The PGA Tour Champions is combining its 2020 and 2021 seasons into a single megaseason, giving the 50-plus circuit a 24-month race for the Charles Schwab Cup.
The tour announced its decision to combine two seasons together, akin to what the Korn Ferry Tour, also under the PGA Tour umbrella, is doing.
The revised 2020 PGA Tour Champions schedule has already been released, with the action picking back up on July 31 with The Ally Challenge in Michigan. The remaining schedule will consist of 13 tournaments, culminating in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in November. With the five events played so far in 2020, there will be 18 events played this season.
Beginning with the restart, all events will feature fields increased by three players from the standard 78 players to 81 players, giving more playing opportunities to make up some for events lost to cancellation.
The Charles Schwab Cup playoffs will not be played in 2020. Each of the three playoff events -- the Dominion Energy Charity Classic, Boca Raton Championship and the season finale -- will be expanded to standard 81-player events instead of featuring the top 72, 54 and 36 players, respectively. The Charles Schwab Cup Championship is typically a 72-hole affair to determine the season-long champion, but it will be reduced to a 54-hole event in 2020.
The 2021 schedule will be announced at a later date.
Players will retain their 2020 eligibility in 2021, except for the five 2019 Q-School graduates, who will play their guaranteed events.
“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.”
