Ranking All PGA Tour Events
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Show us the money.Don’t let your eyes deceive you. Just because the courses you see each week on telecasts of the PGA Tour look flawless on your big screen, they’ve all got issues and warts that are constantly being picked apart and complained about by the golfers making their living from shot to shot, and putt to putt, clubhouse to clubhouse.
We polled a handful of those players, as well as some of the nation’s most noted and knowledgeable golf writers and experts, and compiled a ranking of every event on the PGA Tour and the courses where they are played.
We took into consideration the location of the event, its history, its payouts, the likely quality of the fields that compete in the tournament and the courses for each tour stop. Those that paid higher purses may have been elevated over those with better courses, and vice versa, but there was a method to the madness of our results.
48. QBE Shootout
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Hole No. 1 on the Gold Course at Tiburon Golf Club, home of the QBE Shootout, in Naples, Florida.Location: Tiburon Golf Club, Naples, Florida
Established: 1989
Month played: December
Total purse (winner's share): $3.4 million ($442,000)*
*Note: All numbers and rankings are from the 2019 PGA Tour season.
Bottom Line: QBE Shootout
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The QBE Shootout started in 1989.A three-day team event founded by Greg Norman and held on a course designed by the Great White Shark himself.
The teams play a scramble in the first round, greensomes in the second (each player hits a tee shot) and fourball in the final round.
It’s too much like a country club shootout to be important.
47. Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship
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Julio Santos eyes a green at the Corales Golf Course in the Dominican Republic during the 2019 Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship.Location: Corales Puntacana Resort & Club, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Established: 2018
Month played: March
Total purse (winner's share): $3 million ($540,000)
Bottom Line: Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship
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Brice Garnett won the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship in 2018.After being a Web.com Tour event for two years, this alternate event is played by the pro golfers who aren’t eligible for the Match Play, and it plays a distant second fiddle to the World Golf Championships (WGC) event.
The Dominican Republic is a fine golf destination, but the pros would rather be elsewhere.
46. Barbasol Championship
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The Barbasol Championship is played at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky.Location: Keene Trace Golf Club, Nicholasville, Kentucky
Established: 2015
Month played: July
Total purse (winner's share): $3.5 million ($630,000)
Bottom Line: Barbasol Championship
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Jhonattan Vegas chips onto the green during the Barbasol Championship in 2016.The Barbasol Championship was born in 2015 in Alabama as an alternate event for those tour players not making the trip across the pond to Britain for the Open Championship.
It moved to Kentucky in 2018, becoming the first PGA Tour event (excluding the PGA Championship in 1996, 2000 and 2014) in the state in 59 years.
45. Sanderson Farms Championship
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D.J. Trahan, the 2006 Sanderson Farms Championship winner, when the event was the Southern Farm Bureau Classic.Location: Country Club of Jackson, Jackson, Mississippi
Established: 1968
Month played: September
Total purse (winner's share): $4.4 million ($792,000)
Bottom Line: Sanderson Farms Championship
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Spain's Sergio Garcia holds the Sanderson Farms Championship trophy after winning the tournament in 2020.Played the same week as the WGC HSBC Champions, this alternate event can sometimes be an afterthought for those that follow the game.
The course, redesigned in 2007 by John Fought, is the draw. The drawback is the small purse and second-tier status.
44. Barracuda Championship (formerly Reno-Tahoe Open)
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Gary Woodland, left, consults with his caddie on the 18th hole during the second round of 2013 Reno-Tahoe Open at Montreux Golf Club in Reno. Nevada.Location: Montreux Golf and Country Club, Reno, Nevada
Established: 1999
Month played: July
Total purse (winner's share): $3.5 million ($630,000)
Bottom Line: Barracuda Championship (formerly Reno-Tahoe Open)
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Bronson Burgoon lines up a putt at the Barracuda Championship in 2019.Two words — Stableford scoring — illustrate how this alternate event to the WGC event in Memphis the same week is so unique. This points scale encourages aggressive play, since the reward for scoring under par is higher than the penalty for scoring over par.
The event is played on one of the best courses in the West and is known as the Barracuda Championship after Barracuda Networks became the title sponsor in 2014.
43. Puerto Rico Open
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Martin Trainer won the 2019 Puerto Rico Open.Location: Coco Beach Golf & Country Club, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
Established: 2008
Month played: March
Total purse (winner's share): $3 million ($540,000)
Bottom Line: Puerto Rico Open
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Nate Lashley prepares to hit a putt at the Puerto Rico Open in 2019.The Puerto Rico Open is played on the Tom Kite-designed Championship course.
It is the only PGA Tour event ever held in Puerto Rico and is low on this ranking because of its small purse and the fact that it’s an alternate event, played on the same dates as the WGC-Mexico Championship.
42. 3M Open
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Bryson DeChambeau is fired up for the 3M Open.Location: TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minnesota
Established: 2019
Month played: July
Total purse (winner's share): $6.4 million ($1.152 million)
Bottom Line: 3M Open
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Richy Werenski lines up a birdie putt at the 3M Open in 2020.The inaugural tournament in 2019 was the first official PGA Tour event in Minnesota since the 2009 PGA Championship, in which Y.E. Yang of South Korea defeated Tiger Woods at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska.
The 3M Open takes the place of the 3M Championship, a PGA Tour Champions event, which was played in August 2018 for the final time.
41. Rocket Mortgage Classic
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Hole 4, a par-5, at Detroit Golf Club can measure up to 625 yards for the Rocket Mortgage Classic.Location: Detroit Golf Club, Detroit, Michigan
Established: 2019
Month played: June/July
Total purse (winner's share): $7.3 million ($1.314 million)
Bottom Line: Rocket Mortgage Classic
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Bryson DeChambeau holds the Rocket Mortgage Classic trophy in 2020.This tournament started in 2019 and is the first PGA Tour event ever to be held in the city of Detroit.
The area had not hosted a tour event since the Buick Open in 2009 at Warwick Hills in Grand Blanc.
The course, designed by Golden Age architect Donald Ross, is part of the draw for players.
40. Shriners Hospitals for Children Open
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TPC Summerlin, the home course for the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.Location: TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada
Established: 1983
Month played: November
Total purse (winner's share): $7 million ($1.260 million)
Bottom Line: Shriners Hospitals for Children Open
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Peter Uihlein hits out of the dirt at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in 2018.Few of the PGA Tour pros like this course, but many will play the tournament because of its charitable bent (Justin Timberlake has long been involved) and the fact that they get a week in Sin City along with the event.
39. CIMB Classic
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Pat Perez won the 2017 CIMB Classic.Location: TPC Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Established: 2010
Month played: October
Total purse (winner's share): $7 million ($1.26 million)
Bottom Line: CIMB Classic
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Nick Watney at the CIMB Classic in 2018.All you need to know about this tournament is Kuala Lumpur, which is Malaysian for "muddy confluence."
The limited-field event was replaced in the 2019–20 PGA Tour season by the Zozo Championship in Japan.
38: Zurich Classic of New Orleans
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Jerry Kelly, left, and Steve Stricker partner for the 2019 Zurich Classic of New Orleans.Location: TPC Louisiana, Avondale, Louisiana
Established: 1938
Month played: April
Total purse (winner's share): $7.3 million ($1.313 million)
Bottom Line: Zurich Classic of New Orleans
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Welcome to the Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, Louisiana.The event changed to a team (pairs) competition in 2017, but there’s little pizazz surrounding tournament week in the Big Easy.
The course features 103 bunkers, multiple mounds, and tough greens, all designed on a swamp by Pete Dye.
Golf pros consider the track to be one of the most unforgiving on the PGA Tour schedule.
37. Valspar Championship
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Henrik Stenson looks to clear a bug from his ball at the 2017 Valspar Championship.Location: Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club’s Copperhead Course, Palm Harbor, Florida
Established: 2000
Month played: March
Total purse (winner's share): $6.7 million ($1.206 million)
Bottom Line: Valspar Championship
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The Valspar Championship is played in Palm Harbor, Florida.This was first played as an alternate event, then given status and its own weekend on the schedule.
But the Valspar Championship still is skipped over my many pros because of the events before it (formerly the Arnold Palmer Invitational and now the Players) and after it (WGC Match Play).
The course’s par-4 16th hole, the opener of the "Snake Pit," is one of the toughest on tour.
36. John Deere Classic
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The John Deere Classic is played in July.Location: TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Illinois
Established: 1971
Month played: July
Total purse (winner's share): $6 million ($1.08 million)
Bottom Line: John Deere Classic
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Fore.This event is played every year in July in this Quad Cities community, and always the week before the British Open.
In order to help attract players, since 2008, the John Deere Classic has sponsored a charter flight that leaves the area on Sunday night and arrives in Britain the next morning.
35. Desert Classic
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No. 17, aka Alcatraz, on the Stadium Course at PGA West.Location: PGA West Stadium Course/PGA West Course/La Quinta Country Club, La Quinta, California
Established: 1960
Month played: January
Total purse (winner's share): $5.9 million ($1.062 million)
Bottom Line: Desert Classic
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Phil Mickelson at the 2019 Desert Classic on the PGA West Stadium Course in La Quinta, California.This tournament is played on three different courses, and in a pro-am format.
The early-season date as the first event back on the mainland in the calendar year sometimes affects the field and other players.
Its hodgepodge keeps it from ranking higher.
34: Sony Open in Hawaii
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John Oda takes a shot at the Waialae Country Club.Location: Waialae Country Club, Honolulu, Hawaii
Established: 1965
Month played: January
Total purse (winner's share): $6.4 million ($1.152 million)
Bottom Line: Sony Open in Hawaii
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Cameron Smith kisses the champions trophy after winning the Sony Open in 2020.Most players — meaning all those that didn’t win the year before but still have a hankering for the islands — begin their calendar seasons with this event (Fall Series, be darned).
The course often is panned for being too easy, but sometimes, these guys deserve a break, too.
33. The Honda Classic
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Justin Thomas won the 2018 Honda ClassicLocation: PGA National Resort Champion Course, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Established: 1972
Month played: February/March
Total purse (winner's share): $6.8 million ($1.224 million)
Bottom Line: The Honda Classic
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Matt Jones won the Honda Classic in 2021.The Honda Classic at PGA National is home to the infamous "Bear Trap," a trio of nearly unplayable holes that keep even the professional golfers honest and creates an "anybody-can-lose" mentality.
The 2019 event had six players atop the leaderboard with four holes to play.
32. Safeway Open
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Aaron Baddeley at the 2018 Safeway Open.Location: Silverado Resort and Spa North Course, Napa, California
Established: 2007
Month played: October
Total purse (winner's share): $6.4 million ($1.152 million )
Bottom Line: Safeway Open
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The Silverado Resort North Course at the 2020 Safeway Open in Napa, California.A staple of the Fall Series, the Safeway Open usually sports a less-than-stellar field, even with the Johnny Miller-designed (and partially owned) course and the appeal of wine country.
The event opens the PGA Tour schedule each year.
31. Valero Texas Open
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The Valero Texas Open was first played in 1922.Location: TPC San Antonio AT&T Oaks Course, San Antonio, Texas
Established: 1922
Month played: April
Total purse (winner's share): $7.5 million ($1.35 million)
Bottom Line: Valero Texas Open
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Corey Conners with the trophy after winning the 2019 Valero Texas Open.The Valero Texas Open has plenty of history on tour, but all those good vibes, as well as its burgeoning purse and record-breaking charitable contributions, have taken a back seat in recent years because most of the pros really hate the Greg Norman-designed golf course.
It moved to the week before the Masters in 2019 to help draw a better field.
30. Hero World Challenge
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Tiger Woods hosts the Hero World Challenge.Location: Albany, New Providence, Bahamas
Established: 2000
Month played: December
Total purse (winner's share): $3.5 million ($1 million)
Bottom Line: Hero World Challenge
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Justin Thomas hits from a bunker at the Hero World Challenge at the Albany Golf Club in Nassau, Bahamas, in 2017.This event benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation and is hosted by the man himself, with just 18 players invited to participate and a guaranteed payout.
If you're one of the lucky players to be asked, you would be crazy to let down Tiger, right?
29. Mayakoba Golf Classic
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The Mayakoba Golf Classic is played at El Camaleon Golf Club in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico.Location: El Chameleon Golf Club, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Established: 2007
Month played: December
Total purse (winner's share): $7.2 million ($1.296 million)
Bottom Line: Mayakoba Golf Classic
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You never know what you'll see at the Mayakoba Golf Classic.There are a lot worse things than playing golf on the Mexican Riviera, and this event has become one of the Fall Series’ best because of its steady purse increases.
The draw of a week’s vacation in the sun and surf doesn't hurt either.
28. RSM Classic
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Charles Howell III won the 2018 RSM ClassicLocation: Sea Island Resort, Sea Island, Georgia
Established: 2010
Month played: November
Total purse (winner's share): $6.4 million ($1.152 million)
Bottom Line: RSM Classic
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Kevin Kisner looks at where his ball landed after he hit out the bunker at the 2020 RSM Classic in St. Simons Island, Georgia.The RSM Classic is played on one of the best courses on tour and deserves a better placement on the schedule.
As it is, it’s the last full-field tournament on the Fall Series, and it’s a fun final run around the course before the doldrums of the holiday season.
27. AT&T Byron Nelson
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Adam Scott won the 2018 Byron Nelson.Location: Trinity Forest Golf Club, Dallas, Texas
Established: 1944
Month played: May
Total purse (winner's share): $7.9 million ($1.422 million)
Bottom Line: AT&T Byron Nelson
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The AT&T Byron Nelson is played at the Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas, Texas.The Byron Nelson used to be a player favorite when it was held at TPC Four Seasons in Las Colinas (Irving, Texas) because of the amenities the stop offered families.
The course there was not as popular as the resort, and in the 2017-18 season, the event moved to a new Coore/Crenshaw-designed track that was not player or fan friendly.
26: Wyndham Championship
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The Wyndham Championship was founded in 1938.Location: Sedgefield Country Club’s Ross Course, Greensboro, North Carolina
Established: 1938
Month played: August
Total purse (winner's share): $6.2 million ($1.116 million)
Bottom Line: Wyndham Championship
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Bud Cauley at the 2020 Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina.The Wyndham Championship, played on a peerless course designed by Golden Age architect Donald Ross, represents the last chance for players to earn a spot in the FedEx Cup.
Here, in 1965, the legendary Sam Snead, less than two months shy of age 53, set PGA Tour standards for his eighth win at an event and became the oldest winner of a tournament.
Both records still stand.
25. Arnold Palmer Invitational
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Fans can get close to the action at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.Location: Bay Hill Club and Lodge, Orlando, Florida
Established: 1966
Month played: March
Total purse (winner's share): $9.1 million ($1.602 million)
Bottom Line: Arnold Palmer Invitational
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Bryson DeChambeau won the 2021 Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Florida.Arnold Palmer didn't start the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but he bought the resort and its two golf courses and placed his fingerprints on every corner of the property.
The event wouldn't be as popular as it is now if it wasn’t so associated with the King, but it’s still a fun course to watch and play golf on.
24. The CJ Cup at Nine Bridges
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The CJ Cup was founded in 2017.Location: Nine Bridges Golf Club, Jeju Island, South Korea
Established: 2017
Month played: October
Total purse (winner's share): $9.5 million ($1.710 million)
Bottom Line: The CJ Cup at Nine Bridges
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Justin Thomas has won a lot of money here.The CJ Cup is set on the other side of the world, but the course, ranked among the top 50 ever built, is as flawless as it is tough.
Hall of Fame golfer Chi Chi Rodriguez once called the course the "Taj Mahal of golf" because every hole looks like a postcard.
23. Farmers Insurance Open
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The Farmer Insurance Open is played at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, California.Location: Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course), La Jolla, California
Established: 1952
Month played: January
Total purse (winner's share): $7.1 million ($1.278 million)
Bottom Line: Farmers Insurance Open
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It's tough to beat La Jolla.The first two days of the Farmers Insurance Open are split between the North and South Course, with the best scores at the cutline carded on the easier North.
There’s little middle ground between players about the South course. They either really like it or really hate it, but the views make for a great day of golf.
22. Travelers Championship
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A view from the 2018 Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands.Location: TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Connecticut
Established: 1952
Month played: June
Total purse (winner's share): $7.2 million ($1.296 million)
Bottom Line: Travelers Championship
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Dustin Johnson after winning the 2020 Travelers Championship.The Travelers Championship is a favorite on tour and garnered the "Players Choice" award (voted on exclusively by PGA Tour members) in 2018 for the second straight season.
The award is based on players' experiences with tournament services, hospitality, player and family amenities, community support, attendance, golf course and other attributes.
21. Waste Management Phoenix Open
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An aerial view of the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale.Location: TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course, Scottsdale, Arizona
Established: 1932
Month played: February
Total purse (winner's share): $7.1 million ($1.278 million)
Bottom Line: Waste Management Phoenix Open
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Fans in the gallery enjoy the Waste Management Phoenix Open.The TPC Scottsdale course is the home of the loudest hole in golf, the famed par-3 16th. Upward of 20,000 mostly intoxicated fans harshly judge shots hit both well and poorly.
Usually played on Super Bowl Sunday, the tournament still draws some 85,000 patrons for the final round.
20. RBC Heritage
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Hilton Head is a beautiful place to play golf.Location: Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Established: 1969
Month played: April
Total purse (winner's share): $6.9 million ($1.242 million)
Bottom Line: RBC Heritage
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Stewart Cink at the 2021 RBC Heritage.Known by golfers and fans as "That Tournament After the Masters," this event is perhaps the most underrated on tour.
The tournament beautifully fills the post-Masters space with a laid-back weekend in lush Hilton Head, a near-perfect destination for people trying to flee winter’s dying breath.
19. Wells Fargo Championship
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The Wells Fargo Championship is an annual PGA Tour stop in Charlotte, North Carolina.Location: Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina
Established: 2003
Month played: May
Total purse (winner's share): $7.9 million ($1.422 million)
Bottom Line: Wells Fargo Championship
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To the victor goes the spoils.The Wells Fargo Championship has a great pedigree, a great course (designed originally by George Cobb and renovated through the years by Arnold Palmer and Tom Fazio) and a great spot on the schedule.
The event also is known to have one of the tougher finishes as its 16th, 17th, and 18th holes, commonly known as the "Green Mile," often rank among the PGA Tour's toughest closing stretch.
18. RBC Canadian Open
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Glen Abbey Golf Course has hosted the most Canadian Opens.Location: Various courses around the country (including Glen Abbey Golf Course, Oakville, Ontario, Canada, and the Hamilton Golf & Country Club, Hamilton, Ontario)
Established: 1904
Month played: June
Total purse (winner's share): $7.6 million ($1.368 Million)
Bottom Line: RBC Canadian Open
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The RBC Canadian Open is the only PGA Tour event held in Canada.The only PGA Tour event held north of the border, the RBC Canadian Open is the third-oldest continuously running tournament on the tour, after The Open Championship and the U.S. Open.
A Canadian has not won the Canadian Open since Pat Fletcher in 1954.
17. Genesis Open
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The Genesis Open was first played in 1926 as the Los Angeles Open.Location: Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, California
Established: 1926
Month played: February
Total purse (winner's share): $7.4 million ($1.332 million)
Bottom Line: Genesis Open
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The Genesis Open has a lot of history.One of the oldest tournaments on the tour is played on one of its most iconic courses, with the march up the 18th fairway at Riviera toward the clubhouse ranking as the best jaunt anywhere.
There are a handful of holes here, including the par-3 seventh, the short par-4 10th and the 18th that are some of the best ever designed.
16. AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
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Phil Mickelson won the 2019 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.Location: Pebble Beach Golf Links/Spyglass Hill Golf Course/Monterrey Peninsula Country Club, Pebble Beach, California
Established: 1937
Total purse (winner's share): $7.6 million ($1.368 million)
Bottom Line: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
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You'll always see something great at Pebble Beach.Crooner and actor Bing Crosby founded the Pebble Beach Pro-Am as the "Crosby Clambake."
Played at two other top-drawer facilities, as well as the course considered among the top two or three in the nation, this event is highly regarded by players and fans.
Pebble Beach also has been the site of six U. S. Opens, in 1972, 1982, 1992, 2000, 2010 and 2019.
15. Sentry Tournament of Champions
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Dustin Johnson drives the ball at the Kapalua Plantation Course.Location: Plantation Course at Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii
Established: 1953
Month played: January
Total purse (winner's share): $6.5 million ($1.3 million)
Bottom Line: Sentry Tournament of Champions
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Aloha.You have to win a tournament in the previous season to be invited to play in this event.
It's in friggin' Hawaii and played on a course on which the golfers hit 400-plus yard drives downwind and downhill.
This is a nice event and sweet to be a part of.
14. Charles Schwab Challenge
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Kevin Kisner won the 2017 Fort Worth Invitational.Location: Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas
Established: 1946
Month played: May
Total purse (winner's share): $7.3 million ($1.314 million)
Bottom Line: Charles Schwab Challenge
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Jordan Spieth at the 2021 Charles Schwab Challenge at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.This event, also known as the Fort Worth Invitational, is perennially one of the best on tour, thanks to its traditional layout and the prestige carried by a win here.
Held each year at the venerable Colonial Country Club, the tournament is one of only five given "invitational" status by the PGA Tour, and consequently has a reduced field of approximately 125 players.
13. Memorial Tournament
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Daniel Summerhays at the 2017 Memorial Tournament.Location: Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio
Established: 1976
Month played: May/June
Total purse (winner's share): $9.1 million ($1.638 million)
Bottom Line: Memorial Tournament
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Patrick Cantlay watches hits putt at the 2021 Memorial.Another of the invitational tournaments on tour, the Memorial is hosted by the legendary Jack Nicklaus on a course he designed and has tweaked regularly through the years.
Tiger Woods has won the event a record five times.
12. The Northern Trust
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Tiger Woods hits a shot at The Northern Trust.Location: Rotates between New York City and Boston areas (Liberty National Golf Club, Jersey City, New Jersey; TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts)
Established: 1967
Month played: August
Total purse (winner's share): $9.25 million ($1.665 million)
Bottom Line: The Northern Trust
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Dustin Johnson won the 2020 Northern Trust at TPC Boston in Norton, Massachusetts.The first FedEx Cup playoff event was held in 2019 at the some-players-like-it, some-players-don’t course across the Hudson from Manhattan that backs up to the Statue of Liberty.
The field for the Northern Trust, formerly known as The Barclays, is limited to the top 125 players in the end-of-season FedEx Cup standings.
The tour returned to New England and TPC Boston in 2020 and rotates between the NYC and Boston area.
11. BMW Championship
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The BMW Championship returns to Medinah in Illinois.Location: Various (including Medinah Country Club’s Course No. 3, Medinah, Illinois; Olympia Fields Country Club North Course, Olympia Fields, Illinois; Caves Valley Golf Club, Owings Mill, Maryland)
Established: 1916
Month played: September
Total purse (winner's share): $9.25 million ($1.665 million)
Bottom Line: BMW Championship
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Hideki Matsuyama watches a tee shot at the 2020 BMW Championship at the Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Illinois.The BMW Championship is the penultimate event of the FedEx Cup playoffs and is limited to the top 70 golfers in the standing after the prior week’s Northern Trust.
Born as the Western Open in 1899, this tournament was played at Medinah for the fourth time in 2019 but first since 1966.
It will be played at the Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland, in 2021 and the Wilmington Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware, in 2022.
10. Tour Championship
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A packed house at the East Lake Golf Club for the 2018 Tour Championship.Location: East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia
Established: 1987
Month played: September
Total purse (winner's share): $9.25 million ($1.665 million)
Bottom Line: Tour Championship
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Dustin Johnson holds up the FedEx Cup trophy after winning the 2020 Tour Championship at Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.The top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings get a chance to test their skills on this Donald Ross-designed, Rees Jones-renovated track for the event’s purse and a $15 million bonus.
The golf course hosted its first Tour Championship in 1998 and became the tournament’s permanent home in 2005.
9. World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions
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The WGC-HSBC Champions at Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai, China.Location: Sheshan International Golf Club, Shanghai, China
Established: 2005
Month played: October
Total purse (winner's share): $10 million ($1.7 million)
Bottom Line: World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions
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Justin Rose after winning the 2017 WGC-HSBC Champions tournament.Every WGC event is desirable and important for professional golfers because of the limited fields, the guaranteed payday and the prestige of being among the top players in the game.
And because the event is in China, and everyone wants the golf market in that country to grow, winning here carries a lot of clout.
8. World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship
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Phil Mickelson tees off the WGC-Mexico Championship at the Club de Golf Chapultepec.Location: Club de Golf Chapultepec, Mexico City, Mexico
Established: 1999
Month played: February
Total purse (winner's share): $10.25 million ($1.745 million)
Bottom Line: World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship
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The Chapultepec Golf Club in Mexico City is a nice place to play.This event moved to Mexico a few years ago from Doral in Miami.
It ranks high for the quirky, and relatively short, course design, and playing at elevation makes the pros’ shots even more impressive.
The fact that it’s a limited, elite field and has a large, guaranteed purse also works to its advantage.
7. World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational
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The WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational is played in July in Memphis.Location: TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee
Established: 1999
Month played: July
Total purse (winner's share): $10.25 million ($1.745 million)
Bottom Line: World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational
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Hello, beautiful.This tournament took over as a WGC event for the first time in the 2018-19 season (taking the place of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational), and it added instant prestige after being just a run-of-the-mill event for years.
It’s ranked so highly because of its huge purse and prestigious field.
6. World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play
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The Austin Country Club, home of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, has a scenic back nine.Location: Austin Country Club, Austin, Texas
Established: 1999
Month played: March
Total purse (winner's share): $10.25 million ($1.745 million)
Bottom Line: World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play
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This is what you get if you win the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play.What’s not to like about spending a week in Austin, a guaranteed payday, and at least three matches in pool play before elimination.
The top 64 players in the world qualify for this event, which is played at one of the nation’s most underrated golf courses.
A winner every year.
5. The Players Championship
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The island green at The Players Championship.Location: TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course, Ponte Verde Beach, Florida
Established: 1974
Month played: March
Total purse (winner's share): $12.5 million ($2.25 million)
Bottom Line: The Players Championship
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Bryson DeChambeau hits a tee shot at The Players Championship in 2021.This devious Pete and Alice Dye-designed course was fashioned to be difficult for the best golfers in the world and takes its pound of flesh from whoever tees it up here.
It is home of perhaps the most famous golf hole in the world, the devilishly short par-3 17th with its island green.
This event, which considers itself the "Fifth Major," carries the largest purse outside the major tournaments.
4. PGA Championship
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Jason Dufner won the 2013 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.Location: Bethpage State Park Golf Club’s Black Course, Bethpage, New York
Established: 1916
Month played: May (formerly August)
Total purse (winner's share): $11 million ($1.98 million)
Bottom Line: PGA Championship
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Phil Mickelson holds the Wanamaker Trophy after winning the PGA Championship in 2021 on the Ocean Course in Kiawah Island, South Carolina.The fourth-ranked major for this list got a boost in the 2018-19 season when it was played at the incomparable Black Course, one of the world’s sternest challenges and likely one of the best courses in the U.S. that anyone can play.
The tournament’s move to May helped remove the afterthought status it’s suffered as compared to the other three majors.
3. U.S. Open
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Curtis Strange won back-to-back U.S. titles in 1988 and 1989, becoming the first golfer to repeat at the U.S. Open in 38 years.Location: Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, California
Established: 1895
Month played: June
Total purse (winner's share): $12 million ($2.16 million)
Bottom Line: U.S. Open
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Tiger Woods plays a shot at the U.S. Open in Mamaroneck, New York, in 2020.The course for America’s national championship varies every year. But one thing never changes — it's always a great one.
In 2019, the tournament returned to Pebble Beach, the course many consider to be the finest in the nation. The fabled course on the Monterey Peninsula celebrated its centennial that year.
It had hosted five previous U.S. Opens, four U.S. Amateurs and two U.S. Women’s Amateur Championships.
2. The Open Championship
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Jack Nicklaus won the British Open three times — in 1966, 1970 and 1978.Location: Royal Portrush Golf Club’s Dunluce Links, Antrim, Northern Ireland
Established: 1860
Month played: July
Total purse (winner's share): $10.5 million ($1.89 million)
Bottom Line: The Open Championship
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Golf doesn't get much better than this.The British Open is the biggest golf tournament in the world to all but the Americans because of its history and prestige and the demands it places on the best golfers.
The event returned to Northern Ireland in 2019 for the first time since 1951, when it became the first club outside of the mainland United Kingdom to host the tournament.
1. The Masters Tournament
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Tony Finau at the 2018 Masters.Location: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia
Established: 1934
Month played: April
Total purse (winner's share): $11 million ($1.980 million) *2018 purse
Bottom Line: The Masters Tournament
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Hideki Matsuyama celebrates after putting on the champion's green jacket and winning the Masters in 2021.The Masters is far and away the best tournament on tour each year just because it's always played at the same course — and that course is one of the best in the world — and because of all the perks that come with a win.
It’s an honor to even be invited to play at Augusta, and every round is cherished by the golfers and must-see television for fans.