PGA Tour Sees Surge in Sports Bets Related to Its Events

The PGA Tour has made a gamble, and it has paid off. The competition has joined other major sports leagues in pursuit of establishing a rapport with sports fans, particularly among those who enjoy placing wagers on the outcome of events.

Betting on Golf Surges with the PGA Tour Planning on More Related Content 

Nothing exemplifies the success of this better than the fact that handle on golf betting has surged across all available platforms by 20% in 2025 alone, factoring in online as well as in-person golf betting, amid stronger integrity safeguards.

FedEx Cup Playoffs in August saw a 50% jump in sports betting activity, with events such as the St. Jude Classic, the BMW Championship, and the Tour Championship all seeing surging betting interest. Fans are not only engaging more with their favorite events, but they are also putting skin in the game as the tournaments unfold.

The PGA Tour is banking that this is not a blip on the radar, but an early sign of a trend likely to continue in the coming years. The Tour already projects even stronger interest from sports bettors in 2026.

Yet, traditional sports betting is not the only activity seeing increased engagement, with PGA Tour Fantasy Golf also drawing more participants and expanding the sport’s reach.

The PGA is also tailoring what it brings to fans to accommodate those with an interest in betting, a move seen as a way to deepen engagement. In 2026, coverage will focus on 12 marquee events and include more than 400 hours of betting-related content (specifically Betcast), as confirmed by the PGA Tour.

From Fantasy to the Real Thing, Betting on Golf Is Set to Grow Fast

Betting interest is not something the PGA Tour is trying to inflate or push onto fans; it appears to be a genuine, organically developing phenomenon. In other words, the PGA Tour believes that sports betting on golf will continue to grow, bringing more people both to the activity and the sport itself.

In fact, the organizaiton is not impartial to legalizing sports gambling, and has weighed in on local states to consider pushing the matter through.

At the same time, the PGA Tour has signed partnerships with ESPN and DraftKings, including the Betcast broadcast with the latter. This creates more avenues for sports fans to engage with golf and to experience the game in real time.

In the meantime, FanDuel provides a glimpse of evolving fan behavior, with 61% of all golf betting action now based on in-play wagers.