We know the opening two of the four men’s 2020 Major Championships this year have been postponed.
The staging of the US Open is seemingly somewhat in dissaray following the New York Governor’s ‘executive order’ that directly affects the construction of corporate and spectator facilities at Winged Foot and venue for the 18th to 21st June championship on New York’s Long Island.
The R & A has indicated it is ‘planning to go ahead as scheduled’ for the staging of golf’s oldest major and that is the 149th Open to be held from 16th to 19th July at Royal St. George’s in Kent.
Though it is known the R & A and Royal St. George’s were in crisis talks early on Tuesday and soon after news was confirmed the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo were being postponed to 2021.
The remainder of the 2020 golfing season really remains in the balance …
There’s already plenty of talk of the Masters being rescheduled, and only if this Coronavirus pandemic eases, that would be from the 8th to 11th October.
And while it may not be a time to be speculating there’s no real harm in keeping matters positive at a time of some much uncertanity.
July 16 – 19 149th Open Championship, Royal St. George’s (As planned)
July 30 – Aug 2 PGA Championship, TPC Harding Park, San Francisco
Sept 10 – 13 US Open, Winged Foot, New York
Oct 8 – 11 Masters, Augusta National, Georgia
With the postponment of the 2020 Olympics in the last week of July it will allow both Tour’s that week to reschedule regular tour events.
The European Tour, and affected more than any other tour with cancellations and postponements, should come out better off and given the season-ending event, the DP World Tour Championship is held in third week in November and this in stark contrast to the PGA Tour that was due to complete its 2019/20 wraparound schedule with the August 27th to 30th Tour Championship.
In contrast, the European Tour will be in a position to host every regular event from the week following The Open up to the first week of October with the Italian Open, and a Rolex Series event, to take place from 8th to 11th October.
If both the European Tour and the PGA of America agree to postpone the 2020 Ryder Cup to 2021, and as many players have been suggesting, it frees-up the last week of September for the European Tour to possibly reschedule the Italian Open into that time slot, as the Italian Open would clash with a rescheduled Masters.
And if the 2019/20 PGA Tour wraparound schedule is a judge then the second week of October would Houston Open weekn and if were to be the scenario later this year the event could be moved to another suitable date and also allow for the Masters to be held.
Yes, plenty of if’s and what if’s but I had to get away from ‘the box’ as I’ve never watched so many Western movies since I was a teenager.
