The PGA Championship will officially move to May beginning with the 2019 tournament at Bethpage Black in New York, according to an Associated Press report.
The date switch has been rumored for months, and reportedly could be discussed by PGA of America officials this week at Quail Hollow. A move to May would also include The Players Championship shifting back to March, when the tournament was played prior to 2007. It could also impact the European Tour, which traditionally holds its flagship event, the BMW Championship, in mid-May.
PGA of America CEO Pete Bevacqua explained in June that the organization’s analysis of a possible date change accelerated last year amid discussions with the PGA Tour.
“The world is changing around us with the Olympics, with the possible changes to the FedExCup. And then you start to think about a PGA Championship conducted in May,” Bevacqua said. “What other parts of the country could that open up? Following the Masters and now being the second of the four majors instead of the fourth. A stronger television market.”
Future PGA Championship venues include Bellerive (2018), Bethpage Black (2019), TPC Harding Park (2020), Kiawah Island (2021), Trump National Bedminster (2022) and Oak Hill (2023). Southern Hills, which last hosted the PGA in 2007, has also been promised as a host site sometime before 2030.
Source: Internet
