5 Perks Of Winning A PGA Tour Event

Winning on the PGA Tour is what most professional golfers dream about, but it's a feat easier said than done. To fend off more than 100 other golfers over four gruelling days and 72 long holes is something many professionals don't achieve in their careers.

To be a solid pro doesn't require winning. Many players go through their careers without a win but make a very comfortable winning as a rank-and-file Tour player who consistently keeps their card.

However, for those fortunate enough to come out on top in a Tour event, there are plenty of rewards that go far beyond the big cheque and a fancy trophy awarded to you on Sunday afternoon.

Here are a few of the perks you get for winning on the PGA Tour...

What Does A PGA Tour Win Get You?

A nice cash prize

Perhaps the first, and most obvious, perk is a nice winner's cheque. Prize purses on the PGA Tour have been going up for a number of years to the point where there is quite a lot on offer in every event. 

In 2023, for example, the smallest winner's cheque on offer came at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship where the winner took home $1.17 million. Meanwhile, at the top end of the scale is the FedEx Cup Tour Championship, which sees the winner take home the end-of-season trophy and a cool, $18m bonus.

As well as that cash prize, players also get a healthy amount of FedEx Cup points - 500 for a regular Tour event - which gives them a helping hand towards making the lucrative end-of-season playoffs.

Tour card extension

For many players, however, the most important thing about winning on the PGA Tour is the multi-season extension of playing privileges. A regular PGA Tour event win extends a player's Tour card for two years after the current season, meaning they don't have to make the top 125 in the FedEx Cup in those seasons to maintain full playing privileges for the following year.

Should a player win The Arnold Palmer Invitational, Genesis Invitational or Memorial Tournament they earn a three-year exemption, while a victory at a Major Championship or The Players grants you a five-year extension. Winning multiple times in a year adds an extra year for each additional win with a maximum of five years able to be accrued in one season.

A new year’s trip to Hawaii

Played on Maui at Kapalua's Plantation Course, the Sentry takes place in January and is the first event of the Tour's calendar year. Formally known as the Tournament of Champions, the competition is still largely reserved for those who have won on Tour the previous year. 

Changes to the 2024 season mean that, from now on, the top 50 players from the prior year’s FedEx Cup Playoffs will also qualify for the event but a win on Tour is a sure-fire way of punching your ticket to the event.

More tournament invites

It's not just entry to the Sentry Tournament of Champions that a PGA Tour win guarantees you. A winner on Tour also has a spot in the field at the next Players Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational and Memorial Tournament.

Furthermore, with the revamped 2024 format, a win on Tour will gain you an invite into all of the remaining 'signature' events in the calendar year. These eight signature tournaments are limited-field events, with bigger, guaranteed prize money and points. Some are also no-cut events.

Major exemptions

And the cherry on top for any winner on Tour is a guaranteed exemption into two of the four Major Championships - the next Masters as well as the next PGA Championship. Furthermore, if a player is fortunate enough to win an event that is listed on the Open Qualifying Series, they will gain entry to that year's Open Championship. 

In 2024, there are four PGA Tour events in the qualifying series - The Arnold Palmer Invitational the Memorial Tournament, the RBC Canadian Open and the John Deere Classic - with the winners of each gaining a spot in the Open field later in the year.