What will the PGA Tour look like the rest of 2020?

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 30: A view of the locked gates at the entrance of Magnolia Lane off Washington Road that leads to the clubhouse of Augusta National on March 30, 2020 in Augusta, Georgia. The Masters Tournament, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals has been postponed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 30: A view of the locked gates at the entrance of Magnolia Lane off Washington Road that leads to the clubhouse of Augusta National on March 30, 2020 in Augusta, Georgia. The Masters Tournament, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals has been postponed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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The Open Championship won’t be held this year for the first time since World War II, while the Masters gets a new date.

The PGA Tour schedule, wracked with uncertainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, got a little clarity on Monday. The Open Championship, held continuously since the end of World War II, won’t be played in 2020.

The R&A, the governing body that runs the Open, made the decision to cancel the event, scheduled for July 16-19 at Royal St. George’s, for the first time since 1945. Instead, Royal St. George’s will host the tournament in 2021, with St. Andrews’ turn in the rota being pushed back to 2022.

The Open is golf’s oldest major championship. First held in 1860, only three events had ever led to it not taking place: the two World Wars, and Young Tom Morris taking ownership of the championship belt in 1870.

Shane Lowry, the defending champion whose victory at Royal Portrush near his native Ireland was one of the most memorable moments in 2019, took to social media to express his disappointment on Monday, the Claret Jug sitting idly by on a table beside him.

“Obviously, like everybody else, I’m very sad and disappointed that the R&A have had to cancel this year’s Open Championship. At the end of the day, people’s health and safety come way before any golf tournament,” Lowry said. “You can trust me when I say the Claret Jug is going to be in safe hands for another year, and I look forward to seeing you all at Royal St. George’s in 2021.”

The cancellation of the Open is just the latest upheaval to the PGA Tour schedule. Monday was supposed to be the start of Masters week, with Tiger Woods defending the Green Jacket he won last April. Instead, Magnolia Lane will be empty this week.

But fans of the Masters did get some good news on Monday. Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National, released a statement that the tournament is being rescheduled for Nov. 12-15.

The Masters has never been played later than mid-April, so how the course will play in the fall will be a mystery for players to solve. Augusta is likely to play softer and longer in November, with Bermuda grass mixing with the traditional rye. It would be a Masters unlike any other, but at least it will still take place.

The other majors, the PGA Championship and U.S. Open, have also been pushed back to later in the year. The PGA will be held in August, taking the spot reserved for the now-postponed Summer Olympics. And the U.S. Open will be played in September, a week before the Ryder Cup and a week after the FedEx Cup playoffs.

There is another complication for those tournaments going forward, however. The PGA is being hosted by TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, the U.S. Open at Winged Foot just outside of New York. Both of those cities are epicenters of the COVID-19 outbreak.

San Francisco and surrounding counties have more than 2,000 confirmed cases, New York City more than 60,000. California Governor Gavin Newsom said this weekend he doesn’t see NFL football taking place in his state in the fall. The PGA is supposed to be even earlier than that.

As for when the PGA Tour decides to restart the season, that remains anyone’s guess. All tournaments until mid-May are currently postponed or canceled. A potential target to get the season going again is the Memorial—without fans in attendance—at the beginning of June.

The only thing certain in this pandemic is uncertainty. Golf fans may not be able to see Woods defend the Green Jacket this week, but at least they now have a new date to look forward to. Masters Sunday is just 229 days away.

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