- The PGA is reportedly putting together a schedule for the major tournaments once they’re able to resume play.
- Currently, the PGA has canceled all tournaments through May 10.
- The status of the British Open is still up in the air.
The PGA is in the process of working out a schedule for the major tournaments once the sport is able to resume play. Like most other sports, golf is currently shut down due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, the PGA hoped to continue play without spectators and actually got the first round of the Players Championship in the books before that tournament was suspended. In addition, the PGA cancelled all tournament play through the Valero Texas Open which was scheduled to conclude on May 10. Given the current state of the viral pandemic in the United States there’s a very good chance that the cancellations will be extended well beyond the previously announced date.
Earlier this week a Golfweek report outlined plans for the schedule of major tournaments once the sport is able to resume. The plan is for a joint announcement of the sport’s governing bodies announcing the revised gameplan but the last holdup is due to the undetermined status of the British Open. Initial reports indicated that the tournament would be cancelled with an announcement made on Thursday. Instead of a cancellation announcement, however, the R&A said that they were still ‘evaluating their options’:
“We are continuing to work through our options for The Open this year, including postponement. Due to a range of external factors, that process is taking some time to resolve. We are well aware of the importance of being able to give clear guidance to fans, players and everyone involved and are working to resolve this as soon as we can. We will give a further update as soon as we are in a position to do so and thank everyone for their support and understanding in this challenging situation.”
The tentative schedule has been made under the assumption that the British Open won’t be held as scheduled on July 16-July 19. According to the Golfweek report several things have been determined. The Players Championship won’t be resumed or rescheduled. The US Open–originally scheduled for June 18 through June 21–is very likely to be rescheduled. Under the current plan, the PGA Championship would be the first major of the year to be held August 6 through 9 at TPC Harding Park. A rescheduled British Open would be held September 17-20 though if the R&A decided to cancel instead the US Open could be held during that time.
The status of the US Open remains unclear. If the British Open is scheduled and the US Open played September 17-20 it would likely remain at Winged Foot. If the British Open were to be rescheduled, the US Open would likely be moved to a date ‘later in the year’ and played on the West Coast with Torey Pines and Pebble Beach the most likely venues. Under the current play, The Masters would take place November 12-15. That would actually be a better time to play the event anyway as the weather in the Southeast is typically very mild and pleasant in November. The Ryder Cup–to be played at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin September 24 through 27–is tentatively expected to go ahead as scheduled.
The compressed PGA schedule gives us a preview of what might be a positive externality of the COVID-19 caused shutdown in the sports world. Once games are able to resume it could create an unprecedented period for sports bettors where literally every major world sport is going on at the same time. Stay tuned.
