Don’t call it a Tiger comeback … yet

The City of San Francisco and the PGA of America today announced that the 2020 PGA Championship, in which two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka aims for a historic three-peat, will be contested without spectators on-site, August 3-9 at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. The decision to play golf’s first men’s major championship of 2020 without spectators was made in coordination with the state of California and city and county of San Francisco, with the health and well-being of all involved as the top priority. “We are thrilled to welcome the PGA Championship to San Francisco,” said San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed. “We are able to safely take this step toward reopening because of the ongoing sacrifices of our citizens, the continued committed work of our healthcare workers and the early action we took to battle COVID-19.” The PGA of America will continue to monitor COVID-19 developments and work in concert with the state of California and San Francisco city and county public health authorities and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention through Championship Week. “We are both inspired and honored to ‘play on,’” said PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh. “In doing so, we will spotlight not only the beauty of TPC Harding Park, but the fortitude of San Francisco and its remarkable people. We’d like to thank the state of California and the city and county of San Francisco for being terrific partners in helping us get to this place. While the local community cannot be with us physically on-site, we will certainly carry their spirit of resilience and unity with us as we stage our major championship, on their behalf, for all the world to see and enjoy.” Many of golf’s greatest champions, from Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan, to Lee Trevino, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka, have had their names inscribed on the famed Wanamaker Trophy. “It has been gratifying for our PGA Professionals to play a meaningful role in helping people find healthy, outdoor recreation during the various phases of reopening golf,” noted PGA of America President Suzy Whaley. “It’s been encouraging to see our entire country and such a wide diversity of people embrace golf as a responsible, yet fun, activity to share with family and friends. We also look forward to returning to San Francisco and The Olympic Club for the PGA Championship in 2028 and the Ryder Cup in 2032, when we will again share this great game with the people of the Bay Area.” In the coming days, those who purchased tickets directly from the PGA of America will be contacted to facilitate refunds. Updates will be posted at pgachampionship.com and on social media @PGAChampionship. Those who purchased tickets from a secondary market platform other than pgachampionship.com should contact that site directly. The PGA of America will be unable to process refunds for those tickets. The 2020 PGA Championship – the first in the PGA of America’s landmark 11-year media rights agreement with CBS and ESPN – will feature CBS Sports, ESPN and ESPN+ combining to deliver an unprecedented amount of broadcast and digital coverage. Globally, the PGA Championship will be broadcast in 164 countries and territories reaching more than a half-billion households. “Welcoming the PGA Championship to San Francisco is the high point of a very unusual year. We are looking forward to sharing the beauty of TPC Harding Park and San Francisco with the players, the media and viewers all over the world,” said Joe D’Alessandro, president and CEO of the San Francisco Travel Association, the official destination marketing organization. TPC Harding Park, which is managed by the City’s Recreation and Park Department, is the fourth municipal golf course to host the PGA Championship. Seven of the past 10 winners of the PGA Championship went on to become No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking, including Koepka, who won his second consecutive PGA Championship in May 2019 at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York. The two-time defending PGA Champion will use the season’s initial men’s major championship to bid for history, as he’ll seek to become the first player to win the same major three consecutive times since Australia’s Peter Thomson claimed three straight Open Championships from 1954-56. The field also will once again include the top 20 PGA Club Professionals, who will qualify during the PGA Professional Championship to be played in late July at Omni Barton Creek Resort in Austin, Texas. Prior to its postponement on March 17, the PGA Championship was originally scheduled for play May 14-17.

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The 2018-19 PGA TOUR season moves into the Asia Swing this week with the CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It’s the second of 43 regular season events, to be followed by the reformatted three-event FedExCup Playoffs next August. The Golf Channel will provide live coverage for all four rounds, with the first two rounds starting at 10:30 p.m. ET (10:30 a.m. local time) on Wednesday and Thursday. The final rounds will begin at 11:00 p.m. ET on Friday and Saturday. Here’s a look at the Featured Groups for the first two rounds (FedExCup ranking in parentheses): Keegan Bradley (T84) – Hot off his victory in last season’s FedExCup Playoffs the former major champion is set for a resurgent year. Three top 10s here in four starts including runner up last season. Kevin Na (T84) – Looking to make it five trips to the season finale in six years with another good season. Three top 10s here in six starts. Gary Woodland (T84) – Runner up here in 2014 and 2015. Returned to winners circle last season and enjoyed the taste of victory. Tee times: Rd. 1 (9:40 p.m. ET); Rd. 2 (8:30 p.m. ET) Brandt Snedeker (T2) – Heartbreaking fade over the back nine Sunday last week has him fired up to atone in the heat of Malaysia. Paul Casey (T84) – Buoyed by Europe’s Ryder Cup win Casey is set to prove last season’s win in Tampa was not his final act. Marc Leishman (T84) – His breakout 2016-17 season was followed by a solid, yet winless, 2017-18 leaving the Aussie motivated to find a higher gear once more. Tee times: Rd. 1 (9:50 p.m. ET); Rd. 2 (8:40 p.m. ET) Kevin Tway (1) – Riding high after a breakout maiden PGA TOUR win last week at the Safeway Open. Billy Horschel (T84) – Just as his beloved Florida Gators continue to improve Horschel’s intensity is lifting for the start of a new season. Si Woo Kim (T84) – Former PLAYERS champion looking for a fast start in Asia to better his 55th place finish in the FedExCup last season. Tee times: Rd. 1 (8:40 p.m. ET); Rd. 2 (9:40 p.m. ET) Justin Thomas (T84) – Two-time winner of the event after coming out on top in 2016 and 2017. Gave up his FedExCup crown last season and wasn’t happy about it. Can kickstart his chase here. Pat Perez (T84) – Defending champion who played insane golf a year ago. Scoring average an incredible 66 over the four days. Ryan Moore (T2) – His last four trips here include two wins and another top 10. Worst result was T17. Oh … and he’s coming off a T2 playoff loss in Napa. Primed. Tee times: Rd. 1 (8:50 p.m. ET); Rd. 2 (9:50 p.m. ET)

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