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What is the PGA Tour Champions? Format, rules, schedule

Stewart Cink took home the Charles Schwab Cup season points title on the PGA Tour Champions circuit in November 2025. Photo by Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire

Tiger Woods' birthday on Dec. 30 marked a milestone. The 15-time major champion turned 50, making him eligible to compete on the PGA Tour Champions circuit. Formerly named the Senior PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions tournaments are reserved for professional golfers who have reached the half-century mark and higher in age.

It remains to be seen whether Woods, an 82-time winner on the PGA Tour, will play on the PGA Tour Champions circuit once he's healthy. In the meantime, check out key facts about the PGA Tour Champions circuit below:

What is the PGA Tour Champions circuit?

The golf tournaments, sanctioned by the PGA Tour, are reserved for professional men's golfers 50 years of age or older.

What is the format?

The PGA Tour Champions circuit, which allows golfers to use golf carts, has a 54-hole format with an 81-player field and no cuts at most of its tournaments. The 54 holes are played over a three-day span (18 holes each on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The circuit's five majors (Regions Tradition, Kaulig Companies Championship, Senior PGA Championship, U.S. Senior Open, and ISPS Handa Senior Open) all have a 72-hole format. The Regions Tradition and Kaulig Companies Championship do not have a cut, but the Senior PGA Championship, U.S. Senior Open, and ISPS Handa Senior Open play with a 36-hole cut.

The circuit's Charles Schwab Cup, a seasonlong, points-based competition, concludes with the 72-hole Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

How is the tournament scored?

The PGA Tour Champions circuit is primarily scored using traditional stroke play, in which the player with the lowest total score over 72 holes wins the tournament. Points are awarded based on finishing position to determine the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup winner.

What is the 2026 PGA Tour Champions purse?

Participating golfers will compete for more than $69 million in total prize money, a slight increase from the record-setting purse total in 2025.

Who has won the most events on the 50 and above golf tour?

Bernhard Langer leads the winners list with 47 overall wins (12 senior major wins), followed by Hale Irwin with 45 overall wins (seven senior major wins) and Lee Trevino at 29 overall wins (four senior major wins).

What is the 2026 PGA Tour Champions schedule?

The 2026 PGA Tour Champions schedule tees off with the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai from Jan. 22-24 in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. The circuit's first major, the Senior PGA Championship, will be played at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida, from April 16-19.

Jan. 22-24

Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai - Hualalai Resort Golf Club - Kailua Kona, Hawaii

Feb. 13-15

Chubb Classic - Tiburón Golf Club - Naples, Florida

March 6-8

James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational - The Old Course at Broken Sound Club - Boca Raton, Florida

March 20-22

Cologuard Classic - La Paloma Country Club - Tucson, Arizona

March 27-29

Hoag Classic - Newport Beach Country Club - Newport Beach, California

April 16-19

Senior PGA Championship - The Concession Golf Club - Bradenton, Florida

April 24-26

Mitsubishi Electric Classic - TPC Sugarloaf - Duluth, Georgia

April 30-May 3

Regions Tradition - Greystone Golf & Country Club - Birmingham, Alabama

May 8-10

Insperity Invitational - The Woodlands Country Club - The Woodlands, Texas

May 21-23

Trophy Hassan II - Royal Golf Dar Es Salam - Rabat, Morocco

June 5-7

American Family Insurance Championship - TPC Wisconsin - Madison, Wisconsin

June 12-14

Principal Charity Classic - Wakonda Club - Des Moines, Iowa

June 26-28

Dick's Open - En-Joie Golf Club - Endicott, New York

July 2-5

U.S. Senior Open Championship - Scioto Country Club - Columbus, Ohio

July 9-12

Kaulig Companies Championship - Firestone Country Club (South Course) - Akron, Ohio

July 23-26

ISPS Handa Senior Open - Gleneagles Golf Course - Perth, Scotland

July 31-Aug. 2

Portugal Invitational - The Els Club Vilamoura - Algarve, Portugal

Aug. 14-16

Boeing Classic - The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge - Snoqualmie, Washington

Aug. 21-23

Rogers Charity Classic - Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club - Calgary, Alberta

Aug. 28-30

The Ally Challenge - Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club - Grand Blanc, Michigan

Sept. 11-13

Sanford International - Minnehaha Country Club - Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Sep. 18-20

PURE Insurance Championship - Pebble Beach Golf Links - Pebble Beach, California

Oct. 2-4

Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic - Lehigh Country Club - Allentown, Pennsylvania

Oct. 9-11

Constellation Furyk & Friends - Jack Nicklaus Ocean Course at Hammock Beach - Palm Coast, Florida

Oct. 16-18

SAS Championship - Prestonwood Country Club - Cary, North Carolina

Oct. 23-25

Stifel Charity Classic - Norwood Hills Country Club - St. Louis

Oct. 30-Nov. 1

Simmons Bank Championship - Pleasant Valley Country Club - Little Rock, Arkansas

Nov. 12-15

Charles Schwab Cup Championship - Phoenix Country Club - Phoenix

Dec. 3-6

Skechers World Champions Cup - Feather Sound Country Club - Clearwater, Florida

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