Golf Majors and Tours Explained: PGA Tour, LIV and the FedEx Cup
A plain-English guide to golf's majors, the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and DP World Tour, how a tournament week works with cuts and tee times, and the FedEx Cup.
Updated 2026-10-03.
In this guide
Golf news can be confusing if you only tune in for the big weekends. There are several tours, a handful of events that matter more than the rest, and a weekly rhythm of tee times, cuts and withdrawals. This guide covers the basics.
The four men’s majors
Men’s professional golf has four major championships. They carry the most prestige, and a player’s career is largely measured by how many he wins.
- The Masters. Played every April at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. It is the only major held at the same course every year, and the winner receives the famous green jacket.
- The PGA Championship. Run by the PGA of America and played in May. The course rotates.
- The U.S. Open. Run by the USGA and played in June. It is known for difficult setups and high scores.
- The Open Championship. Often called the British Open in the U.S. Played in July on links courses in the United Kingdom, and the oldest of the majors.
The majors are not run by the PGA Tour. Each is organized by its own governing body or club, which is why players from different tours can all compete in them if they qualify.
The women’s majors
The LPGA recognizes five women’s major championships. They include the U.S. Women’s Open and the Women’s PGA Championship, along with events in the U.S. and Europe, including a major played in France and the Women’s British Open. Sponsors and dates for some of these events have changed over the years, so the names you see may include a sponsor.
As in men’s golf, the women’s majors carry the biggest purses and the most ranking value, and they define careers.
The tours: PGA Tour, LIV Golf and DP World Tour
Several tours run professional events through the year:
- PGA Tour. The main U.S.-based tour and the most established circuit in the men’s game. It runs full-field events most weeks plus a set of elevated events with stronger fields.
- DP World Tour. Formerly known as the European Tour. It plays events around the world and has a working relationship with the PGA Tour, including a pathway for top players to earn PGA Tour membership.
- LIV Golf. A newer league backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. It uses smaller fields and a team competition alongside the individual event.
Players who joined LIV Golf were generally barred from PGA Tour events, though they can still play the majors if they qualify. Talks about the relationship between the tours have been a long-running news story. Since the situation has shifted over time, treat any report about a deal or player reinstatement as news to confirm rather than settled fact.
Women’s golf is led by the LPGA Tour, with the Ladies European Tour and other circuits around the world.
How a tournament week works
A typical stroke-play event follows a familiar pattern:
- Early week. Players arrive, play practice rounds and often take part in a pro-am with amateur partners.
- Tee times. Pairings and tee times for the first two rounds are released before the event. Players usually go off in groups of three for the first two rounds, often starting from both the first and 10th tees.
- Rounds one and two. Thursday and Friday. Players typically get one morning and one afternoon tee time, which evens out weather differences.
- The cut. After 36 holes, the field is reduced. Only players at or near the top of the leaderboard advance to the weekend. Players who miss the cut typically go home without prize money.
- The weekend. Saturday and Sunday tee times go out in reverse order of the leaderboard, so the leaders play last.
Some elevated events have smaller fields and no cut. Majors set their own cut rules.
Withdrawals and other news
Tournament week produces quick, small headlines:
- Withdrawals. A player can withdraw before or during an event, often for injury or illness. Before the event starts, an alternate takes the spot.
- Commitments. Players commit to events by a deadline, so the field list is news in itself, especially for top players.
- Disqualifications and penalties. Rules violations, such as signing an incorrect scorecard, can lead to penalty strokes or a disqualification.
- Weather delays. Storms can suspend play, pushing rounds into the next day or even to Monday.
Withdrawal news often comes first from the tour’s own media channels or reporters on site.
The FedEx Cup
The FedEx Cup is the PGA Tour’s season-long points race. Players earn points based on where they finish in each event, with bigger events worth more points.
At the end of the regular season, the top players in the standings qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs, a short series of events in late summer. The field shrinks at each stage, and the season ends with the Tour Championship, where the FedEx Cup champion is decided.
Standings also matter beyond the playoffs. Where a player finishes can affect his status for the next season and access to the biggest events. The exact format of the playoffs and the finale has been adjusted several times, so check the current rules.
The DP World Tour has its own season-long standings, and the LPGA runs a similar points race for its season.
Team events
Golf also has team competitions. The Ryder Cup pits the U.S. against Europe in men’s golf, and the Solheim Cup does the same for women. Both are played every two years and generate months of news about captains and team selections.
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