With three of the four majors back on the PGA Tour schedule for the second half of 2020, it’s now time to focus on a potential Tour re-start. Stay-at-home orders prompted by the coronavirus are likely in place through at least the end of April, making professional golf still seem like something in the distant future.
In a PGA Tour memo sent to players on Thursday obtained by Golf Channel, the Tour indicated it would hold a meeting with the players advisory council next Tuesday. Discussion points would include the remainder of the schedule and the impacts on playing opportunities and eligibility.
The Tour has still not moved the Charles Schwab Challenge, slated for May 21-24 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, but in the memo, the Tour did acknowledge that the event is unlikely to be played as scheduled.
After the Charles Schwab Challenge, the next three Tour events remain in place on the current PGA Tour Schedule. The weekend of June 18-21 – which originally would have been U.S. Open weekend – is open for “a potential PGA Tour Tournament,” according to the Tour’s website.
One of the big risks in restarting professional sports like the PGA Tour is in allowing fans to assemble. The Tour addressed that element in the memo, noting that competition could resume “with or without fans.”
As for how much time players might have to prepare, the memo said players could expect a minimum of three to four weeks of notice before a season reboot. According to Golf Channel reporting, the Tour reasoned that because of travel restrictions and potential practice restrictions, “we want to be able to give you as much time as possible to allow you to come back fully prepared.”
Early-week schedule news saw the Open Championship fall off the 2020 calendar, the PGA Championship move to the weekend of Aug. 6-9 and the U.S. Open land on Sept. 17-20, the week before the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, which remains intact. The Masters will be played Nov. 9-15.
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