July is When Things Start to Cool for the PGA Tour

July.

Although the calendar says that we’re only halfway through the year, when it comes to the professional golf calendar we’re closing in on the end of the seasons, at least as far as the PGA Tour is concerned.

The PGA Tour decided a few years ago that it was going to have nothing to do with competing with the NFL. With that in mind, it shortened the playoffs and made sure that its finale took place before that first kick off of football season. It was a change that caused the season to become very condensed.

We’ve already played three mens majors this year. All that’s left is the Open Championship in a couple of weeks. This year it is being played in Ireland, at Royal Portrush, where Shane Lowery won back in 2019. Once the Open is complete, it’ll be a full eight months plus before we gather again on Washington Road for the next major, the 2026 Masters.

At the conclusion of the John Deere on Sunday, there are only six more events on tour before the playoffs begin.

It goes fast.

This month the LPGA has a pair of majors on the calendar. Remember, there are five major championships on that tour. Next week, it’s the Evian Championship in France. As charming and intriguing as Evian Resort Golf Club looks, the players, almost to a person, do not like that course. It’s a sort of short and sort of quirky little layout, carved out of the side of a mountain. But funky lies and odd bounces are overlooked when the sponsor loves the venue.

Then at the end of the month the women will play their Open championship. This year it is in Wales, at Porthcawl. It’s worth nothing that the women are nowhere near the end of their campaign. They will go until November.

Here, it looks like it’ll be a busy month out at The Patch. Earlier this week Augusta National posted a social media video teasing the fact that they’re close to beginning the process of laying down the sod for the golf course. The Club apparently decided that relying on the growing season was not something it was comfortable doing and so has chosen to sod most of the property. It should look incredible in the very near future. The greens will be sprigged and allowed to take hold in the prime (hot) Bermuda grass growing season. Remember, the goal is to have the Patch playable by the time the 2026 Masters rolls around.

So, while many of us are vacationing and, eventually, getting the kids ready for school, the professional tours, both men and women will have some of their premiere events on the calendar. It’s been a memorable season already, let’s see what July holds.

Besides the heat.