A history-making victory for Tiger Woods, further success for Rory McIlroy and several breakthrough winners were among the highlights from the early part of the PGA Tour season.
The 2019-20 campaign resumes this week with the Charles Schwab Challenge, live on Sky Sports, with the event marking the first tournament on the PGA Tour since the Players Championship was cancelled after the opening round on March 12.
Some 14 events still remain in this season’s FedExCup schedule, culminating with the Tour Championship from September 4-7. We take a tournament-by-tournament look back at what has happened so far…
SEPTEMBER
Kevin Chappell posted a record-equalling nine consecutive birdies on his way to shooting 59 during the second record of A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier, only the 11th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history, as Joaquin Niemann won the opening event of the season.
Niemann became the first Chilean winner on the PGA Tour with a six-shot victory, the first of back-to-back South American champions as Colombia’s Sebastian Munoz defeated Sungjae Im in a play-off at the Sanderson Farms Championship the following week.
The theme of young winners continued at the Safeway Open, as an emotional Cameron Champ found a final-hole birdie to finish a shot clear of Adam Hadwin and register a second PGA Tour title.
OCTOBER
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Kevin Na became the first two-time winner of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open this century, following on from his success in 2011, as 2017 champion Patrick Cantlay was defeated in a play-off for the second year running at TPC at Summerlin.
The Houston Open saw a weakened field due to its new autumnal date in the schedule, with Lanto Griffin securing a one-shot triumph, before the PGA Tour welcomed three high-profile winners in as many weeks.
Justin Thomas registered a second win in three years at the CJ Cup after finishing two shots clear of Danny Lee, while the inaugural Zozo Championship in Japan saw Tiger Woods secure a record-equalling 82nd PGA Tour title.
Heavy rain wiped out the second day and forced a Monday finish, where Woods finished three strokes clear of home favourite Hideki Matsuyama and move alongside Sam Snead in the all-time standings.
NOVEMBER
Reigning FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy came through a thrilling final day to snatch play-off victory at the WGC-HSBC Champions and claim a fourth PGA Tour win of 2019.
McIlroy made a two-putt birdie at the first play-off hole to defeat Xander Schauffele and earn his third World Golf Championship title, the same week when Brendon Todd made an unlikely return to the winner’s circle.
Todd was outside of the world’s top 500 before his four-shot win at the inaugural Bermuda Championship, only to follow it with a one-shot victory at the Mayakoba Classic a fortnight later to jump back up to 83rd in the world rankings.
The American was threatening a third straight win at the RSM Classic, the last full-field event of the calendar year, only to settle for fourth as Tyler Duncan defeated Webb Simpson in a play-off.
DECEMBER
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The Woods-hosted Hero World Challenge finished a day earlier than normal due to the forthcoming President Cup, with Henrik Stenson winning the invite-only event after finishing a shot clear of Jon Rahm.
Woods then switched from tournament host to playing captain at Royal Melbourne, winning all three of his matches to help Team USA produce an impressive comeback and retain the Presidents Cup.
The Americans trailed the International Team from the opening session all the way through to the Sunday singles, where Team USA won eight of the 12 points available to claim a 16-14 victory.
JANUARY
Justin Thomas made a winning start to 2020 as he recovered from two bogeys in his final three holes to win the Sentry Tournament of Champions, after seeing off Schauffele and Patrick Reed in a play-off.
Extra holes were also required to determine a week later at the Sony Open, with Australia’s Cameron Smith getting the better of Brendan Steele, before Andrew Landry finished two strokes clear of Abraham Ancer to win The American Express.
Jon Rahm fells just short in his bid for a second Farmers Insurance Open title, with the 54-hole leader ending a stroke behind Marc Leishman despite a three-birdie finish.
FEBRUARY
The Phoenix Open went to a play-off for a fourth time in five years, where Webb Simpson rose to seventh in the world rankings after beating Tony Finau at the first extra hole.
Nick Taylor was the unlikely champion at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, with a four-shot win his first worldwide success since 2014, before Adam Scott rounded off the West Coast Swing with a two-stroke victory at the Genesis Invitational.
An exciting finish to the WGC-Mexico Championship saw Patrick Reed hold off Bryson DeChambeau to claim a first victory of the season, while the alternate event that week was the Puerto Rico Open and the site of Viktor Hovland’s first win on the PGA Tour.
MARCH
Tommy Fleetwood was unable to claim a maiden PGA Tour victory at the Honda Classic, with a final-hole bogey closing a final-round 71 and leaving him two shots adrift of Sungjae Im.
A new English winner on the PGA Tour did happen a week later, as Tyrrell Hatton celebrated a breakthrough success with a one-shot win over Leishman at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The PGA Tour season came to an abrupt halt at The Players Championship, where Hideki Matsuyama had equalled the TPC Sawgrass course record to hold a two-shot lead after the opening day.
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