PGA Tournament Series starts Monday at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie

The PGA Tournament Series, featuring top PGA Professionals from around the U.S., starts Monday at PGA Golf Club.

The first of six 36-hole events will be held Monday and Tuesday on the Ryder Course. The rest of the schedule includes: Event No. 2 -- Dec. 3-4 on the Dye Course; Event No. 3 – Dec. 7-8 on the Wanamaker Course; Event No. 4 – Dec. 10-11 on the Ryder Course; Event No. 5 – Dec 14-15 on the Dye Course; and Event No. 6 – Dec. 17-18 on the Wanamaker Course.

Dylan Newman of Greenwich, Conn., won the first two PGA Tournament Series events last year before Joshua Rackley of Brookville, N.Y., won the next two events. Australian Mick Smith won Event No. 5 in a five-way playoff and Bob Sowards of Dublin, Ohio won Event No. 6 in a playoff.

Newman led the money list with $16,070, followed by Rackley ($11,439) and Sowards ($9,985). Sowards had low scoring average at 69.75, edging Jupiter’s Frank Bensel (70.12).

The overall purse of last year’s six events was $211,500 and an average of 97.8 players competed in each event.

Sowards is tied for fourth on the career PGA Tournament Series victory list (with Lonnie Nielsen and Tom Wargo) with 10. Bruce Zabriski leads with 18, followed by Mike San Filippo (16) and Gene Fieger (15).

The PGA Tournament Series debuted during the 1977-78 winter to provide more playing opportunities for PGA Professionals. In 1996, the Series became the first PGA of America-sanctioned event to be held at PGA Golf Club.

With the PGA Tour Champions not holding Q-School this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, most of the top PGA Professionals are expected to play in all six events.

The PGA Tournament Series is presented by GolfAdvisor.com.