2024 PGA Tour schedule: FedEx St. Jude Championship moving dates to accommodate Olympics
The annual Memphis area PGA Tour stop is moving dates again next year, according to a copy of the Tour's schedule obtained by GolfWeek on Thursday.
The FedEx St. Jude Championship, which begins next week at TPC Southwind, will tee off one week later in 2024 because the PGA Tour is moving back the start of the FedEx Cup playoffs to accommodate the men's golf competition at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
The 2024 edition of the tournament will run from Aug. 15-18.
Memphis hasn't fallen this late on the PGA Tour calendar since 1986, the first year FedEx served as the title sponsor. The FedEx St. Jude Championship will continue to serve as the first FedEx Cup playoff event next year.
The old FedEx St. Jude Classic traditionally occurred in June, although there were years in which it happened in May, July and August. The event has shifted dates more frequently of late, as it transitioned from a regular PGA Tour event to a World Golf Championships event and now a FedEx Cup playoff event.
This year's tournament will feature the top 70 golfers in the FedEx Cup playoff standings. First-round action starts on Aug. 10 and the event concludes on Aug. 13. PGA Tour stars like Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm have already clinched spots in the field, but there is intrigue surrounding whether Justin Thomas will be here. He's currently ranked 79th and playing in the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina, in hopes of qualifying for Memphis.
The PGA Tour will return to a calendar-year season for the first time in a decade in 2024 with 39 regular-season events and a further eight in the post-playoffs fall series. Twelve non-major Tour events have designated status, meaning lucrative purses and limited fields. The PGA Tour is expected to officially release its 2024 schedule next week while in Memphis.
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How the FedEx St. Jude Championship's status might be impacted beyond 2024 remains in flux due to the PGA Tour’s negotiations with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund that started LIV Golf and ignited golf's ongoing off-course turmoil. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan is expected to meet in-person with PGA Tour golfers Tuesday in Memphis for the first time since the initial days after the stunning announcement in June that the PGA Tour and the PIF were attempting a merger.
You can reach Commercial Appeal columnist Mark Giannotto via email at mgiannotto@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter: @mgiannotto
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: 2024 PGA Tour schedule: FedEx St. Jude Championship Olympics change
