The 2019 PGA Tour schedule was finally released today, rolled out with a press conference from Tour headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, and as many have speculated, the new schedule – which once again spans the 2018 and 2019 calendar years – has some pretty big changes, including a reduced playoff schedule; a beefed up Florida Swing; two new Midwest stops; and a pair of current events moving to the fall’s wrap-around portion of the schedule.
2019 PGA TOUR SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS
- Florida Swing: With the PGA Championship moving to May, the PGA Tour’s flagship event, The Players Championship, returns to a March date, giving the Tour a four-event Florida Swing once again: The Honda, Bay Hill, the PLAYERS, and Innisbrook.
- New Midwest Stretch: The Quicken Loans National moves from D.C. to Detroit with a new name – the Rocket Mortgage Classic. The new Michigan event will bat lead-off in what will be a three-event stretch through America’s midWest leading into the Open Championship. The new 3M Open in Minnesota will follow, with the long-running John Deere Classic (Silvis, Illinois) assuming the anchor position the week before the Open.
- New Fall Dates: The Houston Open and the Greenbrier event will be moved to the wrap-around season in the fall.
- WGC Change: The World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Invitational, contested at Firestone in Akron, Ohio, moves to Memphis, essentially merging the Bridgestone with the FedEx St Jude Classic. The new tournament name will be titled the WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational, which will be contested the week following the Open Championship.
- The FedExCup Playoffs: The PGA Tour’s season-ending playoffs will be reduced to three (3) tournaments (from four): top 125 (Northern Trust), top 70 (BMW Championship) and top 30 (Tour Championship). The odd event out is the TPC Boston stop – sort of. The Northern Trust will reportedly move between New York and Boston, with next year Liberty National in Jersey City, New Jersey playing host, before heading to TPC Boston in 2020. The playoffs will also conclude one month earlier – before Labor Day, to avoid competing with the NFL and college football.
- Still Unclear: A change to the playoff format will be announced later this year, while the start of the fall schedule, along with tournaments and dates, are still to be determined.
“We are extremely pleased with the way the schedule has come together, particularly with the number of changes that were involved and the strength of the partnerships required to achieve this new look,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan.
“It’s been our stated objective for several years to create better sequencing of our tournaments that golf fans around the world can engage in from start to finish. And by concluding at the end of August, the FedExCup Playoffs no longer have the challenge of sharing the stage with college and professional football.
“This will enhance the visibility of the FedExCup Playoffs and overall fan engagement with the PGA TOUR and the game as a whole.”
2019 PGA TOUR SCHEDULE
OCTOBER, 2018
4-7: Safeway Open, Napa, CA
11-14: CIMB Classic, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
18-21: The CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges, Jeju Island, Korea
25-28: WGC-HSBC Champions, Shanghai, China
25-28: Sanderson Farms Championship, Jackson, MS
NOVEMBER, 2018
1-4: Shriners Hospitals Open, Las Vegas, NV
8-11: Mayakoba Golf Classic, Playa del Carmen, MX
15-18: The RSM Classic, St. Simons Island, GA
JANUARY
4-6: Sentry Tournament of Champions, Kapalua, HI
10-13: Sony Open in Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
17-20: CareerBuilder Challenge, La Quinta, CA
24-27: Farmers Insurance Open, San Diego, CA
FEBRUARY
31-3: Waste Management Phoenix Open, Scottsdale, AZ
7-10: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Pebble Beach, CA
14-17: Genesis Open, Pacific Palisades, CA
21-24: WGC-Mexico Championship, Mexico City, MX
21-24: Puerto Rico Open, Rio Grande, P.R.
MARCH
28–3: The Honda Classic, Palm Beach Gardens, FL
7-10: Arnold Palmer Invitational, Orlando, FL
14-17: The Players Championship, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
21-24: Valspar Championship, Palm Harbor, FL
APRIL
28-31: WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, Austin, TX
28-31: Corales Puntacana Championship, Punta Cana, D.R.
4-7: Valero Texas Open, San Antonio, TX
11-14: Masters Tournament, Augusta, GA
18-21: RBC Heritage, Hilton Head Island, SC
25-28: Zurich Classic of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA
MAY
2-5: Wells Fargo Championship, Charlotte, NC
9-12: AT&T Byron Nelson, Dallas, TX
16-19: PGA Championship, Bethpage, NY
23-26: Charles Schwab Challenge, Fort Worth, TX
JUNE
31-2: The Memorial Tournament, Dublin, OH
6-9: RBC Canadian Open, Hamilton, ON
13-16: U.S. Open, Pebble Beach, CA
19-23: Travelers Championship, Cromwell, CT
27-30: Rocket Mortgage Classic, Detroit, MI
JULY
4-7: 3M Open, Blaine, MN
11-14: John Deere Classic, Silvis, IL
18-21: The Open Championship, Portrush, N.I.
18-21: Barbasol Championship, Nicholasville, KY
25-28: WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, Memphis, TN
25-28: Reno-Tahoe Tournament, Reno, NV
AUGUST
1-4: Wyndham Championship, Greensboro, NC
8-11: The Northern Trust, Jersey City, NJ
15-18: BMW Championship, Medinah, IL
22-25: TOUR Championship, Atlanta, GA