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Greetings ...

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a discussion about changes to the PGA Tour in 2007 -- NOT 2006! Hey, has anyone even SEEN a 2006 schedule?

READ THE FULL ARTICLE FROM GOLFWEEK RE PROPOSED CHANGES in 2007

Based on Golfweek magazine interviews with numerous tournament executives, players and other officials, the 2007 PGA Tour lineup may look like the preliminary schedule shown below. This is by no means definite, but it may be close to what the final product will be.

Thanx-A-Lot, Frank-0-Sport --- My Golf Stuff

PGA Tour 2007 (Proposal)

(C) == Major changes

1. Jan. 4-7 - Mercedes Championships

2. Jan. 11-14 - Sony Open in Hawaii

3. Jan. 18-21 - Buick Invitational

4. Jan. 24-28 - Bob Hope Chrysler Classic

5. Feb. 1-4 - FBR Open

6. Feb. 8-11 - AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am

7. Feb. 15-18 - Nissan Open

8. (C) Feb. 21-25 - WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship (Tucson)

* Note: La Costa was never a show-stopper site for the WGC, and the move nixes a weak, opposite-field event, the Chrysler Classic of Tucson.

9. March 1-4 - Ford Championship at Doral

10. March 8-11 - The Honda Classic

11. March 15-18 - Bay Hill Invitational

12. (C) March 22-25 - WGC-American Express Championship (Tampa)

* Note: The fall event finds an early-season home, keeping Florida Swing intact. If American Express backs out, Chrysler may step up and rebuild its diminished Tour presence.

13. March 29-April 1 - BellSouth Classic

14. April 5-8 - Masters

15. April 12-15 - MCI Heritage

16. April 19-22 - Shell Houston Open

17. April 26-29 - EDS Byron Nelson Championship

18. May 3-6 - Wachovia Championship

19. (C) May 10-13 - The Players Championship

* Note: Gives Tour's "fifth major" spot outside of Masters' shadow and avoids March rain that often drenches TPC at Sawgrass.

20. (C) May 17-20 - Valero Texas Open

* Note: Exact date uncertain, but big move from September assured. Says Valero CEO Bill Greehey: "(Finchem) says we've really earned a better slot on the schedule."

21. May 24-27 - Bank of America Colonial

22. May 31-June 3 - Memorial

* Note: Through 2010, Jack's event is guaranteed slot two weeks before U.S. Open

23. June 7-10 - Booz Allen Classic

24. June 14-17 - U.S. Open

25. June 21-24 - The International

26. June 28-July 1 - Fed Ex St. Jude Classic

27. July 5-8 – Buick Open

28. July 12-15 - John Deere Classic

29. July 19-22 - British Open Championship

30. (C) July 19-22 - U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee

* Note: The B.C. Open, which historically has been the British Open's opposite-field event, is history.

31. July 26-29 - Bell Canadian Open

32. Aug. 2-5 - WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

33. Aug. 9-12 - PGA Championship

34. Aug. 16-19 - 84 Lumber Classic

35. (C) Aug. 23-26 - Barclays Classic

* Note: This New York event drops back from mid-summer and likely kicks off "Fall Chase" – a three-week "playoff" run through major markets leading to the Tour Championship. Includes Deutsche Bank Championship (Boston) and Cialis Western Open (Chicago) that will offer huge purses, $8 million to $9 million, and a lucrative payout to the winner of a new points competition.

36. Aug. 31-Sept. 3 - Deutsche Bank Championship

37. Sept. 6-9 - Cialis Western Open

38. Sept. 13-16 - Tour Championship

CC. Sept. 27-30 - Presidents Cup/Ryder Cup

19. (C) May 10-13 - The Players Championship

* Note: Gives Tour's "fifth major" spot outside of Masters' shadow and avoids March rain that often drenches TPC at Sawgrass.


I don't know where this came from, in my part of Fl ( central) we get zero rain in March but in May it can be very wet.

I had read something about that, but not the actual proposed schedule...thanks for posting that Frank-0-Sport.

One a side note, it looks like the WGC events are going to be permanently fixed in America...not a good move IMO.

Bell Canadian Open in July? Heh. I dunno if this is gonna be good or bad... At least I'll have a chance to go if I can get tickets, and not worry about missing homework or studying time.

Yo, Droogy -- In another reality, which I may one day reveal to all, the PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP, featuring 84 players and NO CUT, would be the season-ending championship.

The proposal to move WGC events to existing tour sites is actually a good idea. But it's a bad idea if it is JUST to the two sites mentioned -AND- to no other sites on a rotating basis.

Instead of a World Golf Championship series, why not a PGA Tour Showcase Series at up to four different sites each year? The Showcase events would use some of the same invitational criteria currently employed at WGC events.

Thanx-A-Lot, Frank-0-Sport ... My Golf Stuff

Well I just recieved my ticket info in the mail for the players championship and it is still scheduled for March. Something might have changed, but this is what I got.

Greetings ...

GolfHack

If your ticket is for dates in March of 2006, you're OK!

As far as when the Players will be played in 2007 - that's still up in the air! You must know that this discussion thread is about possible schedule changes in 2007 -- NOT 2006!

My Bad! I was jumping to fast.. Thanks for the correction.

Greetings ...

Thanks to all who have replied so far.
Be sure to read my follows-ups, plus the original post, so that you're up to speed.

RE "Those Not Shown"
You could take any or all the events NOT shown in the proposed 2007 schedule, such as Greensboro, BC Open, Buick-Hartford, Southern Farm Bureau, Reno-Tahoe, Funai-Disney, Zurich-New Orleans or Las Vegas, and make them Nationwide Tour events. Each could have a purse of $750,000 to $1 million, and the winner could receive a Category-26 PGA Tour exemption (IE, "Battlefield Promotion").

Thanx-A-Lot, Frank-0-Sport ... Golf Stuff

Not sure a battlefield exemption would be fair for anyone who wins one Nationwide event, even if it is a former main Tour event. That is effectively the same exemption as one gets for a main Tour win. Might as well offer cards to anyone who wins on the European Tour as well.

I'm all for weeding out some of the weaker events though.

I'm not sure i like the look of the Bell Canadian Open the week after the British...

The Bell has always had trouble bringing a strong field, annd now with it the week after a major (one on a different continent at that)... what sort of players will it draw? Certainly not too many of the ones that just played in the British Open...

AND sandwiched between a Major and a WGC event? Not good - maybe that slot should rotate since that is a recipe for killing an event off.

There is no schedule that's going to please EVERYBODY. The way the "Big Dogs" on tour gear their schedules' to prep for the majors. Some guys like to play a week before a major and most don't like to play a week following a major. It has been suggested that the PGA Tour adopt the same regulation as the LPGA Tour, where every player has to play every tournament at least once every four years.

On another note I'm little surprised to see the Tour drop it's New Orleans stop. It's supposed to one of the players' favorite. And it leaves the PGA without a tournement in the deep South. I'm sure SOMEBODY is campaigning to have this put back on the schedule. The stop would also bring a badly needed economic benefit to the New Orleans area.

Did Florida fall into the ocean?