Rich Beem: Should all golf majors follow The Open in cancelling?

The PGA Championship, won by Brooks Koepka the previous two years, is now set to go ahead in August

It’s been a pretty difficult time, not just in the sense of the golf by any stretch of the imagination.

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People are looking for something new and different and I think that's what sport brings to the folks at home. Sport offers a diversion from real-life problems that people are having, so any live sport event that can go ahead right now would be a good thing.

As much as I want to get back to golf, there's a place in my heart that thinks if the Open Championship isn't being played, then why are others being played? Is that the right thing to do?

Shane Lowry claimed a six-shot win at The Open at Royal Portrush

If the R&A can't figure out a way to make the oldest major in golf happen, then why are we trying to force the other ones? Why don't we just say, 'one of them can't make it, so all of them should go ahead and stop for the year'?

I think the Ryder Cup should still be played, because it's a standalone golf event, but why are the other majors pushing so hard if one can't do it? I know you've got four different governing bodies working on the golf majors, but it's still the same game and we all love this game in one.

Golf's rescheduled 2020 calendar

A joint statement by golf's governing bodies confirmed new dates for the 2020 majors.

It's like having one of your siblings, that you may or may not like sometimes, not being able to make it to the family party. If they can't make it to the party, then you start questioning whether the party should go ahead at all.

You could maybe fill in with some World Golf Championships, get the Match Play up somehow or maybe do some other things and big events where you can get the world's top players together.

Condensed schedule

Going from the US Open to the Ryder Cup in September is a big two weeks. That's a big deal and will take a lot out whoever wins it, should it be an American or European player, because four days of playing in a US Open beats you up mentally.

I think any player who has previously won the US Open would tell you that you don't really want to go out and play the next week, because they've taken such a mental whipping, so it's going to be interesting to how that plays out.

Gary Woodland won his maiden major title at the 2019 US Open

Thankfully the Ryder Cup doesn't start until Friday and you do get an extra day of getting a little bit of rest in and celebration time, but it's going to be a pretty big grind if someone wins it and has to go from Winged Foot to Whistling Straits.

Playing the Masters in November will be different, there's no doubt about it, but different is good sometimes. There is going to be a different look and I hope that Augusta National embraces it.

When will pro golf return?

A look at the earliest possible date for each of the professional golf tours returning to action.

The Tour Championship was played in Atlanta around that time of year for so many years and that course was always in fantastic condition, but it had a different look. Autumn can be really beautiful in that part of the world, so it's going to be great to see Augusta played in a different month.