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1. PGA Championship going ahead-with or without fans
Daniel Rapaport for Golf Digest…“Seth Waugh, the CEO of the PGA of America, believes a PGA Championship without fans is still better than no PGA Championship at all.”
- “Waugh appeared on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio Tuesday morning to discuss plans for the PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, which was originally set for May but has been rescheduled to Aug. 6-9 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He remains optimistic that Harding Park will be able to host a “fairly normal” championship in August, but acknowledged the possibility that plans could change, noting that the association is working on contingencies if needed.”
- “If the safest and/or the only way to [hold the PGA] is to do it without fans, we’re fully prepared to do that,” Waugh said. “We believe that having it as a television event is worth doing regardless of whether there’s fans there or not.
- “Obviously that’ll change the experience, but we think the world is starved for entertainment-particularly in sports-and we think golf has the unique ability to be first out among sports in that we’re played over a couple hundred acres.”
2. New schedule? June restart?
Brian Wacker at Golf Digest with the exclusive reporting on yet-to-be-officially-confirmed details of the return of PGA Tour golf…
- “PGA Tour officials are expected to announce this week their intention to resume the tour season, halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on June 11-14 at the Charles Schwab Challenge, multiple sources have told Golf Digest. It’s also expected that fans will not be allowed to attend that first tournament at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth. As the Tour looks to follow health and safety guidelines set by government and health officials, other early tournaments also are expected to be played without spectators.”
- “The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak on the Tour’s behalf. Tour officials discussed plans with the Players Advisory Council during a conference call on Tuesday.”
- “Late last week, the Tour sent players a memo saying that it was targeting a return at Colonial. The memo cited the tournament’s original date on the tour calendar of May 21-24, but also said the Tour was evaluating options to “preserve the maximum number of events we can while giving us more time as the crisis evolves.” Sources previously told Golf Digest those options focused on moving the Charles Schwab Challenge to June. The RBC Canadian Open, originally scheduled for June 11-14, will not be played, sources have said, freeing up the date for another event.”
June 25-28: Travelers Championship, TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Conn.
Keeps original date
July 2-5: Rocket Mortgage Classic, Detroit Golf Club
Moves from May 28-31
July 9-12: John Deere Classic, TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Ill.
Keeps original date
July 16-19: Memorial Tournament, Muirfield Village G.C., Dublin, Ohio
Moves from June 4-7
July 23-26: 3M Open, TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minn.
Keeps original date
July 30-Aug. 2: WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, TPC Southwind, Memphis
Moves from July 2-5
July 30-Aug. 2: Barracuda Championship, Tahoe Mt. Club, Truckee, Calif.
Moves from July 2-5
Aug. 6-9: PGA Championship, TPC Harding Park, San Francisco
Aug. 13-16: Wyndham Championship, Sedgefield C.C., Greensboro, N.C.
Aug. 20-23: The Northern Trust, TPC Boston
Aug. 27-30: BMW Championship, Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club
Sept. 3-7: Tour Championship, East Lake G.C., Atlanta
Sept. 17-20: U.S. Open, Winged Foot G.C., Mamaroneck, N.Y.
Sept. 25-27: Ryder Cup, Whistling Straits, Haven, Wis.
Nov. 12-15: Masters, Augusta National G.C., Augusta, Ga.
3. European Tour’s plans
Golfweek staff…”The European Tour reportedly has told players that in light of the global coronavirus pandemic, “sacrifices will have to be made” when golf resumes, according to a story by the BBC.”
- “The BBC reports it has seen an email that European Tour CEO Keith Pelley sent in which he says players should expect reduced purse sizes and potentially two events in the same week. The Tour may also institute 14-day quarantine periods for players traveling to events. Perks like players’ lounges and courtesy cars may also be affected.”
4. Monahan, Whan on the President’s council
The Golf Channel Digital team…”Two of professional golf’s most powerful people will be among those tasked with leading the effort to reopen the U.S. economy.”
- “PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and LPGA commissioner Michael Whan were among the 100-plus advisers named to a new council by President Donald Trump during Tuesday’s press briefing. The advisory council, which includes executives from many major players in business, healthcare, professional sports and elected office, will assist the White House’s coronavirus task force in shaping post-mitigation economic plans.”
- “The group also includes other sports-league commissioners, including the NFL’s Roger Goodell, NBA’s Adam Silver and MLB’s Rob Manfred.”
5. More on Euro Tour difficulties…
AP report…”Pelley said the pandemic has stopped the tour’s momentum in tournaments and prize money and will require it to reassess how it goes forward.”
- “You should therefore be prepared that when we do resume playing, the schedule and the infrastructure of tournaments could look radically different from what you have been used to,” the memo said. “Many of the things you have become accustomed to, such as top-class players’ lounges or courtesy car services will most likely assume a different appearance, if indeed they are present at all.”
- “Chief among the changes will be prize money….”The reality is, the pandemic is going to have a profound impact on the tour financially, as well as many of our partners, both in sponsorship and broadcast areas,” he said.”
6. Tour: Haney fired due to his own actions
Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”The Tour’s response claims Haney’s lawsuit is “based on [unsubstantiated] allegations of conduct” by the Tour and that a joint statement that was issued on May 30, 2019, by the circuit and Sirius XM, was justified based on a mutual business relationship.”
- “The [Tour’s] conduct was justified because it exerted its right to protect its brand through the control of programming and the prevention of conduct detrimental to the [Tour] pursuant to its rights in the License Agreement with Sirius XM Radio,” the motion read.
- “[The] Tour was not a stranger to the relationship between [Haney] and Sirius XM, and indeed, had a beneficial or economic interest in, or control over, that relationship, including a supervisory interest in how the relationship is conducted or a financial interest in how the contract between [Haney] and Sirius XM was performed.”
- “The motion also claims that Haney’s firing was based on his “own actions, and not any act or interference by [the Tour].”
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19th Hole2 weeks ago
19th Hole2 weeks ago
