2020_in_golf
2020 in golf
Overview of the events of 2020 in golf
This article summarizes the highlights of professional and amateur golf in the year 2020. The calendar was significantly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with many events being canceled or postponed, or taking place without spectators.
Major championships
16–19 July: The Open Championship – Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[1]- 6–9 August (
14–17 May): PGA Championship – Collin Morikawa won by two strokes over Paul Casey and Dustin Johnson; it was his first major championship victory.[2] - 17–20 September (
18–21 June): U.S. Open – Bryson DeChambeau won his first major championship title by six strokes over Matthew Wolff; he was the only player to finish under par.[3] - 12–15 November (
9–12 April): Masters Tournament – Dustin Johnson won by five strokes over Im Sung-jae and Cameron Smith. It was his first Masters championship and his second major championship. He set a new tournament record of 20 strokes under par.[4]
World Golf Championships
- 20–23 February: WGC-Mexico Championship – Patrick Reed won by one stroke over Bryson DeChambeau; it was his second win in the tournament.[5]
25–29 March: WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play – Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[6]- 30 July – 2 August (
2–5 July): WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational – Justin Thomas won by three strokes; it was his second win in the tournament.[7] 29 October – 1 November: WGC-HSBC Champions – Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[8]
FedEx Cup playoff events
Main article: 2020 FedEx Cup Playoffs
- 20–23 August (
13–16 August): The Northern Trust – Dustin Johnson won by 11 strokes over Harris English;[9] it was his fifth career tournament win in the FedEx Cup playoffs, and his third in the Northern Trust (formerly known as The Barclays). - 27–30 August (
20–23 August): BMW Championship – Jon Rahm won in a playoff over Dustin Johnson. It was his first FedEx Cup playoff tournament victory.[10] - 4–7 September (
27–30 August): Tour Championship – Dustin Johnson won by three strokes over Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas, to win the FedEx Cup for the first time. Johnson had started the tournament 3 strokes ahead of Thomas and 7 strokes ahead of Schauffele, who returned the lowest aggregate score.[11]
Other leading PGA Tour events
- 12–15 March: The Players Championship – Incomplete; canceled following completion of the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]
For a complete list of PGA Tour results see 2019–20 PGA Tour.
Leading European Tour events
- 8–11 October (
10–13 September): BMW PGA Championship – Tyrrell Hatton won by four strokes from Victor Perez.[13] - 10–13 December (
19–22 November): DP World Tour Championship, Dubai – Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick won his second DP World Tour Championship, defeating Lee Westwood by one stroke.[14]
For a complete list of European Tour results see 2020 European Tour.
Team events
25–27 September: Ryder Cup – Postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic[15]
Tour leaders
- PGA Tour
- FedEx Cup –
Dustin Johnson - Leading money winner – Justin Thomas (US$7,344,040)[lower-alpha 1]
- FedEx Cup –
- European Tour –
Lee Westwood (3,128 points) - Japan Golf Tour – season extended into 2021
- Asian Tour –
- PGA Tour of Australasia – season extended into 2021
- Sunshine Tour – season extended into 2021
Awards
- PGA Tour
- European Tour
- Golfer of the Year – Lee Westwood
- Rookie of the Year –
Sami Välimäki
- Golfer of the Year –
- Korn Ferry Tour
- Player of the Year – season extended into 2021
Results from other tours
Other happenings
- 9 February: Rory McIlroy regained the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking, gaining it for the eighth time, replacing Brooks Koepka.[17]
- 20 March: Official World Golf Ranking frozen at week 11 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[18]
- 14 June: Official World Golf Ranking restarted at week 24 with the resumption of the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour.[19]
- 19 July: Jon Rahm gained the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time, replacing McIlroy.[20]
- 2 August: Justin Thomas gained the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking for the second time, replacing Rahm.[7]
- 9 August: Rahm regained the number one ranking after finishing in a tie for thirteenth place at the PGA Championship.[21]
- 23 August: Dustin Johnson replaced Rahm as number one in the Official World Golf Ranking following victory in The Northern Trust; it was the sixth time Johnson had reached the top spot.[9]
LPGA majors
6–9 August(23–26 July): The Evian Championship – Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[22]- 20–23 August: Women's British Open – World number 304 Sophia Popov won by two strokes from Thidapa Suwannapura; it was her first major tournament victory.[23]
- 10–13 September (
2–5 April): ANA Inspiration – Mirim Lee won her first major championship, defeating Brooke Henderson and Nelly Korda with a birdie on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff; she made the playoff by chipping in for eagle on the final hole of regulation play.[24] - 8–11 October (
25–28 June): KPMG Women's PGA Championship – Kim Sei-young won her first major championship by five strokes over fellow countrywoman Inbee Park.[25] - 10–13 December (
4–7 June): U.S. Women's Open – Kim A-lim, in her first start in a tournament in the United States, won by one stroke over Ko Jin-young and Amy Olson. Kim birdied her last three holes and finished three-under par.[26]
Additional LPGA Tour events
- 17–20 December (
19–22 November): CME Group Tour Championship – World number 1 Ko Jin-young won by five shots, also finishing first in the money list in the process.[27]
For a complete list of LPGA Tour results, see 2020 LPGA Tour.
For a complete list of Ladies European Tour results see 2020 Ladies European Tour.
Team events
27–30 August: International Crown – Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[28]
Money list leaders
- LPGA Tour –
Ko Jin-young ($1,667,925) - Ladies European Tour –
Emily Kristine Pedersen (1,249.35 points) - LPGA of Japan Tour – season extended into 2021
- LPGA of Korea Tour – Kim Hyo-joo (₩797,137,207)
- ALPG Tour –
Minjee Lee (A$63,618, 2019/20 season) - Symetra Tour –
Ana Belac (US$49,081)
Other tour results
Other happenings
- 20 March: Women's World Golf Rankings frozen at week 11 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[18]
- 20 July: Women's World Golf Rankings resume with altered computation of ranking, back-computed to week 20, when the LPGA of Korea Tour resumed play.[29]
Senior majors
21–24 May: Senior PGA Championship – Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[30]25–28 June: U.S. Senior Open – Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[31]23–26 July: Senior Open Championship – Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[32]- 13–16 August (
9–12 July): Senior Players Championship – Jerry Kelly won his first senior major title by two strokes over Scott Parel.[33] 24–27 September(7–10 May): Regions Tradition – Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Full results
- 2020–21 PGA Tour Champions season – season extended into 2021[34]
- 2020 European Senior Tour – season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[35]
9–12 July: U.S. Senior Women's Open – Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[31]30 July – 1 August: Senior LPGA Championship – Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[36]
- 16–19 January: Latin America Amateur Championship – Abel Gallegos won by four strokes over Aaron Terrazas.[37]
22–27 May: NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships – Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic[38]29 May – 3 June: NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships – Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic[38]12–14 June: Curtis Cup – Postponed until 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic[39]- 3–9 August: U.S. Women's Amateur – Rose Zhang defeated defending champion Gabriela Ruffels in the final, with the match going to the 38th hole.[40]
- 10–16 August: U.S. Amateur – Tyler Strafaci defeated Ollie Osborne in the final, 1 up.[41]
- 24–29 August (
15–20 June): The Amateur Championship – Joe Long defeated Joe Harvey, 4 and 3, in the final.[42] - 24–29 August (
23–27 June): Womens Amateur Championship – Aline Krauter defeated Annabell Fuller, 1 up, in the final.[43] - 22–25 September (
24–27 June): European Amateur – Matti Schmid successfully defended his 2019 title.[44] - 25–28 September: Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship – Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic[45]
- 30 September – 3 October (
22–25 July): European Ladies Amateur Championship – Paula Schulz-Hanssen of Germany won in a playoff over Chloé Salort of France.[46] - 14–17 October: Espirito Santo Trophy – Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic[47]
- 21–24 October: Eisenhower Trophy – Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic[47]
30 July – 8 August: Summer Olympics – Postponed until 2021.[48]
- 9 January – Pete Dye (born 1925), American golf course architect and member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.[49]
- 17 February – Mickey Wright (born 1935), American golfer and member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. She won 82 LPGA Tour tournaments, including 13 majors.[50]
- 26 March – John O'Leary (born 1949), Irish professional golfer who won twice on the European Tour.[51]
- 12 April – Doug Sanders (born 1933), American professional golfer who had 20 wins on the PGA Tour.[52]
- 23 April – Peter Gill (born 1930), English professional golf who played on the European Tour.[53]
- 27 April – Edean Anderson Ihlanfeldt (born 1930), American amateur golfer who won the Canadian Women's Amateur and the U.S. Senior Women's Amateur.[54]
- 28 April – Bob Betley (born 1940), American professional golfer who won on the Senior PGA Tour.[55]
- 15 May – Ernie Gonzalez (born 1961), American professional golfer who had one PGA Tour win.[56]
- 15 May – Steve Spray (born 1940), American professional golfer who had one PGA Tour win.[57]
- 11 August – Gordon J. Brand (born 1955), English professional golfer who had one European Tour win.[58]
- 28 August – Mike Joyce (born 1939), American professional golfer who had one Senior PGA Tour win.[59]
- 5 December – Peter Alliss (born 1931), English professional golfer, television presenter, commentator, author and golf course designer. He played on eight Ryder Cup teams, and is known for his commentating at The Open Championship.[60]
- 22 December – Kevin Hartley (born 1934), Australian amateur golfer who won the Australian Amateur and was part of the Australian team that won the 1966 Eisenhower Trophy.[61]
This table summarizes all the results referred to above in date order.
More information Dates, Tournament ...
Close
- Jackson, Keith (4 July 2020). "The 149th Open cancelled for this year and will return to Sandwich in 2021". Sky Sports.
- "Collin Morikawa, 23, wins PGA Championship in second career major". ESPN. Associated Press. 9 August 2020.
- Gray, Will (20 September 2020). "Bryson DeChambeau cruises to U.S. Open win for first major title". Golf Channel. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
- Piastowski, Nick (15 November 2020). "A champion unlike any other: Dustin Johnson wins the Masters for his first green jacket". Golf.com.
- "Patrick Reed shows his moxie and wins WGC-Mexico Championship". ESPN. Associated Press. 23 February 2020.
- Lavner, Ryan (12 March 2020). "PGA Tour cancels Players and other events thru April 5th". Golf Channel.
- "WGC-St Jude Invitational: Justin Thomas warms up for US PGA with win". BBC Sport. 3 August 2020.
- "HSBC Champions in Shanghai officially canceled amid pandemic". ESPN. Associated Press. 1 September 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- "Northern Trust: Dustin Johnson secures dominant win to reclaim world No 1 position". Sky Sports. 24 August 2020.
- "Jon Rahm outlasts Dustin Johnson in thrilling BMW Championship". ESPN. 30 August 2020.
- "Dustin Johnson Completes Long Climb to Win FedEx Cup". The New York Times. Associated Press. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- Wacker, Brian (12 March 2020). "Players 2020: PGA Tour cancels Players Championship, next three tournament". Golf World.
- Murray, Ewan (11 October 2020). "Tyrrell Hatton wins PGA Championship at Wentworth to extend home streak". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- "Westwood crowned European No. 1, Fitzpatrick wins in Dubai". ESPN. Reuters. 13 December 2020.
- Porter, Kyle (8 July 2020). "Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits postponed to 2021, Presidents Cup to 2022 amid coronavirus pandemic". CBS Sports.
- "Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada cancels 2020 season". PGA Tour. 29 May 2020.
- Harig, Bob (9 February 2020). "Rory McIlroy supplants Brooks Koepka for golfing's world No. 1". ESPN.
- Gray, Will (20 March 2020). "World rankings in men's, women's golf frozen indefinitely". Golf Channel.
- Harig, Bob (2 July 2020). "Official World Golf Ranking to resume next week as PGA Tour, Korn Ferry Tour start up". ESPN.
- "Jon Rahm, 25, cruises to win at Memorial to secure No. 1 ranking". ESPN. 19 July 2020.
- "Jon Rahm returns to World No1 as Morikawa breaks top five". The Irish Times. 10 August 2020.
- "Coronavirus & golf: LPGA Evian Championship in France cancelled". BBC Sport. 9 June 2020.
- Scrivener, Peter (23 August 2020). "Women's Open: Sophia Popov wins at Royal Troon by two shots". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
- "ANA Inspiration: Mirim Lee wins first major title after three-way play-off". BBC Sport. 13 September 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
- "Sei Young Kim fires 63 to seal KPMG Women's PGA, first major win". ESPN. Associated Press. 11 October 2020.
- "A Lim Kim mounts major comeback, wins U.S. Women's Open in debut". ESPN. Associated Press. 14 December 2020.
- "Jin Young Ko wins LPGA's season-ending CME Group, claims money title". ESPN. Associated Press. 20 December 2020.
- "LPGA Targets Date to Restart 2020 Season". LPGA. 29 April 2020.
- "Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings (WWGR) Resume with Individual Athlete Approach". LPGA Tour. 20 July 2020.
- "Senior PGA Championship, scheduled for May, canceled". ESPN. Associated Press. 2 April 2020.
- Altstadter, Jeff (6 April 2020). "U.S. Open Postponed; 2020 U.S. Senior Opens Canceled". USGA.
- Dempster, Martin (2 July 2020). "Senior Open cancelled for first time in its history". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- Strege, John (16 August 2020). "Jerry Kelly punctuates his first senior major victory with a special highlight". Golf Digest. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- "PGA Tour Champions announces combined 2020-21 season". PGA Tour. 14 May 2020.
- "Staysure Tour's 2020 season cancelled". PGA European Tour. 19 June 2020.
- "Statement on 2020 Senior LPGA Championship". LPGA. 17 April 2020.
- "Abel Gallegos' win in Latin American Amateur Championship earns trips to Masters, The Open". ESPN. Associated Press. 19 January 2020.
- "NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships". NCAA. 12 March 2020.
- "Curtis Cup postponed to 2021; British Ams rescheduled". Golf Channel. 1 April 2020.
- "Rose Zhang denies Gabriela Ruffels a repeat at U.S. Women's Amateur". ESPN. Associated Press. 9 August 2020.
- Leonard, Tod (16 August 2020). "Tyler Strafaci comes up clutch on 36th hole, wins U.S. Amateur to add to his family lore". Golf Digest.
- Huggan, John (30 August 2020). "Joe Long outlasts Joe Harvey to win the British Amateur in clash of mates from the same hometown". Golf World.
- "Aline Krauter wins the Women's Amateur Championship". Golf Today. 29 August 2020.
- Wlodkowski, Pete (25 September 2020). "European Amateur: Germany's Matthias Schmid defends title". AmateurGolf.com.
- "2020 Asia-Pacific Amateur and Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific Championships Cancelled Due To COVID-19 Pandemic". Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship. 7 July 2020.
- "Paula Schulz-Hanßen wins the European Ladies' Amateur Championship at only 17". European Golf Association. 5 October 2020.
- Williams, Julie (6 May 2020). "IGF cancels World Amateur Team events for 2020; new women's Latin America event also off". Golfweek.
- Harig, Bob (24 March 2020). "How postponing the Tokyo Olympics drastically changes the golf calendar". ESPN.
- Fields, Bill (9 January 2020). "Pete Dye passes away at age 94". PGA Tour.
- Fields, Bill (17 February 2020). "Legendary LPGA Champion Mickey Wright Passes Away At 85". LPGA.
- "John O'Leary: 1949 – 2020". European Tour. 26 March 2020.
- Schupak, Adam (12 April 2020). "Doug Sanders, winner of 20 PGA Tour events, has died". Golfweek.
- "Peter Gill (1930 – 2020)". PGA. 23 April 2020.
- Hanson, Scott (28 April 2020). "Edean Ihlanfeldt, amateur golf star and first UW women's coach, dies at 90". The Seattle Times.
- Livsey, Laury (29 April 2020). "Bob Betley passes away at age 80". PGA Tour.
- "Ernie Gonzalez passes away at the age of 59". PGA Tour. 15 May 2020.
- "John Stephen Spray obituary". Overton Funeral Home.
- "Gordon J Brand 1955 - 2020". PGA European Tour. 11 August 2020.
- "Mike Joyce passes away at age 81". PGA Tour. 1 September 2020.
- "Peter Alliss: Legendary BBC golf commentator dies at 89". BBC Sport. 6 December 2020.
- "Vale Kevin Hartley, golf legend". Golf Australia. 22 December 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2021.