PGA Tour scheduling John Deere to fall on same week as Olympics
— -- GAINESVILLE, Va. -- Next summer promises to be a busy one for the top golfers in the world, as the PGA Tour schedule is shuffled to accommodate golf returning to the Olympic Games while trying to work around major championships.
There will be only one week between The Open and the PGA Championship with the men's Olympic tournament following two weeks later -- the same week the John Deere Classic is scheduled to be played on the PGA Tour.
The full schedule was released Thursday.
Jordan Spieth, who won the John Deere three weeks ago before coming up a shot short in his quest for the third leg of the Grand Slam at St. Andrews, would be unable to defend his title there if he were to play for the United States in the Olympics. The golf portion of the Olympics is scheduled for Aug. 11-14, 2016, in Brazil.
"The fact that Jordan is our champion and will almost certainly be in the Olympics is not something you want necessarily," said Clair Peterson, tournament director for the John Deere Classic. "But we're also excited for him. We've heard him talk about the Olympics. We view our relationship with Jordan as a long-term one. If he could win a gold medal, that would be exciting for us. Our contract is extended until 2023 and we expect to see him for many years down the road."
Peterson said the new date for his tournament is not one "anyone would be excited about,'' but added "we tried to be a good partner and accept the one-off situation."
Most of the early-season schedule remains as it was this year. The 2015-16 season begins in October with the Frys.com Open as one of seven events before a break until January. The Masters is April 7-10 and the Valero Texas Open will be played two weeks after instead of two weeks prior.
But things get interesting following the U.S. Open (June 16-19) at Oakmont, with the Quicken Loans event moving between the major and the WGC-Bridgestone, which also is in a new date.
Mike Antolini, vice president of championships for the Tiger Woods Foundation, confirmed that the Quicken Loans National will be played the week following the U.S. Open in the Travelers Championship's traditional spot.
"The Tour sets its schedule, and there are a lot of dynamics in play,'' Antolini said Wednesday at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, where the Quicken Loans National begins Thursday. "We're in our traditional late June spot, and our fans in the area are used to us being there.''
The Quicken Loans will precede the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational (June 30-July 3), which is moving from its traditional August date to accommodate the PGA Championship, which will be played earlier because of the Olympics.
The Greenbrier Classic (July 7-10) will precede The Open (July 14-17) at Royal Troon. The RBC Canadian (July 21-24) is squeezed in before the PGA Championship (July 28-31). The Travelers Championship previously announced that it would take the spot following the PGA (Aug. 4-7).
Then come the Olympics, which are the same week as the John Deere (Aug. 11-14), followed by the Wyndham Championship (Aug. 18-21.)
The FedEx Cup playoffs follow, with the Barclays, Deutsche Bank Championship and BMW Championship played in consecutive weeks. After an off week, the PGA Tour season concludes in Atlanta (Sept 22-25), with the Ryder Cup to follow in Minnesota (Sept. 29-Oct. 1).
