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The 2020 Golf Outlook

With the effects of COVID-19 devastating the sports and live events market, leagues, teams, and venues have struggled with when and how to gradually come back.  Would they make up postponed events?  Will spectators be allowed to watch?  How will the participants safely compete against each other?  One sport that is a natural fit for social distancing has already made those decisions…Golf.

 

The PGA Tour along with other notable golf tournaments, albeit with changes to its scheduling, will kick off again in mid-June.  The changes were numerous, with some tournaments cancelled completely and others re-scheduled from their original date.  In addition, the first four tournaments on the new schedule will be closed to the general public:

 

  • June 8-14: Charles Schwab Challenge (Colonial Country Club; Fort Worth, TX)
  • June 15-21: RBC Heritage (Harbour Town Golf Links; Hilton Head, SC)
  • June 22-28: Travelers Championship (TPC River Highlands; Cromwell, CT)
  • July 2-5: Rocket Mortgage Classic (Detroit Golf Club; Detroit, MI)

 

The season will still end with the traditional end of season tournament at The Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta to crown the FedEx Cup champion, now scheduled for August 31-September 7.

 

Other updates to the golf schedule include the four majors:

Event Old Date New Date
120th U.S. Open Championship June 18 – 21 September 17 – 20
The PGA Championship May 14 – 17 August 3 – 9
The Masters April 6 – 12 November 9 – 15
The Open Championship July 12 – 19 Cancelled for 2020

 

  • The 120thS. Open Championship, originally scheduled June 18-21 at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, NY is being rescheduled to September 17-20 at the same location.
  • The PGA Championship, previously set for May 14-17 at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, will now be played August 3-9.
  • The Masters, traditionally played in early April at Augusta National, has now moved to fall date of November 9-15.
    • A Masters in the fall to coincide with the NFL and college football will give sports fans much to look forward to!
    • For those looking to make a weekend of great events in the Peach State, how about Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday and then the final round of The Masters on Sunday?
  • The Open Championship, scheduled for July 12-19, was unfortunately the lone casualty and has been cancelled for 2020.

 

For fans of all sports, especially golf, it is encouraging to hear these schedule updates as it helps remind us that maybe some sense of normalcy is around the corner.  Before we know it, we will be back to spending our Sunday afternoon glued to the TV to see if the leader can hold on coming into the final hole!

 

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