New 2020 Pro Golf Calendar Released

New 2020 Pro Golf Calendar Released

The combined leadership of the PGA TOUR, the European Tour, USGA, R&A, Augusta National, LPGA and PGA of America have put their heads together to create a new schedule for the 2020 golf season.

The biggest news is that the R&A has cancelled the 2020 Open Championship. The last time it was not held was 1940 – 1945 during WWII.

The Masters, which was scheduled for this week, will be held Nov 9 – 15 as the LAST Major of the year. Can Augusta National arrange for fall color? Probably. They will have armies of horticulturalists on it.

The Augusta National Women’s Amateur is cancelled for 2020.

The US Open will be September 14 – 20.

The Women’s US Open will be played December 7 – 13. The weather should be fine in Houston. Probably even preferable.

The PGA Championship will be played August 3 – 9.

The Ryder Cup will be held Sept 22 – 27.

The LPGA’s ANA Inspiration will be held Sept 7 – 13.

The Fedex Cup series will begin immediately following the PGA Championship and run through Labor Day Weekend.

The PGA TOUR apparently will attempt to fit as many tournaments as they can into the remaining schedule. I would not be surprised if some weekends, the TOUR runs two simultaneous events: a big event, and an opposite field event.

The full press release from the governing bodies follows:

Golf World Presents Revised Calendar of Events for 2020

Safety, Health and Well-Being of All Imperative to Moving Forward

April 6, 2020 – United by what may still be possible this year for the world of professional golf, and with a goal to serve all who love and play the game, Augusta National Golf Club, European Tour, LPGA, PGA of America, PGA TOUR, The R&A and USGA have issued the following joint statement:

“This is a difficult and challenging time for everyone coping with the effects of this pandemic. We remain very mindful of the obstacles ahead, and each organization will continue to follow the guidance of the leading public health authorities, conducting competitions only if it is safe and responsible to do so.

“In recent weeks, the global golf community has come together to collectively put forward a calendar of events that will, we hope, serve to entertain and inspire golf fans around the world.  We are grateful to our respective partners, sponsors and players, who have allowed us to make decisions – some of them, very tough decisions – in order to move the game and the industry forward.

“We want to reiterate that Augusta National Golf Club, European Tour, LPGA, PGA of America, PGA TOUR, The R&A and USGA collectively value the health and well-being of everyone, within the game of golf and beyond, above all else. We encourage everyone to follow all responsible precautions and make effort to remain healthy and safe.”

Updates from each organization follow, and more information can be found by clicking on the links included:

USGA: The U.S. Open, previously scheduled for June 15-21 at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York, has been officially rescheduled for September 14-20 and is confirmed to remain at Winged Foot. For more information and comments from USGA CEO Mike Davis, click here.  

The R&A: The R&A has decided to cancel The Open in 2020 due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, and the Championship will next be played at Royal St. George’s in 2021. The Open was due to be played in Kent, England, from July 12-19, but it has been necessary to cancel the Championship based on guidance from the UK Government, the health authorities, public services and The R&A’s advisers. For more information and comments from The R&A Chief Executive Martin Slumbers, click here. 

PGA of America: The PGA of America is announcing today that the PGA Championship is now scheduled to take place August 3-9 and will remain at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, California.  The PGA Championship was originally slated for May 11-17 but was postponed on March 17. 

Furthermore, the PGA reconfirmed the Ryder Cup remains as originally scheduled, September 22-27, at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin.  For more information and comments from PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh, click here.

Augusta National Golf Club: Augusta National has identified November 9-15 as the intended dates to host the 2020 Masters Tournament, which was previously scheduled for April 6-12 and postponed on March 13. For more information, and comments from Chairman Fred Ridley, click here.

PGA TOUR: While collaborating with the PGA of America to find a viable date for the PGA Championship in August, the PGA TOUR worked with its host organizations and title sponsors to move the Regular Season finale – the Wyndham Championship – and all three FedExCup Playoffs events one week later, starting the week of August 10 and concluding with a Monday, September 7, Labor Day finish for the TOUR Championship.

The TOUR will seek to reschedule tournaments into the weeks formerly occupied by the U.S. Open, The Open Championship and the Men’s Olympic golf competition in June and July.  The TOUR will make further announcements about this potential, as well as its fall schedule, in the coming weeks.  For more information and comments from PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan, click here.

European Tour:  Due to the many complexities involved, the European Tour is currently working through various scenarios in relation to the rescheduling of our tournaments for the 2020 season. The European Tour will make further announcements on these in due course.

LPGA: On April 3, the LPGA released a revised look at the LPGA Tour’s 2020 summer schedule, beginning on the week of June 15 with the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G. In addition, the LPGA Tour announced that they have successfully rescheduled their first two majors of the year (the ANA Inspiration moves to the week of September 7 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California; and the U.S. Women’s Open conducted by the USGA moves to the week of December 7 at Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas). For more information, click here.

Summary:

A listing of the revised schedule of events announced today follows:

• TO BE CONFIRMED: June 15-21 (formerly U.S. Open week) – potential PGA TOUR event
• CANCELED: July 13-19, The Open Championship, Royal St. George’s GC, Sandwich, Kent, England
• TO BE CONFIRMED: July 13-19 (formerly The Open Championship week) – potential PGA TOUR event
• TO BE CONFIRMED: July 27-August 2 (formerly Men’s Olympic Competition week) – potential PGA TOUR event
• CONFIRMED: August 3-9 – PGA Championship, TPC Harding Park, San Francisco, California
• CONFIRMED: PGA TOUR’s season-ending event/FedExCup Playoffs
  • 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 CC, Olympia Fields, Illinois
  • August 31-September 7 (Labor Day) – TOUR Championship, East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia
• CONFIRMED: September 14-20 – U.S. Open, Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaroneck, New York
• RECONFIRMED: September 22-27: Ryder Cup, Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wisconsin
• CONFIRMED: November 9-15: the Masters Tournament, Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia