Billy Andrade was devastated after learning that the Champions PGA Tour, the PGA Tour’s major circuit, eliminated its pension program for golfers this week.
The PGA Tour used to offer a $10 million senior tour pension program before it was cut to $8 million last year. Now, it is possible to remove the program altogether.
“You’ve got all these millions flowing around for the Championship Series, this series, that series, for all these leagues for this guy [new PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp] It creates, and they take this money that was designed for these Champions players,” Andrade said, via Golfweek. “These are the players who helped make the Tour what it is today and helped create jobs that executives and players enjoy… It’s actually criminal.”
The announcement was made at the PGA Tour Champions’ first player meeting of the season by president Miller Brady. The goal, which the players were told, through the report, was that the PGA Tour Champions wants to stand on its own financially in the future.
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Previously, annual pension programs were approved. It started with a $250,000 allocation in 1985 and has been almost constant since. The only real break was when it was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic. Players can qualify by playing in at least 12 tournaments each, and earn retirement credits by finishing in the top 48 in the event.
Brady said the senior circuit, which is available to golfers age 50 or older, is where they make their real money. The price, he said, “is as good as it’s ever been.”
“When you never want to take something away from the players, they also understand. It’s arrived,” said Caesar. “I said guys, my job is to raise the prize money in time, and we started to do it slowly. We have been happy to renew the sponsors for a long time.”
Although the PGA Tour Champions has undoubtedly grown in recent years – several regular-season tournaments have committed to having $3 million in purses next season to match the five major championships, for example, and new tournaments are entering – the players are clearly not happy about losing money.
“They play for about $20 million a week [on the PGA Tour]and they can’t afford our $10 million pension? It’s a bad look, in my opinion, and I think most of the guys there feel this way,” said David Toms.
Stewart Cink was the top earner in the Charles Schwab Cup with nearly $3.8 million earned in 2026. Zach Johnson was not far behind with $3.3 million.
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Andrade earned $12.5 million in his PGA Tour career, where he won four times, and won more than $9.1 million on the senior tour. Toms, with 13 PGA Tour wins, has earned nearly $42 million in his career. He won five times on the Champions PGA Tour and earned nearly $10.3 million.
While no one wants to lose money, players competing week-in and week-out on the senior tour have a great retirement gig. It’s a 54-hole format where players are allowed to ride in their teams, and it rakes in a few million dollars for each tournament.
As far as retirement plans go, this one is hard to beat. And with the way the PGA Tour Champions are growing, there will only be more money available to players.
“The PGA Tour is a business. The powers that be run it like a business,” said Paul Goydos. “The books are what they are. You can’t run out of money.
“Is it disappointing? Yes, it’s not good. But it’s understandable.”