Tiger Woods: Predicting his 2019 PGA TOUR schedule
8) The Masters – Augusta National (April 11-14)
Sorry, San Antonio, but there’s precisely no way that Tiger heads to the Lone Star State for the Valero Texas Open ahead of the Masters. It’s not personal. Woods has literally never played the PGA TOUR event the week before the Masters in his 22 previous trips.
This is Tiger’s next chance at winning his 15th major, and at 43 years old, he’s still got three more shots at the green jacket before he finds himself looking to break yet another Nicklaus record: oldest player to win the Masters.
Masters week is the best week in sports to me, not just golf, and the eyes of the world will be squarely on Augusta National as spring begins. As surely as the azaleas will be in full bloom, Tiger Woods will take that trek down Magnolia Drive one more time.
9) Wells Fargo Championship – Quail Hollow (May 2-5)
Finally, a window for an extended break in Tiger’s schedule. Almost three full weeks will pass between the final putt of the Masters Tournament and the opening tee shots of the Wells Fargo Championship, making it a perfect return to action for Woods.
It’s really a sweet spot in the window between the Masters and the new slot for the PGA Championship, moving from August to May. Woods won this event in 2007, and he also finished fourth at Quail Hollow in 2009.
Everything about this tournament makes sense from a scheduling and course fit perspective. Don’t overthink this one, Tiger.
10) PGA Championship – Bethpage Black (May 16-19)
The cards are lining up for a second major championship in three starts for Tiger Woods, and he’ll return to the site of his 2002 U.S. Open championship, the Black Course at Bethpage State Park in New York.
Woods finished T-6 at Bethpage in the 2009 U.S. Open, and T-38 at the 2012 edition of The Barclays. Look for a course setup that falls somewhere between those two marks, which I believe will actually give Woods a larger edge as opposed to a disadvantage.
Two majors, two places where Tiger has won before. The cards really are lining up, aren’t they?
11) The Memorial Tournament – Muirfield Village (May 27-June 2)
This is another one we don’t really need to overthink. It’s Jack’s place, and Tiger will find a way to be there as long as he’s physically capable of it. It’s not as much about scheduling or “peaking” when it comes to this event. Of course, that doesn’t hurt, either.
Tiger teeing it up at Colonial the week after the PGA wouldn’t be a total shocker if he hadn’t already said he’s looking for ways to lighten his load. So when the decision time comes between two high-profile events, look for Woods to defer to the Golden Bear.
Given a week off after the PGA, Woods should be good to tee it up here. He’ll also give himsef a bit of a break afterwards, before heading west once again.