A report issued by Golf Digest has revealed that the indications coming from PGA Tour sources are for a planned restart of the season at the Charles Schwab Challenge, on June 11-14.
A week after the major organisations announced their plans for the remainder of the year, the Tour will be keen to get golf back underway so that issues such as the FedEx Cup and major and Ryder Cup qualification can be resolved, whilst also providing more funds through event sponsorship and TV coverage after a month of inactivity.
If the event does go ahead, however, it will in the absence of any spectators, as the current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic means that having such large groups of people in one space is not safe.
The report continues:
"Late last week, the Tour sent players a memo saying that it was targeting a return at Colonial. The memo cited the tournament’s original date on the tour calendar of May 21-24, but also said the Tour was evaluating options to “preserve the maximum number of events we can while giving us more time as the crisis evolves.” Sources previously told Golf Digest those options focused on moving the Charles Schwab Challenge to June. The RBC Canadian Open, originally scheduled for June 11-14, will not be played, sources have said, freeing up the date for another event."
"After the Charles Schwab Challenge, the Tour has an opening on its calendar for a “Potential PGA Tour Tournament” from June 18-21, when the U.S. Open was to be held before the USGA announced its postponement to September. Scheduling conversations at the Tour remain ongoing and fluid, but according to multiple sources, the RBC Heritage, originally scheduled to be played this week at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island, is likely to fill that slot."
So while that all does sound exciting, a lot of these plans do depend on how things progress in the next few weeks, and this is understandably a fluid situation. If the outbreak slows as hoped, these plans may well go ahead, but if things take a turn for the worst it is difficult to see how golfers will be able to travel and then congregate together for a golf company.
Of course, there is much more to a golf tournament than just 144 players arriving on a Tuesday morning for a practice round before they get underway. Earlier this month, the Governor of Texas (where the Charles Schwab Challenge is set to take place) extended a 14-day quarantine for anyone arriving in the state. This would have to be one of the measures lifted if golfers were to be able to travel and attend the event.
The report also contains information on the upcoming PGA Championship scheduled for August, following comments from the Californian Governor suggesting that mass gatherings will not be considered until September. Speaking on a radio show earlier this week, PGA of America's CEO Seth Waugh commented:
"If the safest and/or the only way to [hold the PGA] is to do it without fans, we’re fully prepared to do that. We believe that having it as a television event is worth doing regardless of whether there’s fans there or not."
What do you think? Does this move seem a little premature, given all that is still going on in the US and across much of the world at the current time? Let us know your thoughts!
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