Ponte Vedra Beach, United States: The PGA Tour has confirmed the first portion of its 2017-18 schedule, a seven-week stretch through mid-November that features four official domestic and four official international tournaments – including the inaugural The CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges in Korea – all of which offer FedEx Cup points.
The season will open in the first week of October with the Safeway Open in Napa, California, before transitioning to Asia for three straight tournaments, starting in Malaysia with the CIMB Classic (October 9-15) at TPC Kuala Lumpur, a Golf Course Facility Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation (AGIF).
From there it’s onto Jeju Island for The CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges (October 16-22), a course sculpted by Golfplan, a Full Business Member of the AGIF. It will be the PGA Tour’s first official event in Korea.
Then Shanghai will move into the spotlight with the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions (October 23-29).
That same week, the PGA Tour also returns to mainland America with the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi. The schedule continues with the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas (October 30-November 5), the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen, Mexico (November 6-12), and concludes with The RSM Classic at St. Simons Island, Georgia (November 13-19) before the official season breaks until January.
All eight tournaments will be televised by Golf Channel.
“We are extremely pleased to announce such an outstanding start to the 2017-18 PGA Tour season and the race for the FedEx Cup, including the debut of The CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges,” said Tyler Dennis, PGA Tour Chief of Operations.
He added: “Since going to the wrap-around schedule in 2013, we have seen that a strong performance during this first portion of the season greatly increases a player’s chances to advance into and through the FedEx Cup Play-offs. Our members will have the opportunity to get off to a strong start with the FedEx Cup points available at these eight tournaments.”
Regarding the FedEx Cup, a strong start has proven to be an important element toward finishing in the top-125 in the points standings and qualifying for the FedEx Cup Play-offs. In the last two PGA Tour seasons, all 14 winners of the first seven events have qualified for the play-offs, and eight of those 14 have advanced to the Tour Championship.
This current season, all of the players who were in the top-30 at the end of November remain in the top-125, including 11 in the top-30.
While the 2017 portion of the official season concludes with The RSM Classic, three additional, popular events will be held in December – The Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas (November 27-December 3); the QBE Shootout in Naples, Florida (December 4-10); and the PNC Father/Son Challenge in Orlando, Florida (December 11-17).
The remainder of the 2017-18 schedule will be announced at a later date.