As enthusiasm for golf has grown, men and women’s professional tours and tournaments have increased all over the world. Nevertheless, the American game remains the strongest from both the sporting and financial standpoints.
The Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tour, which is primarily played in the United States, is the most important men’s tour in the world. Its European counterpart, the PGA European Tour, serves somewhat as a smaller compartment of the American tour. Although the European Tour takes place primarily in the old world, some tournaments are held outside it.
The PGA Tour doesn’t play on golf courses that look like your local muni, they only play the best layouts in the country and, in the major championships, in the world.
But there are some tournaments that absolutely have to be on the bucket list of the most hardcore golf fans. There are those that have a great history, great individual moments and great champions.
Top 5 Tournaments
The Masters
The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply The Masters) or the U.S. Masters outside of North America is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, the Masters is the first major of the year, and unlike the others, it is held at the same location, Augusta National Golf Club, a private course in the southeastern United States, in the city of Augusta, Georgia.
U.S. Open
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open national championship of golf in the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour. Since 1898 the competition has been 72 holes of stroke play (4 rounds on an 18-hole course), with the winner being the player with the lowest total number of strokes. It is staged by the United States Golf Association (USGA) in mid-June, scheduled so that, if there are no weather delays, the final round is played on the third Sunday, which is Father’s Day. The U.S. Open is staged at a variety of courses, set up in such a way that scoring is very difficult, with a premium placed on accurate driving.
British Open
The Open Championship often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It was first played in 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. The Open has always been held in the United Kingdom and is the only major played outside the United States. It is administered by The R&A. The Open is currently the third major of the year, between the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship, and is played in mid-July.
The Players Championship
The Players Championship (commonly known as simply The Players, stylized by the PGA Tour as The PLAYERS Championship) is an annual golf tournament on the PGA Tour. Originally known as the Tournament Players Championship, it began in 1974. For many years, the Players Championship offered the highest prize fund of any tournament in golf ($10.5 million in 2015) until it was overtaken in 2017 by the U.S. Open, which offered a $12 million purse. The field usually includes the top 50 players in the world rankings, but unlike the three major championships staged in the United States, it is not an official event on the European Tour.
The Memorial Tournament
The Memorial Tournament is a PGA Tour golf tournament, founded 42 years ago in 1976 by Jack Nicklaus. It is played on a Nicklaus-designed course at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, a suburb north of Columbus. The golf course passes through a large neighborhood called Muirfield Village, which includes a bronze sculpture of Nicklaus mentoring a young golfer; unveiled in 1999, it is located in the wide median of Muirfield Drive.
