The PGA Tour Is Returning. Get The Full Schedule Here
The first round of the Players Championship, the flagship tournament of the PGA Tour, came to a close March 12.
By that point, the coronavirus pandemic was growing. Tour higher-ups were adamant about continuing the event, though without spectators. Hours later, though, there was a change of heart. The championship was scrapped.
And since that time, there has been no golf, which obviously affected legalized sports betting surrounding the sport.
Soon, though, that will change. Golf — and with it golf betting — is returning.
PGA Tour with coronavirus-preventing plan
The PGA Tour has a plan in place to return golf to the links beginning with the Charles Schwab Challenge, scheduled for June 11-14.
Tyler Dennis, senior vice president and chief of operations for the tour, said the “layered approach” of the PGA Tour revolves around social distancing.
“That layered approach will include plenty of testing. Players and caddies will be expected to comply with medical questionnaires, thermal (temperature) readings and RT-PCR nasal swabs. It will start before they travel to t
ournaments and continue when they arrive.
“We’re excited about how the PGA TOUR can play a role here in the world’s return, if you will, to enjoying things we love and doing so in a responsible manner.”
Detailed to players May 12, the tour’s plan came after two months of brainstorming and included input from PGA Tour medical adviser Dr. Tom Hospel, the Federal Coronavirus Task Force, as well as other specialists and in consultation with other pro leagues.
Tournament sites will have masks and sanitizer, and the tour will keep tabs on capacity inside structures. On top of it all, when it comes to players and caddies, there will be pre-travel and upon-arrival testing.
Any testing, as tour officials emphasize, can only occur without taking resources away from local communities.
The revised PGA Tour schedule
Majors
Three of the four major championships will still take place in 2020, if the revised schedule holds.
The British Open, originally scheduled for July 16-19, was scratched as organizers followed “guidance from the UK Government, the health authorities, public services and the R&A’s advisers.”
It will mark the first time since 1860 that the original championship will go unplayed.
| Tournament | Date | Original Date |
|---|---|---|
| British Open | Canceled | July 16-19 |
| PGA Championship | Aug. 6-9 | May 14-17 |
| U.S. Open | Sept. 17-20 | June 16-19 |
| Masters | Nov. 12-15 | April 9-12 |
Other tournaments
Among noteworthy tourneys, the Tour Championship expects to tee off as originally scheduled, Sept. 4-7 at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
The big non-major tournament, however, is the Ryder Cup, staged at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin. Similar to the Tour Championship, the Ryder Cup will stick to its original slot: Sept. 25-27.
As for the remaining schedule (dates are as originally scheduled unless otherwise noted):
| Tournament | Date |
|---|---|
| Charles Schwab Challenge | June 11-14 (May 21-24) |
| RBC Heritage | June 18-21 (April 16-19) |
| Travelers Championship | June 25-28 |
| Rocket Mortgage Championship | July 2-5 (May 28-31) |
| John Deere Classic | July 9-12 |
| Memorial Tournament | July 16-19 (June 4-7) |
| 3M Open | July 23-26 |
| WGC-FedEx St. Jude Championship | July 30-Aug. 2 (July 2-5) |
| Barracuda Championship | July 30-Aug. 2 (July 2-5) |
| Wyndham Championship | Aug. 13-16 |
| Northern Trust | Aug. 20-23 |
| BMW Championship | Aug. 27-30 |
| Tour Championship | Sept. 4-7 |
| Safeway Open | Sept. 10-13 |
| Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship | Sept. 24-27 (March 26-29) |
| Ryder Cup | Sept. 25-27 |
| Sanderson Farms Championship | Oct. 1-4 |
| Shriners Hospitals for Children Open | Oct. 8-11 |
| The CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges | Oct. 15-18 |
| Zozo Championship | Oct. 22-25 |
| WGC-HSBC Championship | Oct. 29-Nov. 1 |
| Bermuda Championship | Oct. 29-Nov. 1 |
| Houston Open | Nov. 5-8 |
| The RSM Classic | Nov. 19-22 |
| Hero World Challenge | Dec. 3-6 |
| Mayakoba Golf Classic | Dec. 3-6 |
| QBE Shootout | Dec. 11-13 |
Related Articles
