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PGA TOUR vs USGA

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All Categories Combat Sports Equestrian Esports Individual Sports Motor Sports Party Games Playground Games Racquet Sports Team Sports Water Sports Winter Sports

AFirst Sport

PGA TOUR

Golf

First Sport

Details

Players1-72

Settingoutdoor

Season2026 PGA TOUR Player Handbook and Tournament Regulations

CategoryIndividual Sports

BSecond Sport

USGA

USGA Championship Golf

Second Sport

Details

Players1

Settingoutdoor

Season2026 USGA Local Rules and Terms of the Competition — FINAL (applies to all USGA championships and qualifying rounds)

CategoryIndividual Sports

9

Shared Topics

9

Different Rules

0

Shared Rules

Rule-by-Rule Comparison(9)

Caddies

Different

PGA TOUR

Each player is entitled to one caddie at a time. The caddie may carry the bag, give advice, and assist within the limits of the Rules of Golf.; Caddie conduct, registration, apparel (the tournament bib), and the "behind the line" restriction on standing behind a player at the start of a stroke ar...

USGA

Each player must use a single caddie during the stipulated round; additional caddies are not permitted; Caddies wear a tournament-supplied bib displaying the player's name and number; The caddie is bound by the conduct expectations set forth in the Notice to Players; serious caddie misconduct can...

Format

Different

PGA TOUR

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A standard PGA TOUR event is a 72-hole individual stroke-play competition played over four rounds on consecutive days (Thursday through Sunday for a typical week). The player who completes the 72 holes in the fewest total strokes is the champion.

USGA

Stroke play: most USGA championships (U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open, U.S. Senior Open) use 72-hole stroke play over 4 rounds; Match play: U.S. Amateur, U.S. Women's Amateur, and U.S. Junior use a hybrid format with stroke-play qualifying rounds reducing to a match-play bracket; The Notice to Playe...

Officials

Different

PGA TOUR

PGA TOUR Rules Officials: Trained officials stationed around the course rule on Rules of Golf questions, administer relief, monitor pace, and time groups.; Competition Committee / Tournament Director: Responsible for course set-up, the Notice to Competitors, starting times, the cut, suspension an...

USGA

USGA Championship Committee on site for each championship; rules officials on each hole during play; Referees may be assigned to specific groups for rules questions during play; The USGA Rules Officials provide pre-round ruling, on-course rulings, and post-round score verification

Pace of Play

Different

PGA TOUR

The PGA TOUR enforces a Pace of Play Policy. Groups are expected to keep position on the course; a group out of position may be put "on the clock."; When a group is being timed, each player is allotted a maximum time to play a stroke (with an extra allowance for the first to play). Exceeding the ...

USGA

First bad time: warning; Second bad time: one-stroke penalty; Third bad time: two-stroke penalty (additional)

Section 2: Equipment

Different

PGA TOUR

The PGA TOUR Anti-Doping Program prohibits listed performance-enhancing substances and methods. Players are responsible for what is in their bodies and may be tested in and out of competition; the program is part of the integrity framework that surrounds equipment and play.

USGA

USGA championships apply the One-Ball Rule: during a stipulated round, the player must use a ball of the same brand and model. The penalty for breach is, in stroke play, two strokes per hole at which any breach occurred (with a maximum penalty of four strokes per round).

Section 3: Playing Area

Different

PGA TOUR

A PGA TOUR event is contested over an 18-hole golf course, almost always set up to a par of 70, 71, or 72. Total yardage for a TOUR set-up commonly falls in the range of roughly 7,100 to 7,600 yards, varying by course, elevation, and conditions.

USGA

Out of bounds is defined by the line between the course-side points of white stakes and fence posts at ground level. Where stakes and a fence are used together, the inside-edge-of-fence definition takes precedence at the discretion of the Committee.

Section 5: Rules of Play

Different

PGA TOUR

A standard PGA TOUR event is a 72-hole individual stroke-play competition played over four rounds on consecutive days (Thursday through Sunday for a typical week). The player who completes the 72 holes in the fewest total strokes is the champion.

USGA

The USGA enforces a pace-of-play policy designed to keep play moving and to penalize unreasonable delay. The policy works as follows: Stroke play: most USGA championships (U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open, U.S. Senior Open) use 72-hole stroke play over 4 rounds; Match play: U.S. Amateur, U.S. Women's...

Section 6: Scoring

Different

PGA TOUR

The score for each hole is the number of strokes taken plus any penalty strokes; the round score is the total for 18 holes, and the championship score is the total for all rounds played.; Scores are commonly expressed relative to par (for example, "10 under par").; In stroke play, a marker (typic...

USGA

From 2018 onward, the U.S. Open playoff format is a two-hole aggregate playoff followed by sudden death: The player who completes the stipulated round in the fewest strokes wins; 72-hole total (4 × 18 holes) determines the championship in stroke-play events; A cut is applied after 36 holes in U.S...

Section 8: Safety Considerations

Different

PGA TOUR

The competition committee monitors weather, particularly lightning, throughout tournament week using on-site meteorology.; When a dangerous situation exists, the committee sounds the immediate-suspension signal and players must stop play at once, even mid-hole. A separate signal is used for a nor...

USGA

The three-tone air horn signals immediate suspension of play, typically for lightning. Players must stop play immediately, drop the ball as it lies (or mark with a small marker), and proceed to designated shelter.

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