PGA Championship moving to May

In two years, the PGA will need a new branding slogan.

According to The Associated Press, the PGA of America beginning in 2019 will move its showcase tournament from its traditional spot in mid-August to May, between the Masters and the U.S. Open. The move is part of a long-term plan that involves a major shift in the golf calendar, including The Players Championship going back to its March date.

Two officials involved in the discussions say the PGA of America and PGA Tour will discuss details of the move as early as Tuesday at Quail Hollow Club, site of this year’s PGA Championship. They spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the move has not been announced.

The change has been in the works for four years, one official said. The catalyst behind the movement was golf’s return to the Olympics, along with the PGA Tour’s desire to wrap up its FedEx Cup before football season begins.

The move to May puts the PGA Championship in the middle of the major championship season but should not greatly affect the status of the Memorial Tournament, which for years has been played at Muirfield Village Golf Club the weekend after Memorial Day.

“The Memorial has always been well positioned,” tournament director Dan Sullivan told The Dispatch. “For years it’s been two weeks before the U.S. Open and only gotten stronger. Now it will be two weeks after the PGA Championship and will still maintain its position in the game as a strong PGA Tour event.”

Still to be determined is the how the rest of the PGA Tour schedule is constricted to finish around Labor Day. One official said the playoff event in Boston is likely to go away after 2018. Another official said one plan is for the Greenbrier Classic, typically held in July, to move to the fall.

The PGA Championship has been in August since 1969 with two exceptions. Jack Nicklaus won in February 1971 when it was held at PGA National in south Florida, and last year it was held the final weekend in July at Baltusrol in New Jersey ahead of the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The PGA is scheduled for Harding Park in San Francisco in 2020, so there was always the possibility of moving to May during the next Olympic year. However, that would mean the PGA gets bounced around the calendar every four years.

The PGA of America was interested in building continuity, and a move to May could energize what has been looked upon as the least of the four majors. That also would allow it to go to some areas that were deemed too hot for August, including Texas, Florida and other parts of the Southeast.

But it also eliminates other parts of the country from hosting the PGA.

One official said two traditional sites — Whistling Straits in Wisconsin and Hazeltine in Minnesota — would not be able to host a PGA Championship in May. Officials feel comfortable with the weather and agronomy for Bethpage Black on Long Island in 2019, and they are hopeful for good weather in 2023 for Oak Hill in Rochester, New York.