Getty ImagesLAHAINA, HI – JANUARY 06: Patrick Reed of the United States reacts after putting on the fourth green during the second round of the SBS Tournament of Champions at the Plantation Course at Kapalua Golf Club on January 6, 2017 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)With apologies to T.S. Eliot, that scratch poet who might have liked golf had he not despised its shallowness so much, “August is the cruelest month.”
For in August, we see the end of summer looming on the horizon, like a kind of plague or a balloon payment, neither of which we can overcome. For me, it has always marked the last exhales of weightless freedom before the heavy lifting of the shortening days and colder months of fall. Just like in all those summer movies like Caddyshack, Stand by Me and yes, Dirty Dancing, August is all about the natural winding-down of things, the golf season, most especially. And what can be more cruel than the rapidly approaching end of the golf season.
And yet, t..

Richard HeathcoteThe crowd applauds as Chris Wood celebrates his victory on Wentworth's 18th green at the 2016 BMW PGA Championship.When one thing changes (or two) everything changes. In the immediate wake of the PGA Championship moving to May, starting in 2019, and so nudging the Players into March, the European Tour announced on Tuesday that the BMW PGA Championship will shift from its traditional May date to September in two years time.
No specific date was released for the 2019 BMW, but the change was hardly unexpected. With the European Tour’s flagship event adjacent to the likes of the Memorial Tournament and the Players, recent fields at Wentworth’s West course just outside London already had been missing one or two star names. Given that, similarly competing with a major championship for player’s time was always going to be a non-starter for European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley.
“Significant changes to the global golfing calendar have given us the opportunity to move..

Stuart Franklin(Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)CHARLOTTE—The PGA Championship's “Glory's Last Shot” slogan is no more, but the notion still rings true. Especially for Dustin Johnson.
In the early weeks of April, it was preordained that Johnson would win a major in 2017; the only question was how many. In a four-tournament span, he beat or tied all but two competitors, capturing two WGC titles and the Genesis Open in the process. His only poor pre-Augusta showing was a missed cut at Torrey Pines, which was justified, knowing that Johnson had flown to Dubai days before. Coupled with his play in 2016, the build-up to the Masters felt less like a tournament preview and more like a coronation. Forget Player of the Year: Could Johnson submit one of the best seasons in modern golf?
Four months and a staircase incident later, Johnson is seeking his first top 50 at a major this season. He's still No. 1 in the world—but no longer the favorite for POY honors. Amazingly, he i..

Stuart Franklin(Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)CHARLOTTE—The PGA Championship's “Glory's Last Shot” slogan is no more, but the notion still rings true. Especially for Dustin Johnson.
In the early weeks of April, it was preordained that Johnson would win a major in 2017; the only question was how many. In a four-tournament span, he beat or tied all but two competitors, capturing two WGC titles and the Genesis Open in the process. His only poor pre-Augusta showing was a missed cut at Torrey Pines, which was justified, knowing that Johnson had flown to Dubai days before. Coupled with his play in 2016, the build-up to the Masters felt less like a tournament preview and more like a coronation. Forget Player of the Year: Could Johnson submit one of the best seasons in modern golf?
Four months and a staircase incident later, Johnson is seeking his first top 50 at a major this season. He's still No. 1 in the world—but no longer the favorite for POY honors. Amazingly, he i..

David CannonSANKT LEON-ROT, GERMANY – SEPTEMBER 20: Paula Creamer of the United States hits her tee shot on the first hole during the final day singles matches in the 2015 Solheim Cup at St Leon-Rot Golf Club on September 20, 2015 in Sankt Leon-Rot, Germany. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)On Sunday night after the Ricoh Women's British Open, U.S. Solheim Cup captain Juli Inkster announced her Solheim Cup team. Eight players make the U.S. team off of Solheim Cup points, two make the team through Rolex World Ranking, and two players are chosen through captain’s picks.
Usually, those are the only 12 names that matter. But every year, the Solheim Cup captains for both the U.S. and Europe also write down one final name for an alternate. That piece of paper is put into a sealed envelope and isn’t opened unless someone is injured or withdraws. In such an event, that envelope is opened and that name becomes a member of the team.
Only the captains know the pick, one that's usuall..