Adelaide, South Australia and turned pro in 1998.
PGA TOUR Interesting Facts
If you really want to impress your buddies, here's where to get the information. You may want to jot some of this down to memorize. Whip out the facts on the course and have your friends staring in amazement, even if your score isn't worth one look. Try a couple of these on for size the next time you're out on the green.
"I bet none of you guys can guess who has the longest average driving distance on the PGA TOUR." Pause as your friends wildly guess. "Not even close. Bubba Watson tops the list. He tosses the ball on average 319.3 yards, and he's fresh out of Q-School," ("PGA TOUR Stats"). By the way, Q-School is the name of the PGA TOUR qualifying tournament.
"Can you guess what the longest drive on the PGA TOUR has been this year?" As your friends look baffled, just stand there looking smug. "You wish it was him. It was Jason Gore at 427 yards," ("PGA TOUR Stats"). "You know, he learned all he knows from me."
"Alright, I'll give you another shot. Who has the most top-10 finishes on the PGA TOUR this year?" They will all think they know they answer. Just shake your head sullenly in disappointment at your friends' ignorance. "No its not Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson or Jim Furyk. It's Vijay Singh with 10 top 10 finishes," ("PGA TOUR Stats"). Just so you know, incase your friends ask: For the 2006 season as of August 20, Woods has eight, Mickelson eight and Furyk nine.
To prevent your friends hating you for your superior golf knowledge, you might want to give them an easy one like this. "You guys have to at least know this one. Which PGA TOUR player has the best scoring average?" Hopefully, all your friends unanimously say Tiger Woods. If they don't, you might want to look for better golfing buddies. Woods has an average score of 68.78 ("PGA TOUR Stats").
At this point you are well prepared to amaze almost anyone with your knowledge about the PGA TOUR. But don't let it go to your head or your golfing buddies will expect you to not only know even more about the PGA TOUR, but also play like you're a PGA TOUR member.