Rejigged calendar renders US PGA Championship less august than ever
“Glory’s last shot” was never the most imaginative of marketing slogans but the US PGA Championship in August at least had an unmistakable identity. Golfers who had failed to make an impact at the Masters, US Open or Open had a redemption opportunity as autumn lurked.
Those responsible for scheduling men’s golf have never had it so tough. The reintroduction of this sport to the Olympics added congestion which was eased slightly by the moving of this major to May. When there is not a Ryder Cup, there is a Presidents Cup.
The PGA Tour wants full focus on its FedEx Cup playoff events, which conclude in Atlanta in late August. Umpteen standard PGA Tour stops have been raised in status in a bid to prevent players from accepting the riches of LIV.
The DP World Tour, anxious not to be viewed as a poor relation of a strategic alliance with the PGA Tour, will announce its 2024 calendar at the Scottish Open.
It is understood plans there include the shifting of the Abu Dhabi Championship from January to November, before the Race to Dubai concludes, and the introduction of a new invitational tournament in the Middle East to start the year. It would be no surprise to see the Indian Open, backed by a key sponsor in Hero, given enhanced status.
It is the majors, though, that define careers. The problem is that those tournaments feel as if they come and go with the speed of a Bryson DeChambeau swing. This is great for hot players but the benefits end there.
The Masters concluded on 9 April. When this, the 105th US PGA Championship, finishes there will be just 24 spare days until the US Open tees off at the LA Country Club. July’s Open Championship has a problem of its own, given the clash with the fourth Ashes Test will split attention levels for anything other than dedicated golf fans in the UK.
The Open would never dream of pinching the “Glory’s last shot” theme but major dreams have been realised or crushed long before the start of the grouse season.
A rain deluge on Saturday and the frost delay on Thursday in Rochester served as a reminder of the climate issues attached to staging golf tournaments in the north east of the US in May.
Tournament organisers this week have got relatively lucky in their brushes with Mother Nature. It must be noted there is barely a PGA Tour event that goes by without weather delay but the major calendar directly impacts which venues can be utilised. There is a broader danger for the US PGA: that it has become the poor relation of the majors, jammed in between the Masters and the US Open.
“The thing about May is that maybe in the future it’ll start to exclude places like this in the north east to host this championship, so that’s a shame,” said Rory McIlroy.
“The north-east is sort of my favourite golf to play in this country. I love the golf courses up here and I love the tradition. A lot of the historic course architects started their journeys up here and have built some amazing courses. It would be a shame if we weren’t able to come back here.
“I always liked in August, that this was ‘glory’s last shot’ and there was a real identity there. I’m not saying that it’s lost any of that identity in terms of it’s still a major championship, but I feel like having it be the last major of the year maybe just gave it a little bit of something that it doesn’t quite have right now.” The Northern Irishman’s analysis is typically apposite.
Around a decade ago, there was chatter about moving the US PGA outside this country. The move, which had scope to be hugely exciting, was swiftly abandoned. “What a shame,” said Gary Player. “What a lack of vision. Golf has never been more global. Could have been a game changer for the PGA.
Pity.” Player was correct to touch on the US-centric nature of the majors being as unimaginative. It was no shock to see LIV, which now rumbles away somewhere in the background of the American golf scene, draw such interest when it landed in Australia.
The wait between the Claret Jug and Green Jacket being handed over, at more than eight months, is far too long. This benefits the Masters, of course, on the basis of anticipation levels but golf’s crown jewels are crammed into a narrow window.
The Open will never deviate from the height of the UK summer, the Masters moves for no man (and certainly no woman) while the US Open stuck in June after the Second World War. It is the US PGA Championship that needs to find a home, including in hearts and minds.