PGA Tour Champions shifting to combined 2020-21 wraparound season
PGA Tour Champions announced that it will adopt a wraparound schedule for the newly-minted 2020-21 season in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Five events for the over-50 circuit were completed before competition was halted in mid-March, while eight tournaments have since been canceled and a number of others, including the Senior Open, remain in flux. As a result, tour officials have decided that they will not have a season-long champion this year and will instead crown the next Charles Schwab Cup winner in November 2021.
“We feel that the combined schedule for 2020-21 is the best solution for everybody associated with PGA Tour Champions,” said Tour president Miller Brady. “The wonderful support from the tournaments, title sponsors, Charles Schwab and the Player Advisory Council has helped us address some of the schedule complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a result we have created solutions that best serve our members and our tournament communities.”
The shift mirrors the move announced earlier this month by the Korn Ferry Tour, while the PGA Tour still intends to crown a FedExCup champion for the 2020 season. Thirteen Champions events remain on the 2020 schedule, with the July 31-Aug. 2 Ally Challenge currently expected to be the first event back.
Some eligibility adjustments were announced in conjunction with the wraparound schedule. Fields for remaining 2020 events will be increased from 78 players to 81, while all three of the 2020 playoff events will also have 81-player fields. The Charles Schwab Cup Championship, originally slated for 72 holes as the season’s final event, will be reduced to 54 holes.
All players will retain their 2020 eligibility for 2021, except for the five graduates from Q-School who “will play their guaranteed events.” There will not be a PGA Tour Champions Q-School in 2020, and no season-long awards will be presented at the end of the year.
No decisions have yet been made regarding whether fans will be allowed at PGA Tour Champions events once play resumes.