This weekend, there are a few golf tournaments you might want to watch. Of course, the four majors of 2019 are all done, but that doesn’t mean the PGA tour is over!
This weekend is the FedEx Cup playoffs (August 8-11). The top 125 players of the PGA Tour season come together for a chance to win $15 million in prize money.
The RBC Canadian Open takes place at Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Ontario, Canada. The purse is $6.7 million and Justin Thomas is the defending champion.
Meanwhile, over in England, the European Tour has its own tournament going on: the Scandinavian Invitation (August 8-11). Per-Ulrik Johansson of Sweden won this tournament last year.
This weekend, the PGA Tour heads back to California for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The tournament starts on Thursday, February 8 and will feature some of the top players in the world, including Jordan Spieth, who’s looking to bounce back after a disappointing 2018 season. The tournament will also be played across three different courses: Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill Golf Course and Monterey Peninsula Country Club Shore Course.
This is one of the few tournaments where amateurs are paired with professionals. Some of the notable amateurs include NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers, actor Mark Wahlberg and comedian Bill Murray.
Last year’s winner was Ted Potter Jr., who finished at 17-under par.
Augusta National is my favorite golf course in the world. There’s not a blade of grass out of place, and it’s always immaculate. The grass is cut so low that you can see the lines in the greens from miles away as you fly into Augusta on the plane.
The course itself is a par 72, with four par 3s, 10 par 4s and four par 5s. It’s fairly long, measuring 7,435 yards. This year they’ve pushed back the tees on five holes, including adding 40 yards to the first hole.
I think if you’re able to drive the ball well and keep it down the fairway here at Augusta National, you have a serious advantage. You’ll be able to attack with your wedges and hit all of your approaches into these greens with full swings instead of half-swings or forced layups.
Rory McIlroy, the number three player in the world and the 2014 Open champion, has been out of competition since August 2. He is coming to Atlanta for the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club as one of the top five seeds in the FedEx Cup playoffs.
‘It feels like a long time since I’ve played,’ said McIlroy, who skipped last week’s BMW Championship at Conway Farms Golf Club because of an ankle injury suffered while soccer playing. ‘I’m excited to get back out there again.’
McIlroy’s first round will be on Thursday with Jason Day and Adam Scott, the two players seeded ahead of him in the FedEx Cup standings.
‘I’m sure it’s going to be pretty noisy,’ said McIlroy, who has won four majors. ‘The fans are going to be supporting me and Jason and Adam. They’ll be good fun.’
Catch Rory and other top players live on TNT starting Thursday at 1:00pm ET.
The Open Championship July 15-18, 2010
The British Open is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. Also known as the Open Championship or the British Open, it is administered by The R&A and is the only major held outside the United States. It was first played in 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. The Open is played on the weekend (Friday through Sunday) of the third Friday in July.
U.S. Women’s Open July 8-11, 2010
The U.S. Women’s Open is the annual open national championship of golf for female professionals and amateurs conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA). It is one of thirteen national championships conducted by the USGA each year, ten of which are strictly for amateurs. It has been held annually since 1946 except for a break from 1967 to 1972 when it was replaced with a new event called the Du Maurier Classic.
British Senior Open July 22-25, 2010
The European Seniors Tour is a professional tour for male golfers aged fifty and over which is recognised by the governing body of men’s professional golf worldwide, the PGA European Tour. Established in 1992 as the Seniors Tour, it was renamed in 2002
The Zurich Classic of New Orleans, April 22–25
The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is a professional golf tournament in Louisiana on the PGA Tour. It is currently played at TPC Louisiana, which was built on the site of the former Bayou Oaks Country Club. The tournament was founded in 1938 and is one of the older events on the PGA Tour. It’s held annually during the last full week in April. The inaugural event was held April 6–10 and won by Harry Cooper with a 4-stroke victory over Denny Shute.
The GTE Byron Nelson Classic, May 20–23
The Byron Nelson Championship is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour in Texas. It is held annually in May at the Four Seasons Resort and Club Las Colinas in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The tournament has been held since 1944; since 1968 it has been played during the week including Byron Nelson’s birthday, May 4. Since 2007 its official name has been AT&T Byron Nelson after telecommunications company AT&T acquired naming rights.
Dell Technologies Championship, August 28 – September 5
The Dell Technologies Championship is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour in Massachusetts. It is one of four events that make up the FedEx
The Masters Tournament is the first of four major championships in golf every year. It is scheduled for the first full week of April, and unlike the other major championships, it is always held at the same location, Augusta National Golf Club, a private golf club in the city of Augusta, Georgia, USA. Founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts on the site of the former Fruitland (later Fruitlands) Nursery, the course was designed by Jones and Alister MacKenzie.
Since 1934, a green jacket has been awarded to the champion, who is invited to return to defend his title. Unlike most other tournaments, which are operated by a tour and some other organization (such as a foundation), The Masters is run by a closely held family trust headed by Augusta National chairman Billy Payne; Payne’s predecessors were Clifford Roberts and co-founder Jones.
The Masters has the smallest field of the major championships because it is an invitational event with only about 100 players invited each year. Because of this limited field each golfer must do well enough in one or more qualifying events to be invited to play. Under current rules, any player who wins one of these events automatically qualifies for entry into that year’s Masters Tournament. Winners of all previous Masters Tournaments are also