PGA Tour targets June resumption

The PGA Tour is understood to be looking to get its 2020 schedule up and running again in June, with a memo sent out to players last week citing the Charles Schwab Challenge, which is due to be played at the Colonial Country Club in Texas from June 11-14, as the likely date to resume competition following the hiatus caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Although the Tour has said that the precise date of a return will be led by health and safety guidelines set by the US government, any early tournaments that do go ahead are expected to be played behind closed doors, with no spectators present.

The Charles Schwab Challenge was originally due to be played from May 21-24, but the Canadian Open, which was scheduled for June 11-14, is not expected to be held, thus freeing up that date for the Charles Schwab event to be staged in its place. The Rocket Mortgage Classic would follow from June 18-21, with the Travelers Championship (June 25-28) keeping its scheduled place in the calendar.

The Tour has already made the decision to move its regular-season finale, the Wyndham Championship, and three FedEx Cup Playoff events one week later, starting the week of August 10 and concluding with a Monday, September 7 finish for the Tour Championship.

Once a final decision on a re-start date is made, the Tour said it will give players a few weeks’ notice so they can prepare accordingly.

“At a minimum, it is our hope to give the membership at least three to four weeks’ notice before restarting the season,” the memo said. “We understand many of you may be impacted by travel restrictions and/or the inability to practice in your area, thus we want to be able to give you as much time as possible to allow you to come back fully prepared.”

The PGA Tour held a conference call with members of its player board to discuss the schedule and the impact on player eligibility. That includes matters like playing a minimum of 15 events to maintain membership and potential field sizes.

On the subject of player qualification for this year’s Majors, the points list to qualify for the US PGA Championship, which is due to take place on August 6-9, will conclude with the PGA Tour event that ends on July 26, while the qualifying criteria for the US Open, which is slated for September 17-20, is still being determined. The field for the Masters, which has been moved to November, has already been finalised, while all players who secured a place in the field for the Open Championship as of April 6, will remain eligible for the 2021 tournament at Royal St George’s.

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