Predicting Tiger Woods 2020 Schedule
Sports are returning! Which means more blog posts! With the majors and golf tournaments being moved around due to COVID-19 and myself being a big Tiger Woods fan. This is my attempt to get inside his mind and predict where Woods will be teeing it up the rest of 2020. I’m taking into account factors such as Woods’s usual schedule routines, his health/body, and other factors such as the strength of fields, locations, and spots on the revised schedule.
The Schedule Prediction
RBC Heritage
June 18-21
Woods has not played at Harbour Town since 1999 where he finished T18. This year however being one of the first events on this resumed 2020 season has brought a rumored star field to shake off some rust. Also, the ability to bring and dock his yacht by the harbor is enough to attract Woods to resume his 2020 season at Harbour Town.
(Update) – Woods has elected not to play despite his yacht being close to the area.
Rumored New Event
July 9-12
The original event scheduled here was the John Deere Classic Woods was not going to play that event. However, the PGA Tour sent out a memo to the players that the John Deere Classic will be replaced by an event to be conducted at Muirfield Village. The event will be separated from Jack Nicklaus’s event just a week later. Now hear me out despite having to play two weeks in a row, which is something Tiger has tried to avoid unless he’s forced too because of his body. Passing up the chance to play at the golf course he’s has won five times two weeks in a row is hard to do so I believe he will commit to this new temporary event.
The Memorial Tournament
July 16-19
I mean come on it’s Jack’s tournament and the first confirmed PGA Tournament to allow spectators to attend. Woods is playing unless he physically or mentally cannot go.
PGA Championship
August 6-9
The hunt for 16 begins again at TPC Harding Park a course Woods is familiar with and had success at. Woods will always tee it up at a major unless he’s not healthy.
The Northern Trust
August 20-23
After a week off Woods begins the first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. There is always a chance he plays it safe and takes the week off to get some rest. However, I believe Woods will play all three weeks in his FedEx Cup quest.
BNW Championship
August 27-30
The second leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs and it will remain to be seen whether Woods will already be locked into the Tour Championship or if he will have to play his way in to return to East Lake.
Tour Championship
September 4 -7
If qualified Woods will for sure tee it up and return to East Lake to try and win the FedEx Cup. Remember the last time he played East Lake? Oh yeah, he won and was a bounce away from winning the FedEx Cup in 2018 from Justin Rose.
US Open
September 17-20
Starting off the 2020-2021 season with a major? Count me in and the US Open will be Woods’s second major he competes at.
Ryder Cup
September 25- 27
It is very hard to leave Woods off the Ryder Cup team especially if he’s in good form and needs a captain’s picks. I personally do not think the Ryder Cup will happen this year because it’s going to be hard to get fans to attend and the players will most certainly want spectators in attendance as well. Either way, I’m expecting Woods to be playing whenever the Ryder Cup does happen.
ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP
October 15th-18th
Okay, this one is tricky because of potential travel bans as we do not know yet if players will be able to fly to Japan to compete in the 2nd year of the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. Remember Woods is the defending champion and it is uncharacteristic of Woods to miss an event he is the defending champion at unless due to health reasons.
The Masters
November 12 -15
Name a better duo then Tiger Woods and Augusta National? Woods if healthy will tee it up in the final major of this revised schedule to defend his green jacket. Expect Woods to be in peak Augusta form come November. Also, a Masters in November going up against College Football and the NFL count me in!
Hero World Challenge
December 3-6
As usual, Woods will finish 2020 at the event he hosts down in Albany with the usual 18 man field. Who knows maybe this year this event will be a Tiger Woods victory tour coming off another Green Jacket?
Events he may consider
Travelers Championship
June 25- June 28
Woods caddie Joey LaCava is a Connecticut guy and this event would be his home event. The rumor going around is Travelers Championship contacted Woods camp about making an appearance. It does help that Woods has never played this event in his storied career. I simply do not think this event is prestigious enough to attract Woods to make the trip up to Connecticut. The only shot I’ll give them is if Woods decides not to play RBC Heritage and wants to restart his season before Memorial but I still cannot see it happening.
World Golf Championship- FedEx St. Jude Invitational
July 30- August 2
This event is the trickiest event to predict as Woods decided to skip this event last year and also skipped the WGC Mexico event earlier this year as well. The WGC and PGA Tour have done themselves no favors moving two WGC’s away from two of Tiger’s best courses statistically. Usually Tiger routine is he does not play the week before a major unless there’s an exception like the WGC Bridgestone at Firestone. However, like it’s been mentioned it is a WGC and does offer good reps and world ranking points ahead of a major with a usually strong field. It will truly be a last-minute decision towards the Friday deadline the week before the event. It all depends on how Woods feels about his body and his game.
Events that will not make the cut
Charles Schwab Challenge
June 11- June 14
It was confirmed last Friday that Woods will not be resuming his 2020 season at the Charles Schwab Challenge despite a strong field.
Rocket Mortgage Classic
July 2 – July 5
This new event replaced Tiger’s foundation event the Quicken Loans National which was in the DC area for so many years. It’s my theory that Tiger Woods hasn’t forgotten about that nor the sponsor this hosts this event. So yeah no chance he tees it up in here.
3M Open
July 23-26
Another new event heading into its sophomore year. Sadly not only does it hold a bad place on this revised schedule, but it also isn’t prestigious enough yet to attract a player like Woods.
Wyndham Championship
August 13-16
There was a lot of hype when Woods played this event in 2015 trying to make the FedEx Cup Playoffs. However, while it’s a great event it’s spot on the schedule being after the PGA Championship and before the FedEx Cup Playoffs means Tiger won’t play the Wyndham Championship.
WGC- HSBC Champions
October 29- November 1
This is a WGC event Woods has always skipped in the past and it will be the same thing this year to prepare for his run at defending his green jacket.
Houston Open
November 5-8
Woods never plays the week before teeing it up at Augusta National. He also never will play the week before teeing it up at Augusta National the rest of his career so rule out Houston.
Other B Events
As for the other B events on the revised schedule in the fall like the Safeway Championship, the Shiners Hospitals for Children Open, the CJ Cup, and the RSM Classic. Unfortunately for these tournaments looking for stars to play for them. Woods does not play events like these unless he has too for certain reasons. With a jumbled up schedule Woods won’t entertain events like these in 2020 maybe next year!
By Ashkan Motamedi
