10 storylines to keep an eye on for golf season

Questions continue to abound regarding when, how and where sports can start up again around the world.

One of the first to get the ball rolling again, literally, appears to be golf.

The PGA Tour has revised its schedule (36 tournaments down from 49 originally scheduled) for the remainder of the calendar year and has some sort of plan in place in get play going in June. The landscape of the sport will certainly look different, with the collective narrative changed for the time being.

That said, here are 10 storylines to keep in mind as we await the potential restart of the golf season for 2020 — and perhaps beyond.

At least there is a plan

That's the good news. And the PGA Tour's plan to restart the season seems organized, with some direction, (unlike the United States government, which has only a vague plan for reopening the country's economy.)

Without consistent and highly accessible testing for the coronavirus at the moment, however, fans will not attend the first four tournaments — beginning with the Charles Schwab Challenge, June 8-14 in Fort Worth. Should everything go as planned, or at least close to it, and there is not a resurgence in COVID-19 outbreaks (for starters), the first event open to fans could be the John Deere Classic, July 9-12, in the Quad Cities area of Illinois and Iowa.

Perhaps most important, the PGA Tour will be in consultation with local and state authorities, plus credible health officials, along the way to make the best possible decisions during this fluid situation.

Testing and social distancing

At least right out of the gate, these are the two most prominent factors when it comes to making sure the Tour season is able to continue. The PGA Tour is looking into and learning more about mass testing to ensure the safety of its competitors and essential staff (on-course officials, standard barriers, caddies, etc).

According to the Golf Channel, Tour officials are banking on widespread testing being more available by the time play resumes at the Colonial in June. If that hurdle is cleared relatively well, then the focus shifts to social distancing, which, in the absence of a vaccine, is likely to remain in some form or another — especially when, or if, fans are allowed back on the course.

And what will that look like? Will fans be asked to stand/sit 6 feet apart? Will face coverings be needed? Again, the situation is fluid and fans must realize that.

International flavor (or lack thereof)

One interesting aspect of golf's return will be just who will make up the fields of those early tournaments? It's uncertain what travel restrictions will look like in two months, thus creating the possibility that several of the best international golfers on Tour and not currently in United States won't get back to play in some of these early events.

Again, this is a matter of fluidity. But it would be a shame if some of the top golfers in the world were held up from getting to a tournament. It's yet another example of the task that awaits golf officials from any tour in any country.

Major developments

It should be noted that the revised PGA Tour schedule encompasses that of the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. Between June and into early September, the lone major scheduled is the PGA Championship (TPC Harding Park, San Francisco) from Aug. 6-9.

Fast forward to the "fall" portion, or 2020-21 slate (which includes the three FedEx Cup Playoffs events), and one week after the TOUR Championship will be the U.S. Open. The latter will be played at Winged Foot from Sept. 17-20. Of course, the Masters moving to November might be the most significant change to the golf landscape — both from a logistical and traditional standpoint.

Losing the Open Championship for the first time since World War II might be hard for some true golf fans — worldwide — to handle. Then again, we're talking about a world health crisis and potentially saving lives. So it does not take long to realize where our priorities should be as human beings, not just golf fans.

Speaking of the FedEx Cup

As mentioned, the FedEx Cup Playoffs will remain in form. The Northern Trust opens the playoffs from the Boston area, Aug. 20-23. The BMW Championship follows from suburban Chicago, and it all culminates with the TOUR Championship from Atlanta, Sept. 4-7.

For those who have not been keeping score at home, Sungjae Im leads the FedEx standings entering the restart. The South Korean, who won the Honda Classic and has five top-10 finishes in 2020, has a 55-point lead over second-place Justin Thomas. Defending FedEx Cup champ, Rory McIlroy, is third.

It will be interesting to see how things play out, especially with testing and travel restrictions in the mix. Remember, fluidity.

Ryde(r) on

Should this play out favorably, and most important, safely, golf fans will have plenty to look forward to come late-to-mid September. One week after the U.S. Open is scheduled to end, we jump right into the Ryder Cup.

From Sept. 22-27, Wisconsin's beautifully challenging Whistling Straits is still slated to host the popular event between the U.S. and Europe. Wisconsin native Steve Stricker will captain an American squad that is looking for a better showing while attempting to regain the Cup after that poor outing in France in 2018.

While this is a ways away, European captain Padraig Harrington made some news when he stated that the Ryder Cup would not be played without fans in attendance.

Tiger gets his rest

One of the biggest prepandemic questions was just how Tiger Woods would play in 2020. If we are to return to golf as the PGA Tour has planned, that question still remains — perhaps with more intrigue.

Woods has played two tournaments thus far in 2020, finishing tied for ninth at the Farmers and 68th in Los Angeles during mid-February. One would assume he's in for all the majors, and sitting 28th in the FedEx Cup standings, Tiger is probably a lock for tournaments like the Memorial and St. Jude.

Of course, a lot will depend on his health. Woods has had plenty of rest, and his focus, obviously, should be on the FedEx Cup Playoffs and the Ryder Cup. After that, all eyes should be on Tiger and the Masters.

Don't forget the ladies

The LPGA Tour has also announced changes to its 2020 schedule due to the global pandemic. As of earlier this month, the LPGA has scheduled its return to the links with the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship on June 19-21. The Women's PGA Championship will be held the following week at Aronimink in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.

Perhaps the biggest news to come out of the ladies' schedule revision is moving the U.S. Women's Open to Dec. 10-13. The event will still be held at Champions Golf Club in Houston, but in December?

The tour has also scheduled open weeks throughout the season in case tournaments need to be moved around. LPGA star Inbee Park currently tops the tour's money list, with more than $327,000 in earnings.

Olympics will have to wait

One area of the season both the PGA and LPGA Tours will no longer have to think about is the Olympics. With the Tokyo Summer Games, originally slated for July 24-Aug. 9, pushed to 2021, three weeks of the schedule have opened. The end of that stretch made it possible to place the PGA Championship into the first week of August.

However, it would've been interesting to see who would have made up the U.S. men's team. Was Tiger a serious option? Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay and Patrick Reed looked to be locks for the American squad.

Expect the unexpected

That's really the approach any professional sports league and the NCAA should take at this moment. A good chunk of the world would love to escape into sports, even if fans can't be there to watch. But safety is obviously the chief concern.

The PGA Tour's ability to devise a plan and put in the work and effort to see that it is executed properly is refreshing and hopeful. At the moment it all sounds good, but don't expect this process to be smooth. Things are changing by the minute in every aspect of daily life. The golf world is a small portion of that, but, for now, it's giving us fans something to look forward to down the road.