PGA Tour Plans For Expanded Fields And Alternate Events For Lost Playing Opportunities

The PGA Tour (as all major sports) are scrambling to plan on how to deliver as many tournaments as possible when the Covid-19 safe sheltering and social distancing edicts subside.

11 events have been either cancelled or postponed–the next tournament tentatively scheduled is the Charles Schwab Challenge May 21-24. The Tour is attempting to enlarge the fields and schedule more alternate events to pick up the slack as GolfChannel’s Rex Hoggard reports.

“We are working around the clock to make adjustments to our future schedule,” the memo read to PGA Tour players. “To this end, please know that it is a priority of the Tour and the player advisory council to maximize additional playing opportunities this season.”

The fields for both the Charles Schwab Challenge and the Memorial will be expanded from 120 players to 144 players and the Tour is considering expanding field sizes in other events. GolfChannel.com has been told by sources that the circuit also plans to play as many opposite-field tournaments as possible.

The Tour also informed players in the memo that the new pace-of-play policy, which was scheduled to begin at next month’s RBC Heritage, has now been pushed back to begin next season.

Of course, every plan is contingent on the sheltering lockdown. My guess is the Schwab is maybe 50/50 at this point.