Eggucated guess

We may be going through a rough time right now, but we hope you found a way to enjoy your weekend. The trees are budding, the flowers are blooming, and spring could help raise spirits. Here’s to staying positive!

News and updates

• The PGA Tour is putting together a program to help players and caddies receive income during this hiatus, should they need it. The amount available to each player depends on his FedEx Cup ranking. Full Story from Rex Hoggard
• On Monday, the NCAA will vote on whether senior athletes will receive an extra year of eligibility. If the vote passes, all seniors in winter and spring sports would be allowed to return to school for the 2020-21 season.
• Pinehurst put together an auction to help its out-of-work employees. Items include a stay at Dornoch Cottage, time with Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, and rounds at the resort. Auction website

Newsletter Notes

Shhhedule

According to a report by Golf Digest’s Brian Wacker and Joel Beall, all four men’s major championships are exploring ways to reschedule their events for later in 2020.

• For the PGA Championship, the PGA of America is eyeing the vacated Olympic dates in late July.
• The USGA is considering September or October for the U.S. Open as well as a venue change from Winged Foot to Oakmont in order to steer clear of the New York metro area and its higher rates of confirmed COVID-19 cases.
• As previously rumored, Augusta National has an October/November Masters in its sights.
• The Open Championship has not officially been postponed, but as a contingency the R&A is looking at the Ryder Cup’s late-September slot—assuming the Ryder Cup is pushed to 2021.

This game of major-championship musical chairs will certainly create difficulties for the PGA Tour. Since majors will have priority on the schedule, some regular fall events could end up on the chopping block. Several sponsors will likely get the short end of the stick.

There could also be questions about the status of the current season. If the Open is postponed, PGA Tour events could be canceled through July. The FedEx Cup Playoffs are slated to start on August 13, so perhaps the Tour would just pick back up there. Presumably, the existing FedEx Cup rankings would be used to determine the top 125 for 2019-20. Notables currently outside that number include Francesco Molinari (No. 169), Sergio Garcia (179), Henrik Stenson (197), Justin Rose (205), and Brooks Koepka (213). Golf Digest’s report indicates, however, that more than the traditional 125 may be included in the playoffs. Alternatively, the Tour could combine the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons into one. No matter what they do, officials in Ponte Vedra will face some tough decisions, and they won’t be able to make everyone happy.

The organizations running the majors will have their own challenges. It’s all well and good to move an event to October or November, but weather and daylight have to be considered. Fall weather in Pittsburgh, for instance, is unpredictable, and the days start getting shorter pretty quickly. An October U.S. Open at Oakmont could be a logistical nightmare.

Finally, there’s the matter of the television rights. The NFL and college football both begin their seasons in September, so the addition of major championship golf would create a traffic jam in the broadcast sports schedule.

All of this is speculation right now, of course. Federal guidelines against large gatherings were just extended through the end of April, and more delays could be coming. So… fan-less championships? None at all? At the moment, an overcrowded fall looks like the best-case scenario.

The Must-Sees of Public Golf Architecture in America

Straits Course at Whistling Straits (Sheboygan, Wisconsin)

$$$$

While the green fee is steep, the turf slow, and the pace of play slower, Whistling Straits is still a marvelous golf course to study. Pete Dye took a barren bluff overlooking Lake Michigan and transformed it through massive earthmoving into a rugged, “links-style” property. It was an impressive feat of engineering. Like many of Dye’s courses, the visual intimidation factor is high. But players who aren’t cowed by the fearsome-looking bunkers or the drop-offs into Lake Michigan tend to find the preferred angles into the greens. Note, I’d recommend the Straits Course only if the green fee doesn’t faze you. If value is a concern, Wisconsin offers better golf courses at lower rates—see Lawsonia and Sand Valley.

Insider tip: If you’re bent on playing the 2020 (2021?) Ryder Cup venue but want a lower rate, Destination Kohler offers big reductions in the spring and the fall. -Andy Johnson