Even with the 2020 calendar year just arriving, the golfing season has not let up. Justin Thomas claimed the PGA tours first victory of 2020 last week with a playoff win over fellow American Patrick Reed. However when the PGA Tour released its 49-event schedule for 2019-20, eyes quickly scanned the roster of courses to see where the next four major championships will be staged.
The Masters Tournament, Augusta National, April 9-12 PGA Championship, TPC Harding Park, May 14-17 U.S. Open, Winged Foot, June 18-21 The British Open, Royal St. George’s, July 16-19.
We take a look ahead to the 2020 Golf Major's:
The Masters
Augusta National in Augusta, Ga., once again kicks off the major season and 2020 will be the 84th Masters Tournament. Tiger Woods is to return as defending champion, with the hopes of claiming a sixth green jacket and tying Jack Nicklaus. Rory McIlroy will be looking to finally capture the career Grand-slam by claiming the one major that has eluded him thus far in his career. The likes of Thomas and Rahm seemed to have upped their game to a Major winning level so will both start the year high on confidence. Spieth, Johnson and Fowler will be looking rekindle past form with all 3 having a poor 2019 for their standards. There is always plenty of narratives surrounding the Masters and 2020 will be no different.
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship will be in its second year as the second major on the calendar. The host course will be TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, which has staged a number of PGA events before but this will be the first time a major will visit the grounds. Brooks Koepka appeared to have ran away with last years tournament only for a slight stumble in the final round to give Dustin Johnson a small glimmer of hope. Koepka, however, held on to retain his title. The World No.1 will be looking to replicate last years outcome and cement himself as the one of the all time greats by completing the three-peat. Jordan Spieth will have an eye on this Major in particular being as it is the only one to have evaded him so far.
U.S. Open
The U.S. Open returns to Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, New York, for the 120th playing of the event. The course opened June 1923 and has a deep history of championship golf, beginning with the 1929 U.S. Open, won by Bobby Jones. It was at Winged Foot where Phil Mickelson had his most memorable of six runner-up U.S. Open finishes back in 2006. He had a two-shot advantage with three holes to play and led Geoff Ogilvy by one at the 18th tee before a disastrous double-bogey finish. Gary Woodland won 2019's US Open, beating out Koepka by 3 shots in the end. It is never a high scoring affair at this event, so it is down to each golfer to not beat themselves over the first couple of days.
The Open Championship
After last years fairy-tale ending with Shane Lowry taking home the Claret Jug at Royal Portrush, The Open Championship will now head to Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, Kent, England. The last Open there was in 2010 when Darren Clarke claimed the Claret Jug to become Champion Golfer of the Year.
Who do you think will win the 2020 Golf Major's?