Why Did The PGA Championship Move To May?

The championship is back in its May spot for the second time since 1949

Why Did The USPGA Championship Move To May?

The PGA Championship moved forward in the year for 2019 and takes place in May once again for just the second time since 1949.

The championship was traditionally the final Major of the season but now sits second on the calendar in what was a new-look schedule in 2019.

The PGA is no longer publicised as 'Glory's Last Shot' and now has a prime position in the schedule, but why did it move from August to May?

The PGA Tour has traditionally struggled to compete with the NFL season so in 2019 it finally went for wholesale changes to the schedule which primarily involved moving the FedEx Cup Playoffs forward so that the season would end in August.

That obviously meant that the PGA Championship needed to move too, and that worked out well for both the PGA of America and PGA Tour, as the PGA Championship probably wasn't achieving its best results in that final slot.

The move also created a strong March to August stretch for the PGA Tour, with the headline dates as follows -

March – The Players Championship

April – The Masters

May – PGA Championship

June – US Open

July – The Open Championship

August – FedEx Cup Playoffs

The move also allows other courses in the US to host the PGA, because popular golfing areas like Texas and the South East are usually too hot in August.

That means that Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma will be back, with the course hosting its fifth PGA Championship in 2022.

Last time Southern Hills hosted in 2007, play was halted after temperatures reached 40° C.

The PGA Championship took place in August last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic wreaking havoc on the worldwide schedule.

TPC Harding Park hosted the first of just three Majors, with the US Open taking place in June, The Masters taking place in November and the Open Championship being cancelled.