Pro Golf Stretching... "KLPGA Tour Resumes in May, PGA Tour in June"

Domestic Opening KLPGA Championship Start, PGA Tour Charles Schwab Challenge Resumes Mid-June with New Schedule Announcement

Choi Hye-jin is seen smiling brightly after winning the KLPGA Championship last year following an extended playoff battle.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] "Professional golf tour is stretching."

The Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour will hold the first domestic tournament of the 2020 season on May 14. It is the 42nd KLPGA Championship this year. It is a stage that signals a new beginning after overcoming the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). It even carries the subtitle "Overcoming COVID-19, Fighting Korea!" Without a title sponsor, the total prize money is an unprecedented 2.3 billion KRW (160 million KRW for the winner), attracting even more spotlight.

The KLPGA Championship was originally scheduled to be held from April 30 at Lakewood Golf Club in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, with a total prize money of 1 billion KRW sponsored by Chris F&C. However, due to the spread of COVID-19, the first major of the season was postponed. It was delayed by about three weeks. 144 players will participate, with those tied for 102nd place after the 2nd round and those tied for 70th place after the 3rd round advancing to the final 4th round. Prize money will be awarded to all players.

The U.S. Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tour, which was also suspended due to COVID-19, will resume from mid-June. The PGA Tour recently announced a new schedule including resuming the season, which was suspended in March starting with The Players Championship, known as the "fifth major," after about three months. The Charles Schwab Challenge will open on May 21 and June 11, and the originally scheduled Canadian Open during this period was canceled. This will be followed by the RBC Heritage (June 18?21) and the Travelers Championship (June 25?28).

The first four major tournaments will be held without spectators. The Wyndham Championship, which concludes the regular season, will be held over four days starting August 13. The playoffs (PO) consist of three tournaments: the Northern Trust (August 20?23), the BMW Championship (August 27?30), and the Tour Championship (September 3?7). The 2020/2021 season will kick off with the Safeway Open on September 10, just three days after the 2019/2020 season ended on September 7. The only PGA Tour event in Korea, The CJ Cup, will be held from October 15.

However, due to the impact of COVID-19, the schedules of major tournaments have become tangled. The first major of the season, the Masters Tournament originally scheduled for April, was postponed to November 12. It was postponed once to September and then moved again to November due to the global spread of COVID-19. The PGA Championship, originally scheduled for May, was postponed to August 6, and the U.S. Open, originally scheduled for June, was postponed to September 17. The Open Championship, the oldest major scheduled for July, was canceled altogether.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.