PGA Championship ‘lost in lottery’, Woods’ Masters victory postponed to May

This is a boon that the PGA of America could not have imagined in his August 2017.

On Tuesday, during PGA Championship Week at Quail Hollow, then-PGA CEO Pete Bevacqua announced that starting in 2019, the tournament would be moved from August to May. There seemed to be a constant smile on the faces of Bevacqua and his friends.

No more boring labels like “last shot of glory” or “this is important.” Don’t get lost in the summer of baseball and his NFL preparation. A TV-free family vacation in mid-May remains a happy promise.

The PGA and his broadcast partner CBS knew this was a big step forward for the U.S. Open. They had no idea what was going to happen starting Thursday on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park on Long Island, New York.

Four weeks ago, Tiger Woods was sweating on courses in Louisville, Tulsa and St. Louis as he won the Masters, clinching his 15th major title and capping an incredible comeback from spinal fusion surgery. It felt like the karma of those August days. “Louis” returned to the PGA. “Who would have thought that the PGA Championship would begin this year, on the heels of one of the greatest moments in the history of the sport?” CBS Sports golf announcer Jim Nantz said during a conference call. I asked.

“As we move into 2019, the PGA Championship has become a lottery.”

In a way, Woods helped them (though perhaps not his own game) by choosing not to play any tournaments after the Masters, further fueling expectations. I think it will benefit golf as a whole. CBS Sports President Sean McManus said this week that he expects advertising revenue and viewership to increase. The final round of the Masters, delayed several hours due to an approaching storm, drew 18 million viewers at its peak, making it CBS’ most-watched morning golf show in 32 years.

The PGA of America said the weekend round was virtually sold out before Woods’ victory at Augusta, and the public response to wanting to play at Bethpage immediately after the Masters was “extraordinary”, said PGA of America’s Seth・Talked about Mr. Waugh. “Obviously Tiger is having a moon landing-like impact,” Waugh said at PGA Media Day. “It’s not golf. It’s like, ‘Where were you when?’ “I don’t know about you, but I looked at that last shot at the Masters and was like, ‘I can’t wait to get out there and hit a 7-iron in the backyard.’ This is going to have a really big impact. thinking about.

This will be the first time in 70 years that the PGA Championship will be held in May. In 1949, at the Hermitage Country Club in Richmond, Virginia, Sam Sneed won the last tournament of the period.

The PGA has held its venues primarily in August since 1969, with the oddity of hosting a February major in Florida in 1971 (Jack Nicklaus won) and the 2016 Summer Olympics. It was also held in July to coincide with the festival. The Olympics played a major role in rescheduling the PGA and PGA Tour, prompting the postponement of the PGA Championship to May. As a result, the tour moved its biggest event, the Players Championship, from May to March. “I always felt like there was some excitement in the golf calendar in April and then a little bit of disappointment,” Waugh said. “Because you make people want to play, but from a fan standpoint, there’s a huge gap.”

A major event is now held once a month from March to August, the final season of the Tour Championship. The US Open will be held at Pebble Beach from June 13-16, and the British Open will be held at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland from July 18-21.

Hectic schedules have forced players to change their approach to major tournaments and other events. For the first time in his professional career, Phil Mickelson has decided not to compete in the Farmers Insurance Open in his hometown of San Diego. He previously competed in tournaments the week before majors, but did not compete until this year’s Masters, where he finished 18th. Given the success of the Masters and the demands it placed on his body, Woods made the more interesting choice of not playing any tournaments after the Masters. In fact, he showed up at Bethpage earlier this week and worked out with Mickelson with a big smile on his face. It will be 32 days between Woods’ last start at Augusta and Thursday’s 8:24 a.m. start by reigning PGA and U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka and 2018 British Open champion Francesco Molinari. . The US Open was held there in 2002. “He needs to pick up where he left off at Augusta,” CBS analyst Nick Faldo said. “It was unbelievable. It’s a difficult job. He doesn’t make it easy for himself.