How will back-to-back PGA Tour events at Muirfield Village differ?
Workday Charity Open live from July 9-12 on Sky Sports; Memorial Tournament held at same venue a week later
Tuesday 7 July 2020 18:01, UK
The PGA Tour play back-to-back events at the same venue over the next two weeks, but how will the two tournaments at Muirfield Village differ?
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The Jack Nicklaus-designed layout will host the next two PGA Tour events, with the inaugural Workday Charity Open - filling the vacant week brought by the cancellation of the John Deere Classic - followed by the traditional Memorial Tournament.
Both events will be played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic, having initially been earmarked as the first venue to allow spectators back, with the PGA Tour confident of making sure the tournaments do not look and feel the same.
"We're certainly treating the two weeks very differently," said Gary Young, tournament director of the Workday Charity Open and part of the PGA Tour's rules and competition team.
"I think this week here we're going to have to be a little bit cautious with the golf course, certainly out of respect to Mr Nicklaus and the Memorial Tournament being next week. We have an opportunity to present the golf course in a different way.
"I would say if they [players] were playing this week and next week, it's certainly going to play more difficult next week. They're going to need to make the adjustment. That's what it's all about. We did not want two cookie-cutter style weeks. We wanted the golf course to show its variety."
Scoring has been low in all four tournaments back since the PGA Tour resumed from its coronavirus-enforced stoppage, with Daniel Berger winning the Charles Schwab Challenge on 15 under and the following three champions all posting 72-hole totals of 19 under or better.
"I think overall, other than Colonial, we've been to some golf courses that have had some soft conditions coming in, certainly softer than we would have liked," Young added.
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"Travelers [Championship] comes to mind. We'd had a lot of thunderstorms that time of year. I just think the opportunities have been there for scoring just because we have not been able to provide the firm, fast conditions that we hope to provide each week.
"Going forward, hopefully we have that opportunity. This week we're going to have to manage the heat. It's going to be difficult with the temperatures over 90 for as many days in a row as they have been. They need to get at it this week, as next week the opportunity might not be there."
Watch the Workday Charity Open throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins with Featured Groups on Thursday from 11.45am on Sky Sports Golf.
