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5 things golf fans still have to look forward to the rest of 2019

By David Salituro

PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 19: Tiger Woods of the United States tees off the 2nd during the second round of the 148th Open Championship held on the Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 19, 2019 in Portrush, United Kingdom. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 19: Tiger Woods of the United States tees off the 2nd during the second round of the 148th Open Championship held on the Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 19, 2019 in Portrush, United Kingdom. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) /
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The major championship season came and went at Royal Portrush on Sunday, but that doesn’t mean golf is coming to a halt the next nine months

The end of the Open Championship was a bittersweet moment for golf fans. While Shane Lowry’s triumph on home soil was exciting, it also came with the realization that the next major championship isn’t for another nine months.

That doesn’t mean the golf season is over, however. There are still several interesting stories to follow the rest of 2019. Tiger Woods and his quest to tie Sam Snead’s PGA Tour wins record is one of them. The FedEx Cup playoffs will end earlier than ever this year and have an interesting new format. And the year will end with Team USA taking on the Internationals at the Presidents Cup, an event where Woods will again play a prominent part, just not the role he’s used to.

Don’t worry, golf fans. The Masters is just 261 days away. Until then, enjoy these storylines while you wait.

1. How much more of Tiger Woods will we see?

The excitement surrounding Tiger Woods’ victory at the Masters in April shows that, even at 43, he remains the most popular golfer on the planet. But since that Sunday at Augusta National, Woods’ appearances have been few and far between.

Woods has played just 12 competitive rounds in the last three months. After the Masters, he took a month off before going to Bethpage Black for the PGA Championship, where he missed the cut. He failed to contend in his next two starts, at the Memorial and U.S. Open, before taking another month off before the Open Championship last week. The rust after such a long hiatus showed once again, as Woods didn’t survive to the weekend after a lackluster 78 in the opening round at Royal Portrush.

This kind of schedule may be the new normal for Woods. He played 18 events in 2018 coming back from his fourth back surgery but admits it was too much for his body and that he was exhausted by the end of the year. He said before the Open Championship that his slim schedule is part of a plan to prolong his career as long as possible. After missing the cut at Royal Portrush, Woods took off as soon as possible. “I just want some time off, just to get away from it,” he said.

When Woods next plays on the PGA Tour is anybody’s guess. He’s already pulled out of the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational next week. Two weeks after that comes the start of the FedEx Cup playoffs, where Woods is committed to playing three weeks straight provided he makes it to the Tour Championship. He’s currently 27th in the season-long standings, and only the top 30 will qualify for East Lake. He’s also committed to playing the Zozo Championship in Japan at the end of October.

Woods is just one win away from tying Sam Snead for the most PGA Tour victories at 82. Outside of the Masters, however, he’s had few opportunities to add to that total this year.

Speaking of Tiger…

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