Another hallelujah! My second in as many weeks...Jesus, they finally did wake up and smell the coffee. This has been so long coming...
Agree with PPal's assessment "win-win" ...I add further "wins" to:
The Players...there's no empirical reason for it, but it's just better exhibition/show/competition as a kick-off to the true "meat" of the season -- the way the Daytona 500 is the first race of the season, yet one of stock car racing's most important and prestigious...they are in Florida, heading north...their golf games are getting in top seasonal shape, injuries and rust have been tended, first time all the boys come together en masse in the medal terms of how the season will be decided... on a course that lets you (and us) know how sharp or not you are...it was, for me, getting a bit lost in May, whereas I felt the final top run-up position to Augusta lent it focus... I won't speak for all regions, but it always seemed to me that my northern regions are just ready to bust out for golf in that late March period...its very dodgy still out on the links, (there's was great, lasting snow this year on March 15) and the Players isn't The Masters, but it's got that "it" factor of a wild and tremulous course nonetheless, which both satisfied and sustained the appetite for that year's traditional major season... (Interestingly, Tiger is the only one to win a Players and then, the Masters in the same year...his 'slam" year of 2000-01... so if it is the "fifth major" ...perhaps THAT is the true Tiger Slam...all 5 at once.)
All Four Majors and by proxy, Golf's profile from April 1 - July 24... Holy smokes, like the Triple Crown horse racing season (which this also seems to be wedged neatly in and around) - these 100 days, which also has popular events (Heritage, Nelson, Colonial, Memorial, Travelers, Greenbrier) dotted within are a feast for the Golf fan and one big reason will be...
The Single Year Slam is More Likely... we all know how the creme players from Jones' runs, to Nelson's records, to Nicklaus, Miller, Faldo, Norman, Woods, Mickelson, Rory, Spieth, DJ whole blocs... we know how these peaking Olympian players (remember Tom Lehman and Nick Price's runs in the 90s?) can saw through a field when they are on. If any of these deemed even marginally "worthy" wins the Masters, the now 4 week run-up to the PGA will cast a laser on that player, his competition and the profile of that tournament... if he should win it and/or lose it dramatically it now may be the most remembered PGA, where I struggle to recall very many memorable ones, enjoyable watches yes...blow by blow/significant shots...just a scant few. but more importantly, the Slam is now more possible and the PGA is the gate keeper...any player can win the Masters, but now you can't have a Slam without the PGA....and we don't have to wait 10 weeks to know the answer.
I comprehend the worry that this will forestall opportunities for truly northern sites (Hazeltine, Whistling[wish it would go anyway], Medinah, Oakland Hills, etc) to host because of possible long winters and turf damage. And while I wouldn't know the first thing about the details of it, am I wrong to think in this highly technological age there are a great number of scientific steps that the PGA and premium host clubs will take to protect the greens and the most sensitive areas of these courses in that run-up winter...? Won't turf and maintenance and the top supers and industry companies be enlisted to consult? Won't they be doing this years out, with a big-time action plan for that last 9 months? I understand; if you still have much snow on top of and ice below the ground on April 15th, it's going to be a challenge and it may well reduce the number of northern places turns in the rotation, but I think if there's any genius way to marginalize those impacts, they are more likely to find it than not. And still, with some venues out of the mix, fans who don't see major golf up close at all anymore are back in the mix with May.
As to JZ's map, a few jots...
1a. What existing northern tournament is likely lost? If you meant the loss of potentially hosting the PGA Chmp (not just any tournament) then...
1b. First tell me the courses notoriously worthy and willing to host the PGA in OK, KS, SD, ND, NE, CO, ID, UT, NM, ARK? Many if not all are as in the mix in May as in August, some moreso...I don't think the PGA was ever going to Idaho, Utah, Montana or North Dakota anyway...and much of this map would be blank under any regimen.
2. This map's clusters also show the most established centers of golf in the country, the places where the most golf is played, the most wizened, historic and traditional areas of its play and most importantly, the urban clusters of the country where the tournament has the most access to the greatest number of people. Outside of Pennsylvania's and NJ's absence, (albeit seeing major championships regularly) the map is not illogical in the least.
3. In fairness to the allegedly suffering John/Jane Q GolfFan at large, you ought to also lay the Senior, LPGA and USGA event dots on the screen too. Yes I understand it's not Rory, Phil, DJ, Spieth, Stenson, Day, Sergio, etc...but those guys probably weren't going to the Montana tour stop either and again, what PGA-hosting courses are up there that were bumped by this move to May?
cheers vk