By Rahul Banerji
Forty-eight hours after Golf Digest broke the news, the PGA Tour on Thursday released its revised list of tournaments split over the 2019-2020 and 2020 Fall seasons to cover up for time lost to the Corona-virus pandemic.
The modification includes the remainder of the 2019-20 season, as well as plans for the opening portion of the 2020-21 regular season, and the restart of the 2020 Korn Ferry Tour season besides the Canada schedule.
In a statement, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said, “… our hope is to play a role – responsibly – in the world’s return to enjoying the things we love.
“… But as we’ve stressed on several occasions, we will resume competition only when – working closely with our tournaments, partners and communities – it is considered safe to do so under the guidance of the leading public health authorities.”
As reported, the modified schedule pushes back the identified restart of the season, the Charles Schwab Challenge to June 8, with additional tournaments repositioned between then and the season’s conclusion, which is the Tour Championship, ending on September 7.
Questions, questions
This leaves a few questions in the air. 1) How much of the schedule will the Tour’s biggest draw, Tiger Woods, be able to cope with?
2) Where does golf across the rest of the globe go? More specifically, what will the Professional Golf Tour of India do now with May 3 identified as the end of the country’s 40-day lockdown, but no real clarity in the situation yet?
Also, from another Indian perspective, the Hero World Challenge in Albany, the Bahamas, holds its November 30-December 6 slot.
In its statement the PGA Tour said, “At this time, the Tour plans to resume play with the first four events closed to the general public. … As such, the Tour will continually review available COVID-19-related protocols that could be implemented to ensure the health and well-being for all involved.
“All three events that were previously scheduled between May 18 and June 8 – the Charles Schwab Challenge, Rocket Mortgage Classic and the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide – have been moved to later dates in the calendar.
“The RBC Heritage, originally slated for this week (April 13-19) but cancelled on March 17, has been added back to the PGA TOUR schedule in the week formerly occupied by the U.S. Open, which – as previously announced – has been postponed to September.
“The Charles Schwab Challenge (120 players), RBC Heritage (132 players) and the Memorial Tournament (120 players), will see their respective field sizes increase to 144 to provide additional playing opportunities for PGA TOUR members.
Revised 2019-20 season schedule
- June 8-14: Charles Schwab Challenge, Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas
- June 15-21: RBC Heritage, Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head, South Carolina
- June 22-28: Travellers Championship, TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Connecticut
- July 2-July 5: Rocket Mortgage Classic, Detroit Golf Club, Detroit, Michigan
- July 6-12: John Deere Classic, TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Illinois
- July 13-19: the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio
- July 20-26: 3M Open, TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minnesota
- July 27-August 2: World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee
- July 27-August 2: Barracuda Championship, Tahoe Mountain Club (Old Greenwood), Truckee, California
- August 3-9: PGA Championship, TPC Harding Park, San Francisco, California
- August 10-16: Wyndham Championship, Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, North Carolina
- August 17-23: The Northern Trust, TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts
- August 24-30: BMW Championship, Olympia Fields Country Club (North), Olympia Fields, Illinois
- August 31-September 7: TOUR Championship, East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia
“The adjusted season-long schedule – subject to change – now consists of 36 events, including three FedExCup Playoffs events concluding with the Tour Championship over Labour Day weekend, where the 2020 FedExCup Champion will be crowned.
“Additionally, the Tour today introduced the opening weeks of the 2020-21 season, which now has 13 FedExCup events, including the US Open and Masters Tournament.”
2020-21 PGA Tour season schedule (fall portion)
- September 7-13: Safeway Open, Silverado Resort and Spa North, Napa, California
- September 14-20: U.S. Open, Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaroneck, New York
- # September 21-27: Ryder Cup, Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wisconsin
- September 21-27: Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, Corales Golf Club, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
- September 28-October 4: Sanderson Farms Championship, Country Club of Jackson, Jackson, Mississippi
- October 5-11: Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada
- October 12-18: The CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges, Nine Bridges, Jeju Island, Korea
- October 19-25: Zozo Championship, Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club, Chiba Prefecture, Japan
- October 26-November 1: World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, Sheshan International Golf Club, Shanghai, China
- October 26-November 1: Bermuda Championship, Port Royal Golf Course, Southampton, Bermuda
- November 2-8: Houston Open, Memorial Park Golf Course, Houston, Texas
- November 9-15: Masters Tournament, Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia
- November 16-22: The RSM Classic, Sea Island Resort (Seaside and Plantation), Sea Island, Georgia
- November 23-29: Open week
- November 30-December 6: Mayakoba Golf Classic, El Camaleón Golf Club, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
- # November 30-December 6: Hero World Challenge, Albany, New Providence, Bahamas
- # December 7-13: QBE Shootout, Tiburón GC, Naples, Florida
- # December 14-20: PNC Father-Son Challenge, The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, Orlando, Florida
Also read: Three majors and the Ryder Cup on as golf scrambles to find fresh dates
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