Of the 45 official-money tournaments, 37 are regular-season events, four are part of the PGA Tour playoffs and four are Fall Series events.
The PGA Tour announced its 2012 schedule, which features 45 official-money tournaments (the same as 2011). Of those, 37 are regular-season events, four are part of the PGA Tour playoffs and four are Fall Series events, reports Golfweek.
There are a few schedule and sponsor changes for 2012, the most notable being a shift in the off week during September – that break now falls the week before the Tour Championship. Two new title sponsors also have signed on. The Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation replaces the Bob Hope Classic in La Quinta, Calif., and RBC will sponsor the Heritage at Hilton Head Island, S.C.
“The 2012 schedule again demonstrates the strength of our sport with a very strong collection of tournaments, venues and sponsors that provide outstanding playing opportunities for our members and attractive viewing options for our fans,” PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said in a news release. “The FedExCup and the PGA Tour playoffs continue to generate interest and excitement through September, with the Fall Series focusing on the drama of players fighting for their playing privileges.”
Fans will see an immediate schedule change in January, as the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii will end on Monday afternoon (Jan. 9) to accommodate the NFL playoffs on Sunday and the BCS National Championship game on Monday night. According to the Tour, this will allow NBC to promote the tournament’s final round (televised on Golf Channel) during the NFL playoffs that weekend.
The Humana Challenge will be another January change, with the pro-am format changing from five rounds to four, and the pro-am teams becoming a single amateur paired with a pro.
The RBC Heritage (April 12-15) will follow the Masters, with the Valero Texas Open moving back a week to follow the RBC.
The Fall Series will be broken up by play in Asia, with the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic in Malaysia and the WGC-HSBC Champions in China following the Oct. 18-21 McGladrey Classic. The Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic still will finish the season, but this time Nov. 8-11.
Other tournaments that changed dates in 2012:
- The HP Byron Nelson Championship will be May 17-20, flopping positions with the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial on May 24-27 in the weeks after The Players Championship.
- The Greenbrier Classic moves from the end of July to July 5-8, which gives the West Virginia resort a chance to show off its Independence Day activities.
- Venue changes for 2012:
- The Barclays opens the FedEx Cup Playoffs (Aug. 23-26) at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course on Long Island, N.Y.
- The BMW Championship (Sept. 6-9), the third FedEx playoff event, moves to Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind.
- The AT&T National (June 28-July 1) is returning to Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md.
- The RBC Canadian Open (July 26-29) moves to Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Hamilton, Ontario.
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