Men's professional senior golf is for players aged fifty and above. Golf differs from all other sports in having lucrative competitions for this age group. The leading senior tour is the U.S. based Champions Tour, which was established in 1980. It has established a roster of five major championships. These events are all played over four rounds, whereas other senior tournaments are generally played over three rounds. A golfer's performances can be quite variable from one round to the next, and playing an extra round increases the likelihood that the senior majors will be won by leading players. The senior majors are listed below in the order in which they are played each season
The Senior Players Championship and the British and U.S Senior Opens are played consecutively in July, giving the Champions Tour a very clear peak period, which is not found on most other tours, including the PGA Tour. Unlike the mainstream majors some of the senior majors have title sponsors.
The Senior PGA is by far the oldest of the senior majors, having commenced in the 1930s. The other four tournaments all date from 1980 or later, having been founded in the era when senior golf became a commercial success. This occurred when the first big golf stars of the television era, men such as Arnold Palmer and Gary Player, began to reach the relevant age.
Unlike mainstream men's golf, the senior game does not have a globally agreed set of majors. The three majors recognised by the European Seniors Tour are the Senior PGA Championship and the U.S. and British Senior Opens. However, the Champions Tour is much more dominant in global senior golf than the PGA Tour is in mainstream men's golf.
See also
