Share

PGA Championship moves to May in 2019

Charlotte - Moving the PGA Championship from its typical August date to May starting in 2019 will help players and boost the event and the sport, PGA of America chief executive Pete Bevacqua said on Tuesday.

The schedule change, unveiled two days before the 99th PGA event is contested at Quail Hollow, comes after years of discussion and was pushed by golf's return to the Olympics in 2016, which compacts the current schedule every four years.

"It's in the best interests of the PGA Championship," Bevacqua said. "We feel it's in the best interests of the players around the world.

"For an organization whose strategic mission is to grow this game, we feel May is a far more powerful date for us."

In a related move, the Players Championship staged at the TPC Sawgrass layout in Florida will return to its March date after being played in May since 2007.

Bevacqua said the PGA of America had been working on the issue for four years to help boost the event, sport and player schedules.

"We come back to the unavoidable reality that the landscape in August is changing, and it's changing because of the Olympics," Bevacqua said.

"We feel the television markets in general are stronger in May and we are 100 percent confident that we can continue to go to the great golf courses where we have brought this championship.

"And it opens up other parts of the country. It's more comfortable in Florida. It's more comfortable in Texas."

July's British Open will now become the final major championship of every season, with the Masters in early April, the PGA in late May, the US Open in June and then the British Open.

The Players will serve as a Masters tune-up in March and the PGA Tour playoffs likely will serve as a finale in August and early September. That could force shifts in other events on the US schedule.

"There are a number of dominos and a number of other decisions we need to make," said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan. "When we have more specifics we'll come back and make those announcements. We're just not far enough along in our process."

The PGA has been played in nine different months since its 1916 inception and has been the last major of the season from 1959 through this year except for a one-off move in 1971.

The 100th PGA Championship will be staged next August at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis as planned.

Bethpage Black will host the 101st edition from May 16-19 in 2019, the first PGA to be played in May since Sam Snead's 1949 triumph at Richmond, Virginia.

"We are excited about this move to May," said Bevacqua. "It provides our PGA Championship a strong landing spot on the calendar and a consistent major rhythm that golf fans can embrace."

The move will allow the PGA to conclude its season before the popular NFL and collegiate American football telecasts dominate US sports viewership in September.

"We expect these moves will help us to grow our fan base as we move forward," Monahan said.

They could open the door for earlier playing of the Ryder Cup in future years than late September and early October.

"It does open up the door to potentially talk about changing the date, not significantly, but a bit perhaps with the Ryder Cup down the road," Bevacqua said, noting talks about the change included the Royal and Ancient as well as the US Golf Association and Augusta National Golf Club.

Bevacqua also said staging a PGA outside the United States, taking major golf to new global frontiers, has been discussed for years but won't happen in the next decade.

"We have considered that in the past and have analysed that," he said. "Whereas we talked initially about potentially having an international PGA Championship, our focus now in terms of global growth is squarely on education and employment.

"Will we ever do an international PGA Championship? I think the answer is not in the next 10 years but it's something we will always consider because potentially at the right time it could be an interesting move."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1473 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE