Q&A on new PGA Tour schedule
HONOLULU -- Your PGA Tour season is about to change. Dramatically.
The Tour released its long-awaited 2007 FedEx Cup schedule on Friday and with it comes plenty of questions about when, where and if we'll see some long-standing tournaments and what, exactly, the new events are.
Some queries simply can't be answered yet (How will the FedEx Cup points system work? Who will sponsor the former Western Open and Chrysler Championship events?) for the simple reason that Tim Finchem and the folks at headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., are still ironing out some of the details.
But here's a quick guide to what you can (and can't) look forward to in 2007:
What exactly is the FedEx Cup?
The Fed Ex Cup will consist of the first 35 events on the tour schedule, during which players will earn points and try to qualify for the four-event Championship Series, beginning the third week of August. This includes majors, WGC events and opposite field events; more of the latter could be added to the 35-event total before it's all said and done.
OK, so what exactly is the Championship Series?
It's a four-event series featuring the top points leaders (the tour has yet to determine how many; could be anywhere from 90 players to 150) that will, in effect, serve as the PGA Tour's end-of-season "playoffs" starting in '07. The first event, to be played Aug. 23-26, is the Barclays Classic in Westchester, followed by the Deutsche Bank Championship outside of Boston and a yet-to-be-named Midwest event, which will begin in Chicago in '07, continuing the tradition of the Western Open. The top players from these three events will then compete in the Tour Championship, which moves from its usual November slot to Sept. 13-16.
Have any of the majors changed places on the schedule?
Nope, not unless you consider The Players Championship (often referred to as the "fifth major"). The long-rumored move from March to May is finally taking place, giving the tour at least one important event (including TPC and the Tour Championship) in each month from April through September. The Players Championship is scheduled for May 10-13 in 2007.
Does that mean we have to wait until April to see a big event?
Depends on your definition of big. The winners-only Mercedes Championships will still kick off the season and the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship still remains in its late-February slot at a to-be-determined site (a move from rainy La Costa to somewhere in Arizona has long been rumored). The month of March now features a new sponsor at an old venue as the Doral tournament is now a WGC-sponsored event and will be known as the CA Championship. It will bring up the rear in a four-week Florida swing that includes the Honda Classic, Tampa Bay Championship and Bay Hill Invitational.
Where are some of my old favorites? I don't see them on the new schedule.
Ah, yes. Just because the top players conclude their season with the Tour Championship doesn't mean the PGA Tour season is actually over. Other players (don't expect any Tigers or Phil in these fields) will compete for tour cards during the Fall Series, which could include some or all of the following events: Texas Open; Funai Classic at Disney; Southern Farm Bureau Classic; Booz Allen Classic; Reno-Tahoe Open; the Hartford event (formerly sponsored by Buick); the Las Vegas event; and a potential new event at the Coco Beach Golf & Country Club in Puerto Rico.
Are there any new events?
There are plenty of new sponsors, meaning old events may have a different name, but there's only one new tournament: the Mayakoba Classic at Riviera Maya. Kudos to the Tour for its first non-U.S. or Canadian-based event (other than majors and WGC tournaments), with this tournament being played in Quintana Roo, Mexico. Unfortunately for the people of Mexico, they won't see the best the tour has to offer, as this event will be played opposite the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, which features the top 64 players on the Official World Golf Ranking.
So will the Tour still contain some opposite-field events during weeks of majors and WGC events?
Yes, but not many. Other than the Mayakoba, only the U.S. Bank Championship (played the same week as the British Open) will be played during the same week as another tour event.
What does that mean for the B.C. Open?
Very bad things. Sorry to the folks of Endicott, N.Y., but for now the former opposite event to the British Open is off the schedule. Finchem has said the tour is looking into the possibility of using this venue for a Nationwide or Champions Tour event in the future.
Jason Sobel is ESPN.com's golf editor. He can be reached at Jason.Sobel@espn3.com
