PGA Championship Moving to May

[iacas]

Related topic:

[jamo]

I was on board back in January, and now that I've heard the reasoning and thought about it some more, I'm even more on board. I like the idea of a marquee event every month from March through July followed by the lead up to the FedExCup in August, the Playoffs in September, and the Ryder/Presidents Cup in late September/early October. Plus the Olympics will fit in nicely every fourth year (assuming they keep golf in the event).

[saevel25]

4 minutes ago, jamo said:

I like the idea of a marquee event every month from March through July followed by the lead up to the FedExCup in August, the Playoffs in September, and the Ryder/Presidents Cup in late September/early October. Plus the Olympics will fit in nicely every fourth year (assuming they keep golf in the event).

Ditto!

[DeadMan]

The negative is that a lot of courses in the northern part of the country aren't going to in major shape in May. So, you'd better hope to get the US Open at those courses or nothing.

That said, I think it makes a lot of sense. I've barely watched golf since the Masters, because none of these tournaments really excite me that much. I'd definitely watch the PGA in May.

Edited June 8, 2017 by DeadMan

[Broke100Once]

7 hours ago, DeadMan said:

The negative is that a lot of courses in the northern part of the country aren't going to in major shape in May. So, you'd better hope to get the US Open at those courses or nothing.

I don't think there's any chance the R&A would do this, but maybe the most logical idea would be to move the British Open to May and the PGA to July.  I'm not sure what the weather situation would be like for the Open rota in May as opposed to July, though many fans feel the windier/rainier the better, so it might not be an issue.

You could also totally rejig the schedule by going British in May, PGA in June and then the US Open in July.  Part of the reason the PGA is seen as something of an afterthought amongst the majors is because it's the last one of the year.  The US Open is always a big deal, so having it as the last major won't diminish it in any way.  Heck, you can promote it as the most difficult major as the year's final boss, the monster at the end of the book, if you will.

[WUTiger]

13 hours ago, jamo said:

I like the idea of a marquee event every month from March through July followed by the lead up to the FedExCup in August, the Playoffs in September, and the Ryder/Presidents Cup in late September/early October.

Olympics had impact on pro golf schedule even before golf returned as a sport. In 2004, the U.S. Senior Open was held at Bellerive in St. Louis in late July. Peter Jacobsen shot -12 to edge Hale Irwin by one stroke.

The Olympics had impact by gobbling up TV sports slots. So, the (British) Open championship was shifted, causing travel time overlap with the U.S. Senior Open. PGA officials suggested that with top pros tied up in compressed international travel, this led to more club pros and top amateurs in the Senior Open field than normal.

So, if the four traditional majors are completed by July, this would make for a more logical flow to wrap up the season - kind of like the playoffs in other sports.

Historic tidbit: In a video clip, PGA of America CEO Peter Bevacqua reminds us that the PGA Championship had been held in many different months of the year during its multi-decade run.

For those who know: What is the May weather like in the British Isles?

[Missouri Swede]

20 minutes ago, WUTiger said:

For those who know: What is the May weather like in the British Isles?

I looked up a climate chart for St Andrews. In May, average high is 56*F, average low is 42.  Warm days get into the upper 60s, cold nights into the lower 30s. So I suspect frost might be a problem. 

[WUTiger]

32 minutes ago, Missouri Swede said:

So I suspect frost might be a problem.

That can mess up play for the day as much as a rain storm!

[shortstop20]

I see the idea behind moving the PGA Championship to May, it makes sense.

On a personal level, I'm opposed to it for selfish reasons, because moving it to May means MN and WI are much less likely to hold a PGA Championship again. But then maybe that means that the US Open will come to Hazeltine and Whistling Straits instead?

[Buckeyebowman]

On 6/8/2017 at 5:40 AM, Broke100Once said:

I don't think there's any chance the R&A would do this, but maybe the most logical idea would be to move the British Open to May and the PGA to July.  I'm not sure what the weather situation would be like for the Open rota in May as opposed to July, though many fans feel the windier/rainier the better, so it might not be an issue.

You could also totally rejig the schedule by going British in May, PGA in June and then the US Open in July.  Part of the reason the PGA is seen as something of an afterthought amongst the majors is because it's the last one of the year.  The US Open is always a big deal, so having it as the last major won't diminish it in any way.  Heck, you can promote it as the most difficult major as the year's final boss, the monster at the end of the book, if you will.

There ain't no damn way the R&A will move the Open Championship to May! Some of those courses are on the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska! It's damned cold up there, man. July is the height of Summer there, and the best chance of getting a tourney in on time, and even then it can be chancy with the weather.

I thought that's why they moved the TPC to May. You'd have The Masters in April, the TPC in May, the US Open in June, the Open Championship in July, and the PGA in August!

I've heard this argument before. So, what will they do with the TPC? Move it to August in Florida?! Or keep them both in May. How much do they want to burn out the top players before the US Open?

[jamo]

2 minutes ago, Buckeyebowman said:

I've heard this argument before. So, what will they do with the TPC? Move it to August in Florida?! Or keep them both in May. How much do they want to burn out the top players before the US Open?

Did you watch the video? They're talking about moving the Players to March.

[Shindig]

3 hours ago, jamo said:

Did you watch the video? They're talking about moving the Players to March.

I like this idea.  Not only to extend the months with a marquee event, but also to have the one event that is just shy of a major right before the four majors.  

[Buckeyebowman]

No, I did not watch the video. Not sure, but it may have been presented in a format I do not entertain.

But, the TPC in March kind of makes sense. The weather is pretty good down there, and they could squeeze it in. God knows you wouldn't want a tournament in August in Florida!

OK, went back and tried to watch the vid. I can't stand Vimeo vids! They suck! It would run for about 32 seconds, and then the time bar at the bottom would jump to the end, and there was nothing more to see!

Edited June 11, 2017 by Buckeyebowman

[Wally Fairway]

PGA move to May in 2019 is reportedly soon to be announced.

https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/pga-championship-will-move-to-may-beginning-in-2019-at-bethpage-black/

[iacas]

5 hours ago, Wally Fairway said:

PGA move to May in 2019 is reportedly soon to be announced.

https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/pga-championship-will-move-to-may-beginning-in-2019-at-bethpage-black/

That's sooner than I thought they'd do it…

Bethpage Black in 2019? In May? Hmmmm…

[Aguirre]

I think it's fine the way it is but whatevs. August is still a good month to have a major. It's empty on the sports calendar.

Also, who cares about the FedEx Cup? I sure as hell don't. They've changed the format practically every year to contrive drama, and I'm not interested in soap operas.

Edited August 8, 2017 by Aguirre

[iacas]

5 minutes ago, Aguirre said:

Also, who cares about the FedEx Cup? I sure as hell don't. They've changed the format practically every year to contrive drama, and I'm not interested in soap operas.

Quite a few people. It's been a pretty good success.

[JetFan1983]