Joseph William "Jay" Monahan IV (born May 7, 1970) is the fourth and current commissioner of golf 's PGA Tour . He ascended to this position in January 2017 . Monahan previously served as executive director of The Players Championship .
67-782: The National , originally titled for sponsorship reasons as the AT&;T National and later as the Quicken Loans National , was a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour from 2007 to 2018. It was hosted by Tiger Woods and benefited the Tiger Woods Foundation . It was usually held either in late June or during the Fourth of July weekend in the Washington, D.C. area, except for 2010 and 2011 when it
134-672: A calendar year. Since the 2014 season, the season starts in October of the previous calendar year, shortly after the Tour Championship. The tournaments in the now season-opening Fall Series are awarded full FedEx Cup points. As a result of the schedule change, the qualifying school no longer grants playing rights on the PGA Tour, but only privileges on the Korn Ferry Tour . The criterion for retaining tour cards at
201-753: A field of 156 players). Other tournaments with invitational status include the Arnold Palmer Invitational , the RBC Heritage , the Fort Worth Invitational , and the Memorial Tournament . Invitational tournaments have smaller fields (between 100 and 132 players), and have more freedom than full-field open tournaments in determining which players are eligible to participate in their event, as invitational tournaments are not required to fill their fields using
268-609: A letter from the LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman . The letter detailed how players "were and still are interested in playing for a new league, in addition to the PGA Tour." Norman stated that he wanted the leagues to co-exist, to which Monahan responded that he "doesn't want that at all." After the creation and completion of several LIV Golf events, the Department of Justice launched an investigation into potential monopolization and anticompetitive behavior on behalf of
335-569: A month before the event, Quicken Loans agreed to sponsor for a fifth consecutive year. On July 10, 2018, it was announced that the Detroit Golf Club would host the Rocket Mortgage Classic in 2019, replacing The National. The National was one of a few tournaments given "invitational" status by the PGA Tour, and consequently it had a reduced field of only 120 players (as opposed to most full-field open tournaments with
402-794: A second $ 1.5 billion following the conclusion of negotiations between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund. In addition, active players will be given an opportunity to receive grants of equity in PGA Tour Enterprises. Most members of the tour play between 20 and 30 tournaments in the season. The geography of the tour is determined by climate. It starts in Hawaii in January and spends most of its first two months in California and Arizona during what
469-643: A week off, this time for the Presidents Cup. It then continued with events in three consecutive weeks, took another week off for the HSBC Champions (now elevated to World Golf Championships status), and concluded the week after that. The Fall Series was reduced to four events, all held after the Tour Championship, for 2011. This followed the move of the Viking Classic into the regular season as an alternate event. The 2013 season , which
536-776: Is considered controversial, due (among other factors) to the fact that he did business with the Public Investment Fund (or the PIF), the Saudi Arabian investment fund and owners of LIV Golf (the rival golf organization of the PGA Tour). The fund is accused of " sportswashing " to divert the focus from the crimes committed by the regime led by Mohammed bin Salman (the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia ), who became
603-663: Is known as the "West Coast Swing" and then moves to the American Southeast for the "Southern Swing". Each swing culminates in a significant tour event. In April, tour events begin to drift north. The summer months are spent mainly in the Northeast and the Midwest, and in the fall (autumn) the tour heads south again. In most of the regular events on tour, the field is either 132, 144 or 156 players, depending on time of year (and available daylight hours). All players making
670-616: Is not involved with the women's golf tours in the U.S., which are mostly controlled by the LPGA . The PGA Tour is also not the governing body for the game of golf in the United States; this, instead, is the role of the United States Golf Association (USGA), which organizes the U.S. Open . What the PGA Tour does organize are the remaining 43 (in 2009) week-to-week events, including The Players Championship and
737-596: Is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, as well as the PGA Tour Champions (age 50 and older) and the Korn Ferry Tour (for professional players who have not yet qualified to play on the PGA Tour), as well as the PGA Tour Canada , PGA Tour Latinoamérica , and formerly
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#1732786698833804-668: The 2005 Nissan Open . The PGA Tour does not run any of the four major championships ( Masters , PGA Championship , U.S. Open , The Open ), or the Ryder Cup . The PGA of America , not the PGA Tour, runs the PGA Championship and the Senior PGA Championship , and co-organizes the Ryder Cup with Ryder Cup Europe, a company controlled by the PGA European Tour . Additionally, the PGA Tour
871-722: The 2011 U.S. Open . The tournament was played at Congressional from 2012 to 2014 and returned in 2016. It was played in Virginia at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville in July and August 2015 and was played at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm in Potomac in 2017. Other courses that were originally considered for the new tournament were in the Kansas City , Minneapolis-Saint Paul , and Portland areas. Possible sites for
938-820: The BMW Championship , the Tour takes a full week off. In 2008, the break came before the Ryder Cup, with the Tour Championship the week after that. In 2009, the break was followed by the Tour Championship, with the Presidents Cup taking place two weeks after that. 2007 saw the introduction of a tournament in Mexico, an alternate event staged the same week as the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship . A tournament in Puerto Rico
1005-577: The Booz Allen Classic , it returned to Congressional in 2005 , to give Avenel time to undergo renovations, which did not occur. Congressional originally agreed to host the event for the first two years, and after opting out of hosting the 2009 U.S. Amateur , agreed to host the event in 2009 as well. The Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania , hosted the 2010 and 2011 events, due to Congressional being reconfigured for
1072-467: The FedEx Cup events, as well as the biennial Presidents Cup . It also runs the main tournaments on five other tours: PGA Tour Champions , the Korn Ferry Tour (formerly known as Web.com Tour ), PGA Tour Canada , PGA Tour China , and PGA Tour Latinoamérica . Jay Monahan Succeeding Tim Finchem (who was the PGA Tour's third commissioner from 1994 to 2017), Monahan's tenure as commissioner
1139-619: The Korn Ferry Tour Finals . The Finals field, however, is not expected to consist of all 150 players, as some of the PGA Tour players will be exempt by other criteria, such as a tournament win in the previous two years. A total of 50 PGA Tour cards for the next season is awarded at the end of the Finals. The 25 leading money winners during the Korn Ferry Tour regular season receive cards, and total money earned during
1206-675: The PGA Tour China . The PGA Tour is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida , a suburb southeast of Jacksonville . Originally established by the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA of America), it was spun off in December 1968 into a separate organization for tour players, as opposed to club professionals , the focal members of today's PGA of America. Originally
1273-567: The Ryder Cup , held in even-numbered years). Before the transition, the Tour held a group of events known as the PGA Tour Fall Series , which provided a final opportunity for golfers to make the top 125 in season earnings and thereby retain their Tour cards. With the change to an October-to-September season, several of the former Fall Series events will now open the season. The Tour also sanctions two events in Asia during that part of
1340-703: The TPA Tour , for the "Tournament Players Association". The disputed issues were resolved within seven months and the tour's name was changed back to the "PGA Tour" in March 1982. The Official World Golf Ranking was introduced in 1986, with the PGA Tour competing with the European Tour for the top golfers, including the world number one . Tim Finchem became the third commissioner in June 1994 and continued for over 22 years; on January 1, 2017, he
1407-510: The US Department of Justice was investigating the PGA Tour to determine if it engaged in anti-competitive behavior with LIV Golf . In late 2021, the PGA Tour had begun speaking with White House officials and members of Congress to express concerns over LIV Golf. The tour paid over $ 400,000 to the firm DLA Piper to lobby lawmakers on their behalf for various topics including LIV Golf proposals. The tour had previously been investigated in
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#17327866988331474-606: The Wisconsin State Open . This legacy lives on with the modern PGA Tour as the Valero Texas Open dates back to this era of state opens on the tour. The tour, then known informally as "The Circuit" for professional golfers in the PGA, became more formalized in 1929. A tournament committee was formed, consisting of Tommy Armour , Al Espinosa and J.J. Patterson. In 1930, Bob Harlow was hired as manager of
1541-440: The "Tournament Players Division", it adopted the name "PGA Tour" in 1975 and runs most of the week-to-week professional golf events on the tournament known as the PGA Tour, including The Players Championship , hosted at TPC Sawgrass ; the FedEx Cup , with its finale at The Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club ; and the biennial Presidents Cup . The remaining events on the PGA Tour are run by different organizations, as are
1608-564: The 1950s, despite injuries from a car crash, star player Ben Hogan won 10 PGA Tour tournaments, including 6 major championships and three times at his hometown tournament in Forth Worth, Texas the Colonial National Invitation . Younger working class player Arnold Palmer won 13 PGA Tour tournaments, becoming a crowd favorite and TV star including capturing his first Masters Tournament on CBS in 1958. Sam Snead
1675-749: The 2010 and 2011 events were the TPC at Avenel (now TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, former site of the Booz Allen Classic ) and Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, (four-time host of the Presidents Cup ). CBS Sports and Golf Channel currently carry the Quicken Loans National on television. After the 2017 tournament, the Quicken Loans sponsorship deal ended leaving The National with no sponsor for 2018 , scheduled for June 28 to July 1. The PGA Tour also announced that it would be buying out
1742-402: The 54-hole cut were designated as MDF (made the cut, did not finish). For the 2020 season, the cut line was reduced to 65 plus ties and eliminated the 54-hole cut. The Fall Series saw major changes for 2009, with one of its events moving to May and another dropping off the schedule entirely. It returned to its original start date of the week after the Tour Championship. Then, as in 2008, it took
1809-420: The Finals determines the remaining 25 card earners. For all 50 new card earners, their positions on the PGA Tour's priority order for purposes of tournament are based on money earned in the Finals. College players who turn professional can enter the series if their earnings are equivalent to a top-200 PGA Tour or top-75 Korn Ferry Tour finish. In addition, the leading money winners on the Korn Ferry Tour in both
1876-723: The PGA Tour Priority Ranking System. Furthermore, unlike full-field open tournaments, invitational tournaments do not offer open qualifying (aka Monday qualifying). The Los Angeles Open was converted to an invitational in 2020, inheriting the National's format. The field consisted of 120 players invited using the following criteria: Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records. 38°59′20″N 77°12′07″W / 38.989°N 77.202°W / 38.989; -77.202 PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials)
1943-402: The PGA Tour for defecting to LIV. The announcement was met with shock from players, who did not learn of the agreement until it was officially announced, with media outlets describing them as having felt "betrayed" by the decision. The deadline for completing the deal was December 31, 2023, although it was reported that the parties were attempting to negotiate an extension. Concurrently,
2010-428: The PGA Tour has made significant changes to the traditional schedule. In 2007, The Players Championship moved to May so as to have a marquee event in five consecutive months. The Tour Championship moved to mid-September, with an international team event ( Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup ) following at the end of September. The schedule was tweaked slightly in both 2008 and 2009. After the third FedEx Cup playoff event,
2077-483: The PGA Tour was negotiating with another investor, Strategic Sports Group, which is a consortium of professional sports owners—including Tom Werner , Arthur Blank , Steve Cohen , Wyc Grousbeck , Thomas S. Ricketts , and others—led by Fenway Sports Group . On January 31, 2024, the PGA Tour announced that it had agreed to a $ 3 billion investment by Strategic Sports Group into its for-profit arm, PGA Tour Enterprises. The consortium will pay $ 1.5 billion initially, and then
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2144-454: The PGA Tour will appoint the majority of its board members and have its commissioner Jay Monahan act as CEO. The agreement does not impact the three entities' administrative oversight over their events, hence the PGA Tour as a sanctioning entity will remain a 501(c)6 nonprofit organization. The agreement ends all pending litigation between the organizations, and there are plans for a "fair and objective" process to readmit players blacklisted by
2211-508: The PGA Tournament Bureau and worked to formalize a year-round schedule of tournaments. In 1945, Byron Nelson enjoyed a record-breaking year, winning 18 PGA tournaments out of the 30 he played, including 11 in a row that he played in. Both records are yet to be beaten. The Byron Nelson , which became the first PGA Tour event to be named for a professional golfer in 1968, is played annually near Dallas as of 2024. Throughout
2278-612: The PGA desired the money to go to the general fund to help grow the game at the local level. Following the final major in July 1968 at the PGA Championship , several leading tour pros voiced their dissatisfaction with the venue and the abundance of club pros in the field. The increased friction resulted in a new entity in August, what would eventually become the PGA Tour. Tournament players formed their own organization, American Professional Golfers, Inc. (APG), independent of
2345-635: The PGA of America. Its headquarters were in New York City. After several months, a compromise was reached in December: the tour players agreed to abolish the APG and form the PGA "Tournament Players Division", a fully autonomous division under the supervision of a new 10-member Tournament Policy Board. The board consisted of four tour players, three PGA of America executives, and three outside members, initially business executives. Joseph Dey ,
2412-465: The U.S.-based LPGA Tour for women and other men's and women's professional tours around the world. The roots of the modern PGA Tour stretch back to April 10, 1916, when the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA) was formed. The modern tour recognizes wins from this era as "PGA Tour" victories despite the formal founding of the tour as a separate entity coming much later. By 1916, several prestigious golf tournaments offering prize money to
2479-415: The United States. With the addition of players from continental Europe in 1979 and expanded television coverage, it became very competitive and evolved into the premier international team event, lately dominated by Europe. Both events are very important revenue streams for the PGA of America. In late August 1981, the PGA Tour had a marketing dispute with the PGA of America and officially changed its name to
2546-448: The cut earn money for the tournament with the winner usually receiving 18% of the total purse. In the event that the PGA Tour cannot guarantee four rounds of play, the PGA Tour can shorten an event to 54 holes. A 54-hole event is still considered official, with full points and monies awarded. Any tournament stopped before 54 holes can be completed is reverted to the 36-hole score and the win is considered unofficial, notably Adam Scott at
2613-451: The cut. The cut will continue to be low 70 professionals and ties, unless that results in a post-cut field of more than 78 players. Under that circumstance, the cut score will be selected to make a field as close to 70 players as possible without exceeding 78. Players who are cut in such circumstances but who have placed 70th or worse will get credit for making the cut and will earn official money and FedEx Cup points. This policy affected two of
2680-410: The early 1990s, but despite tour policies having been found to be in violation of antitrust laws, no further action was taken. In August 2022, 11 players who had joined LIV Golf filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour to challenge their suspensions. Three players failed to obtain a temporary restraining order to allow them to participate in the FedEx Cup playoffs. The trial for the main case
2747-469: The end of the season also changed. Through 2012, the top 125 players on the money list at the end of the PGA Tour season retained their tour cards. For the 2013 season only, the top 125 players on both the money list and the FedEx Cup points list at the end of the FedEx Cup regular season in August retained their cards. The tour also said that it would decide at a later time whether to keep this aspect of
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2814-657: The first three events with cuts, the Sony Open in Hawaii and the Buick Invitational . In late February, the Policy Board announced a revised cut policy, effective beginning with the Honda Classic . The new policy calls for 36-hole cut to the low 70 professionals and ties and, if that cut results in more than 78 players, a second 54-hole cut to the low 70 professionals and ties. Those who do not survive
2881-475: The first time. Before 2013, neither event had full PGA Tour status despite being sanctioned by the Tour. Wins in the CIMB Classic were not classified as official PGA Tour wins, and HSBC Champions victories were official wins only for current PGA Tour members. Money earned in these events did not count as official PGA Tour earnings for any purpose. In June 2022, the PGA Tour suspended 17 players who played in
2948-456: The inaugural LIV Golf Invitational Series event. Monahan wrote in a memo to the tour's membership that any players that take part in future LIV Golf events will be subjected to the same punishment. PGA Tour members that joined LIV Golf included major champions Brooks Koepka , Bryson DeChambeau , Patrick Reed , Dustin Johnson , and Phil Mickelson . In July 2022, it was reported that
3015-410: The past, this had threatened to make the last 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 months of the season anticlimactic, as some of the very top players competed less from that point on. In response, the PGA Tour introduced a new format in 2007, the FedEx Cup . From January through mid-August players competed in "regular season" events and earn FedEx Cup points, in addition to prize money. At the end of the regular season,
3082-483: The qualifying system in place in future seasons. Otherwise, the planned move by the tour to have the top 125 players on the FedEx Cup points list retain their tour cards took effect with the 2014 season. The next 75 players on the points list, along with the top 75 on the money list of the Korn Ferry Tour at the end of that tour's regular season, are eligible to play a series of three tournaments in September known as
3149-470: The recently retired USGA executive director, was selected by the board as the tour's first commissioner in January 1969 and agreed to a five-year contract. He was succeeded by tour player Deane Beman in early 1974, who served for twenty years. Jack Nicklaus continued his dominance, winning 38 titles. The tour's name officially changed to the "PGA Tour" in 1975. In 1978 the PGA Tour "removed its restriction on women." However, no women have joined
3216-668: The regular season and Finals receive automatic invitations to The Players Championship (note that if a golfer tops both money lists, only one Players invitation is awarded). Finally, two events held in Asia after the end of the PGA Tour's current regular season – the CIMB Classic in Malaysia and the HSBC Champions , a World Golf Championships event held in China – became full PGA Tour events, with official prize money, for
3283-399: The remaining two years of its contract with Congressional Country Club to host the 2018 and 2020 editions. Despite a lack of title sponsor and host course, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan confirmed that the event would occur in 2018, stating, "We made the commitment. Our players are going to be showing up there and we're going to be playing for that amount of money." On May 30, less than
3350-471: The target of criticism from both PGA Tour players and the families of the 9/11 victims . Monahan was born and raised in Belmont, Massachusetts , a suburb northwest of Boston . Following graduation from Belmont High School , he did a post-graduate year at Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. Monahan was immersed in the sport of golf as a child and went on to play Division III golf and hockey at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut , where he
3417-431: The top 125 FedEx Cup points winners are eligible to compete in the "playoffs", four events taking place from mid-August to mid-September. The field sizes for these events are reduced from 125 to 100 to 70 and finally the traditional 30 for the Tour Championship. Additional FedEx Cup points are earned in these events. At the end of the championship, the top point winner is the season champion. To put this new system into place,
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#17327866988333484-411: The tour since this date. Without the tour players, the PGA of America became primarily an association of club professionals , but retained control of two significant events; the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup . The former was an established major championship , but the latter was an obscure match play team event which was not particularly popular with golf fans, due to predictable dominance by
3551-422: The tournament’s first director at age 32. In 2003, Monahan co-created Golf Fights Cancer, a charity that has raised nearly $ 5 million for cancer research. Later, he worked in sales for the Fenway Sports Group (FSG) in Boston. In June 2008 , Monahan came to the PGA Tour as the executive director of The Players Championship , and was named the Tour’s Senior Vice President for Business Development in 2010 . He
3618-422: The week after the Tour Championship. As was the case for the FedEx Cup playoff schedule, the Fall Series schedule was also tweaked in 2008 and 2009. The first 2008 Fall Series event was held opposite the Ryder Cup, and the Fall Series took a week off for the Tour Championship before continuing with its remaining six events. In 2008, the PGA Tour Policy Board approved a change in the number of players that will make
3685-399: The winner had been established in America, including the North and South Open , the Metropolitan Open , the Shawnee Open , the Western Open and the national championship, the U.S. Open . They formed the initial schedule of what came to be known much later as the "PGA Tour", with the addition of the PGA Championship in 1916. The Open Championship in the UK, the oldest golf tournament in
3752-616: The world founded in 1860, would become a PGA Tour event much later in 1995. All Open Championship wins dating back to 1860 were retroactively recognized as PGA Tour victories in 2002. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, various state open tournaments began, many organized by sections of the PGA. Tournaments recognized as PGA Tour wins from this era include the California Open , Connecticut Open , Florida Open , Maryland Open , Massachusetts Open , New Jersey State Open , New York State Open , Ohio Open , Oklahoma Open , Oregon Open , Pennsylvania Open Championship , Utah Open , Virginia Open and
3819-424: The year: On March 20, 2012, the tour announced radical changes to the tour's season and qualifying process. Further details of these changes relating to the Fall Series were announced on June 26, with the remaining details announced on July 10. One of the final details received a minor tweak, effective for the 2013 season only, on September 11. First, the 2013 season was the last to be conducted entirely within
3886-415: Was a standard 72-hole stroke play event, and did not use the modified Stableford scoring system used by The International in Colorado . The D.C. area had hosted a regular tour event for over a quarter century; the Kemper Open arrived in 1980 , but was terminated after the 2006 event. It was played at Congressional from 1980 to 1986 , then moved to the nearby TPC at Avenel in 1987 . Later renamed
3953-407: Was an Academic All-American in his senior season under golf coach Bill Detrick. He graduated with a history degree in 1993 and then earned a master's degree in sports management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1995. Monahan worked at IMG Worldwide where he played an integral role in the development of the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston in Norton , and served as
4020-447: Was dominant on his way to a record-setting 82 PGA Tour career victories. Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus were the dominant players of the 1960s, with Palmer winning 43 titles and Nicklaus winning 30. With an increase of revenue in the late 1960s due to expanded television coverage, a dispute arose between the touring professionals and the PGA of America on how to distribute the windfall. The tour players wanted larger purses, where
4087-402: Was held midway between the U.S. Open and The Open Championship to ensure a strong field of competitors. The National was part of the Open Qualifying Series that gave non-exempt players a chance to compete in The Open. The event was officially announced on March 7, 2007, to replace The International , which tour officials had abruptly cancelled four weeks earlier on February 8. The National
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#17327866988334154-499: Was held near Philadelphia . The National was a 72-hole stroke play tournament. It was one of a few events given "invitational" status by the PGA Tour and consequently had a field of only 120 players, as opposed to 156 players at most full-field tournaments. The first edition of The National in 2007 was held July 5–8 on the Blue Course at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda , Maryland , northwest of Washington. The event returned to Congressional in 2008 and 2009 when it
4221-434: Was introduced in 2008 as an alternate event staged opposite the WGC-CA Championship . The Tour continues through the fall, with the focus on the scramble of the less successful players to earn enough money to retain their tour cards. A circuit known as the Fall Series , originally with seven tournaments but now with four, was introduced in 2007. In its inaugural year, its events were held in seven consecutive weeks, starting
4288-522: Was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer in March 2013 , overseeing business development, corporate marketing and partnerships, title sponsor relations, retail licensing, and media sales. Monahan served as Deputy Commissioner for two years and then became the Chief Operating Officer. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem announced his retirement in 2016 on November 7, and Monahan officially took over as commissioner two months later in January 2017. In February 2022, Monahan received
4355-408: Was scheduled to begin in September 2023. On June 6, 2023, the PGA Tour, PGA European Tour , and LIV Golf announced that they would enter into an agreement to merge their commercial rights into a single, for-profit entity. The Saudi Public Investment Fund —which funded LIV Golf—will initially serve as the "exclusive investor" in the entity and have right of first refusal for future investments, while
4422-430: Was succeeded by Jay Monahan . As Tiger Woods emerged as a dominant player, TV ratings and revenues soared for the tour. In 1999, the tour began play of the World Golf Championships and the Tour Championship . Tiger Woods continued his dominance of the tour in the 2000s, winning 57 of his 82 career titles. Three of the four majors had settled into a pattern of play in eight weeks between June and August. In
4489-443: Was the last before the tour transitioned to a schedule spanning two calendar years, had 40 official-money events in 38 weeks, including three alternate events played the same week as a higher-status tournament. The other event that is considered part of the 2013 season is the biennial Presidents Cup , matching a team of golfers representing the US with an "International" team consisting of non-European players (Europeans instead play in
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