PGA TOUR announces schedule adjustments for remainder of 2019-20 FedExCup season, releases fall portion of 2020-21 PGA TOUR Regular Season schedule – pgatour.com
With additional time needed to ensure PGA TOUR tournaments are staged in the most safe and responsible manner possible given the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the PGA TOUR is announcing further schedule modifications for the remainder of the 2019-20 season, as well as plans for the opening portion of the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Regular Season, the restart of the 2020 Korn Ferry Tour season and updates regarding the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada schedule.
“The health and safety of all associated with the PGA TOUR and our global community continues to be our No. 1 priority, and our hope is to play a role – responsibly – in the world’s return to enjoying the things we love,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Today’s announcement is another positive step for our fans and players as we look toward the future, but as we’ve stressed on several occasions, we will resume competition only when – working closely with our tournaments, partners and communities – it is considered safe to do so under the guidance of the leading public health authorities.”
The PGA TOUR had previously targeted the week of the Charles Schwab Challenge (May 18-24) as the restart of the TOUR season, which has been suspended since THE PLAYERS Championship was canceled on Thursday, March 12. For health and safety reasons due to COVID-19, today’s announcement delays that timeline three weeks – to June 8, starting with the Charles Schwab Challenge – with additional tournaments being repositioned between then and the season’s conclusion, which is the TOUR Championship, ending on Labor Day (September 7).
At this time, the TOUR plans to resume play with the first four events closed to the general public but will continue to monitor the situation and follow the recommendations of local and state authorities in order to determine the most appropriate on-site access in each market. As such, the TOUR will continually review available COVID-19-related protocols that could be implemented at PGA TOUR events to ensure the health and well-being for all involved.
All three events that were previously scheduled between May 18 and June 8 – the Charles Schwab Challenge, Rocket Mortgage Classic and the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide – have been moved to later dates in the calendar.
The RBC Heritage, originally slated for this week (April 13-19) but canceled on March 17, has been added back to the PGA TOUR schedule in the week formerly occupied by the U.S. Open, which – as previously announced – has been postponed to September.
The RBC Canadian Open, originally scheduled for the week of June 8, has been canceled. Click here for a statement from the RBC Canadian Open. The Barbasol Championship, originally scheduled for July 13-19 opposite The Open Championship, has been canceled. The Open Championship was canceled on April 6.
Three invitationals on the updated schedule, the Charles Schwab Challenge (120 players), RBC Heritage (132 players) and the Memorial Tournament (120 players), will see their respective field sizes increase to 144 to provide additional playing opportunities for PGA TOUR members.
Summary of PGA TOUR events from 2019-20 schedule affected by date changes or cancellations:
• RBC Canadian Open, originally scheduled for the week of June 8-14, has been canceled; • Charles Schwab Challenge, originally scheduled for May 18-24, rescheduled to June 8-14 (former RBC Canadian Open dates); • RBC Heritage, originally scheduled for April 13-19, rescheduled to June 15-21 (former U.S. Open dates); • Rocket Mortgage Classic, originally scheduled for May 25-31, rescheduled to July 2-5 (former World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and Barracuda Championship dates); • the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, originally scheduled for June 1-7, rescheduled to July 13-19 (former The Open Championship/Barbasol Championship dates); • World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and Barracuda Championship, originally scheduled for June 29-July 5, rescheduled to July 27-August 2 (former Olympic Games men’s golf competition dates); • Barbasol Championship, originally scheduled for July 13-19 opposite The Open Championship, has been canceled; • Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, originally scheduled for March 23-29 and postponed on March 12, has been rescheduled as part of the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Regular Season schedule, September 21-27 (opposite the Ryder Cup); • The April 6 golf industry announcement outlined changes to the four major championships as well as the Wyndham Championship and the three FedExCup Playoffs events.
Revised 2019-20 PGA TOUR Season schedule
• June 8-14: Charles Schwab Challenge, Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas • June 15-21: RBC Heritage, Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head, South Carolina • June 22-28: Travelers Championship, TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Connecticut • July 2-5: Rocket Mortgage Classic, Detroit Golf Club, Detroit, Michigan • July 6-12: John Deere Classic, TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Illinois • July 13-19: the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio • July 20-26: 3M Open, TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minnesota • July 27-August 2: World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee • July 27-August 2: Barracuda Championship, Tahoe Mountain Club (Old Greenwood), Truckee, California • August 3-9: PGA Championship, TPC Harding Park, San Francisco, California • August 10-16: Wyndham Championship, Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, North Carolina • August 17-23: THE NORTHERN TRUST, TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts • August 24-30: BMW Championship, Olympia Fields Country Club (North), Olympia Fields, Illinois • August 31-September 7: TOUR Championship, East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia
With 22 events having been played through the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, the adjusted season-long schedule – subject to change – now consists of 36 events, including three FedExCup Playoffs events concluding with the TOUR Championship over Labor Day weekend, where the 2020 FedExCup Champion will be crowned.
With the health and safety of all associated with the PGA TOUR tournaments being of utmost importance, the TOUR will be working with its media partners on production plans upon the restart to the season. CBS is scheduled to televise the Charles Schwab Challenge through THE NORTHERN TRUST (11 consecutive events, inclusive of PGA Championship), and NBC is scheduled to televise the BMW Championship and TOUR Championship, culminating on Labor Day Monday.
2020-21 PGA TOUR Season
Additionally, the TOUR today introduced the season-opening weeks of the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Season, which now has 13 FedExCup events, including – as announced on April 6 by the USGA and Augusta National Golf Club, respectively – the U.S. Open and Masters Tournament.
“This portion of our 2020-21 schedule is possible only because of the many partners who have worked tirelessly to grow their events and impact the lives of those in need in their respective communities, and our players, who have embraced the expanded fall schedule in recent years,” said PGA TOUR Chief Tournaments and Competitions Officer Andy Pazder. “We’d like to express our appreciation to the leadership of the Safeway Open, Houston Open and Mayakoba Golf Classic – which will conclude our calendar year schedule in Riviera Maya, Mexico – for their flexibility, which allowed for the U.S. Open and Masters Tournament to be played in the fall. The accommodations will help the global golf community maximize the 2020 calendar, which will be incredibly impactful for our fans and put us in a strong position heading into 2021.”
2020-21 PGA TOUR Season Schedule (fall portion):
• September 7-13: Safeway Open, Silverado Resort and Spa North, Napa, California • September 14-20: U.S. Open, Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaroneck, New York • # September 21-27: Ryder Cup, Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wisconsin • September 21-27: Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, Corales Golf Club, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic • September 28-October 4: Sanderson Farms Championship, Country Club of Jackson, Jackson, Mississippi • October 5-11: Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada • October 12-18: THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, Nine Bridges, Jeju Island, Korea • October 19-25: ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club, Chiba Prefecture, Japan • October 26-November 1: World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, Sheshan International Golf Club, Shanghai, China • October 26-November 1: Bermuda Championship, Port Royal Golf Course, Southampton, Bermuda • November 2-8: Houston Open, Memorial Park Golf Course, Houston, Texas • November 9-15: Masters Tournament, Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia • November 16-22: The RSM Classic, Sea Island Resort (Seaside and Plantation), Sea Island, Georgia • November 23-29: Open week (Thanksgiving) • November 30-December 6: Mayakoba Golf Classic, El Camaleón Golf Club, Playa del Carmen, Mexico • # November 30-December 6: Hero World Challenge, Albany, New Providence, Bahamas • # December 7-13: QBE Shootout, Tiburón GC, Naples, Florida • # December 14-20: PNC Father-Son Challenge, The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, Orlando, Florida # indicates unofficial event
After 10 years, A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier will no longer be on the PGA TOUR’s schedule, as per a mutual agreement by The Greenbrier and the PGA TOUR.
“We are very grateful to Governor Jim Justice and his Greenbrier Resort for a highly successful 10 years of partnership with the PGA TOUR,” said Pazder. “Governor Justice’s vision and leadership helped shine a light on the men and women that serve our country through the military and first responder programs he implemented through the tournament, and The Greenbrier Resort was an incredibly unique and world-class venue that our players will always remember and cherish.”
In addition to the PGA TOUR’s schedule modifications, the Korn Ferry Tour announced the postponement of the Evans Scholars Invitational (May 18-24), as well as the cancellation of the REX Hospital Open (May 25-31), BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation (June 1-7) and Live + Work in Maine Open (June 8-14). The Tour will return to competition with a new tournament to be contested in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, the week of June 8-14. The $600,000 event will be held at TPC Sawgrass (Dye’s Valley Course) and operated by the Korn Ferry Tour without fans in attendance. The Dye’s Valley Course served as host of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship from 2013 through 2015.
Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada
The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada is postponing the first six scheduled events of its 2020 season. The tournaments affected are the Canada Life Open in Vancouver (May 28-31); the DCBank Open presented by Times Colonist in Victoria (June 4-7); the GolfBC Championship in Kelowna (June 11-14); the Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open in Lethbridge (June 25-28); the Prince Edward Island Pro-Am in Cardigan (July 2-5); and the Osprey Valley Open presented by Votorantim Cimentos – CBM Aggregates outside Toronto, in Caledon (July 9-12). The Mackenzie Tour expects to make more announcements in the next couple weeks with additional information about the 2020 schedule, as well as Qualifying Tournament sites and dates.
PGA TOUR Champions, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and PGA TOUR Series-China
Information regarding PGA TOUR Champions and the PGA TOUR’s other two International Tours, in Latin America and China, will be announced in the coming weeks.
EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers signed defenceman Travis Dermott to a professional tryout on Friday.
Dermott, a 27-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., produced two goals, five assists and 26 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season.
The six-foot, 202-pound blueliner has also played for the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto drafted him in the second round, 34th overall, of the 2015 NHL draft.
Over seven NHL seasons, Dermott has 16 goals and 46 assists in 329 games while averaging 16:03 in ice time.
Before the NHL, Dermott played two seasons with Oilers captain Connor McDavid for the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters. The team was coached by current Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion, led the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan vote her first year on the ballot — an important part to possible selection to the hall’s next class.
The organization released the voting results on Friday. American doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan finished second with Canada’s Daniel Nestor third.
The Hall of Fame said tens of thousands of fans from 120 countries cast ballots. Fan voting is one of two steps in the hall’s selection process. The second is an official group of journalists, historians, and Hall of Famers from the sport who vote on the ballot for the hall’s class of 2025.
“I am incredibly grateful to the fans all around the world who supported me during the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan votes,” Sharapova said in a statement. “It is a tremendous honor to be considered for the Hall of Fame, and having the fans’ support makes it all the more special.”
Sharapova became the first Russian woman to reach No. 1 in the world. She won Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008. She also won the French Open twice, in 2012 and 2014.
Sharapova was also part of Russia’s championship Fed Cup team in 2008 and won a silver medal at the London Olympics in 2012.
To make the hall, candidates must receive 75% or higher on combined results of the official voting group and additional percentage from the fan vote. Sharapova will have an additional three percentage points from winning the fan vote.
The Bryans, who won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, will have two additional percentage points and Nestor, who won eight Grand Slam doubles titles, will get one extra percentage point.
The hall’s next class will be announced late next month.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road had a blood-alcohol level of .087, above the .08 legal limit in New Jersey, a prosecutor said Friday.
Gaudreau, 31, and brother Matthew, 29, were killed in Carneys Point, New Jersey, on Aug. 29, the evening before they were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding.
The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins of nearby Woodstown, New Jersey, is charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. At a virtual court hearing Friday, a judge ordered that he be held for trial after prosecutors described a history of alleged road rage and aggressive driving.
“’You were probably driving like a nut like I always tell you you do. And you don’t listen to me, instead you just yell at me,’” his wife told Higgins when he called her from jail after his arrest, according to First Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn of Salem County.
The defense described Higgins as a married father and law-abiding citizen before the crash.
“He’s an empathetic individual and he’s a loving father of two daughters,” said defense lawyer Matthew Portella. “He’s a good person and he made a horrible decision that night.”
Higgins told police he had five or six beers that day and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint. He also failed a field sobriety test, the complaint said. A prosecutor on Friday said he had been drinking at home after finishing a work call at about 3 p.m., and having an upsetting conversation with his mother about a family matter.
He then had a two-hour phone call with a friend while he drove around in his Jeep with an open container, Flynn said. He had been driving aggressively behind a sedan going just above the 50 mph speed limit, sometimes tailgating, the female driver told police.
When she and the vehicle ahead of her slowed down and veered left to go around the cyclists, Higgins sped up and veered right, striking the Gaudreas, the two other drivers told police.
“He indicated he didn’t even see them,” said Superior Court Judge Michael J. Silvanio, who said Higgins’ admitted “impatience” caused two deaths.
Higgins faces up to 20 years, a sentence that the judge said made him a flight risk.
Higgins has a master’s degree, works in finance for an addiction treatment company, and served in combat in Iraq, his lawyers said. However, his wife said he had been drinking regularly since working from home, Flynn said.
Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.
Widows Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau described their husbands as attached at the hip throughout their lives. Both women are expecting, and both gave moving eulogies at the double funeral on Monday.
