Tour announces combined 2020-21 schedule due to COVID-19 pandemic; Charles Schwab Cup champion to be crowned in 2021
(BOCA RATON, Florida) – PGA TOUR Champions announced that its tournaments in 2020 and 2021 will combine to form one season, and the next Charles Schwab Cup champion will be crowned in November 2021 at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. The 2020 Boca Raton Championship will be converted to a non-Playoffs event, featuring an expanded field of 81 players returning to The Old Course at Broken Sound the week of October 26 – November 1.
Due to the circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic, eight PGA TOUR Champions tournaments have been canceled from the original 27-tournament schedule. A number of other events have been rescheduled to later in the calendar year and a decision on The Senior Open presented by Rolex will be forthcoming.
In an effort to uphold the competitive integrity of the Charles Schwab Cup, PGA TOUR Champions will combine the 2020 and 2021 seasons and form a singular 2020-21 season. In addition, other measures are being taken to offset some of the impact made by the cancellation of tournaments.
· In 2020, the field size of tournaments will increase from 78 to 81 players.
· In 2020, the three Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs events will be converted into 81-player fields.
· The Charles Schwab Cup Championship will be reduced from 72 to 54 holes.
“While we won’t have a Charles Schwab Cup champion in 2020, we feel that the combined schedule for 2020-21 is the best solution for everyone associated with PGA TOUR Champions,” said PGA TOUR Champions President Miller Brady. “The wonderful support from the tournaments, title sponsors, Charles Schwab and the Player Advisory Council has helped us address some of the schedule complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a result we have created solutions that best serve our members and our tournament communities.”
The Boca Raton Championship will proceed as planned with spectators onsite; however, the tournament team will work closely with the PGA TOUR to monitor the COVID-19 situation and follow the recommendations of local and state authorities in order to determine the most appropriate on-site access. Further updates on fan attendance will be dependent on available protocols that could be implemented to ensure the health and well-being for all involved.
"Never has it meant more for us, the community and our frontline responders, to host this tournament where our main beneficiary is the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation," said Eddie Carbone, Tournament Director of the Boca Raton Championship. "Over the last few years, we have given more than $1 million to the hospital and will continue our support by bringing this world-class tournament back to Boca Raton this October."
Players will retain their 2020 eligibility in 2021, except for the five players in the Q-School category, who will play their guaranteed events. Additionally, the 2020 PGA TOUR Champions Qualifying Tournament will not be conducted, and player awards will not be presented at the end of 2020.
Five events have been completed and 13 tournaments remain on the 2020 schedule, beginning with The Ally Challenge at Warwick Hills in Grand Blanc, Michigan (July 31 – August 2). PGA TOUR Champions events to be contested in 2021 as part of the combined 2020-21 schedule will be announced later this year.
PGA TOUR Champions will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and follow the recommendations of local and state authorities in order to determine the most appropriate on-site access in each market. Decisions on fan attendance at all events will be dependent on available protocols that could be implemented to ensure the health and well-being for all involved.
For more information on the Boca Raton Championship, visit BocaRatonChampionship.com.
For more information on PGA TOUR Champions or the Charles Schwab Cup, visit PGATOUR.com.
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