Golf in 2015: What's coming up in another big year
Friday 2 January 2015 12:55, UK
Key dates for your diary – when and where to find the best golfing action of 2015.
January: The Middle East Swing kicks-off with a high-profile field at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship from January 15-18, when world No 1 Rory McIlroy makes his first appearance of the year. Expect McIlroy to tee up a fortnight later at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic as well, where Stephen Gallacher will be attempting to win a third straight title.
February: Tiger Woods is scheduled to make his first start of 2015 in the Farmers Insurance Open at his beloved Torrey Pines (February 5-8), and the 14-time major winner will go head-to-head with Rory McIlroy in the star-studded Honda Classic (Feb 26-Mar 1).
March: The Trump National Doral stages the first WGC event of the year as Patrick Reed defends his WGC-Cadillac Championship title (March 5-8) over the Blue Monster. Two weeks later, Tiger will bid for a ninth win at Bay Hill in the Arnold Palmer Invitional (March 19-22).
April: All eyes turn to Augusta National for the first major of the season, The Masters (April 9-12). Can Rory McIlroy complete a career slam with his third straight major victory? Find out live on Sky Sports 4 – your home of golf. The month ends with a new venue, date and sponsor for the WGC-Cadillac Match Play at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco (April 29-May 3).
May: A busy month on both sides of the Atlantic. One of the strongest fields of the year will pitch up at TPC Sawgrass for The Players Championship (May 7-10) – popularly known as the fifth major. Rory McIlroy defends at the BMW PGA Championship (May 21-24), the European Tour’s flagship event over the famed West Course at Wentworth. A week later, McIlroy is the tournament host for the Irish Open at Royal County Down.
June: The PGA Tour’s finest return to Muirfield Village in Ohio as Jack Nicklaus hosts The Memorial Tournament (June 4-7). Then it’s on to a brand new major venue as the spectacular-looking Chambers Bay in Washington stages the US Open (June 18-21), where Martin Kaymer defends the title he won in stunning style last season at Pinehurst.
July: Championship golf returns to the picturesque links of Gullane for the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open (July 9-12) before Rory McIlroy defends his Open Championship title at St Andrews the home of golf. The Old Course will be a fitting stage for five-time champion Tom Watson to bid farewell to major tournament golf.
August: Probably the busiest month of the year in terms of high-profile events, and Rory McIlroy will be hoping to emulate his 2014 purple patch when he defends both the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone (August 6-9) and the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits the following week. The month concludes with The Barclays – the opening event of the 2015 FedExCup Play-offs.
September: The PGA Tour season draws to a close with the final three FedExCup Play-off events: The Deutsche Bank Championship (Sept 4-7), The BMW Championship (Sept 17-20) and the $10m jackpot will be decided at the Tour Championship (Sept 24-27).
October: It’s the second visit of the year to St Andrews, while Carnoustie and Kingsbarns also feature as professional golfers rub shoulders with a host of celebrities at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (Oct 1-4). A week later, Jay Haas’ Team USA will attempt to continue their dominance of the Presidents Cup when they take on Nick Price’s Internationals at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Incheon, South Korea. At the end of the month, the European Tour’s Final Series gets underway with the Turkish Airlines Open (Oct 29-Nov 1).
November: The European Tour season reaches a climax as the Final Series continues with the final World Golf Championship of 2015 – the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai (Nov 5-8). Then it’s a short hop to Lake Malaren for the BMW Masters (Nov 12-15) before the Race to Dubai champion will be crowned following the DP World Tour Championship (Nov 19-22).
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