PGA Tour unveils 2011 schedule with 45 events, few changes from 2010

The PGA Tour lost one tournament and picked up seven new title sponsors for a 2011 schedule that is not much different than last year and still offers about the same amount of prize money.

The schedule released Wednesday includes 45 tournaments that count toward official money, down one from last year after the Turning Stone Resort Championship decided not to renew.

Despite losing that tournament, however, total prize money hardly missed a beat. Assuming the majors keep their purses at least the same, the total is $288 million -- an increase of $3.8 million that offsets the $4 million Turning Stone purse. The 17 tournaments had slight purse increases built into their contracts.

FedEx will become title sponsor for one year at the St. Jude Classic in Memphis, Tenn., held a week before the U.S. Open. FedEx had been the title sponsor until it shifted its focus to the FedExCup in 2007.

Six new title sponsors had already been announced, a strong showing in this economy. Those were Hyundai (Kapalua), Farmers Insurance (San Diego), Wells Fargo (Charlotte, N.C.), Cadillac (Doral, Fla.), McGladrey (St. Simons Island, Ga.) and CIMB (Malaysia).

That leaves only two tournaments on the schedule that do not have sponsors: The Heritage at Hilton Head and the Bob Hope Classic. PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem has said both events could make it at least another year without one.

“The 2011 schedule reflects the overall strength and stability of the PGA Tour,” he said.

Only four tournaments remain in the Fall Series -- held after the FedExCup is over -- with the Viking Classic in Mississippi moving to the same week as the British Open.

The Disney event will be held before the tour leaves the country for a two-week swing through Asia. This year, Disney was the week after the HSBC Champions in Shanghai, which is a World Golf Championship event that does not count toward official money. Three players -- Heath Slocum, Richard Johnson of Sweden and Rickie Fowler -- flew from China to Florida to play this year.

The tour will have another week off in September, only this time it will be after the second playoff event at the Deutsche Bank Championship outside Boston. That tournament traditionally ends on Labor Day, and there were concerns it made for a quick turnaround the following week.

Next year, players will have a week off after Boston before going to the BMW Championship at Cog Hill outside Chicago, followed by the Tour Championship in Atlanta.

The West Coast was reconfigured this year because of the Olympics and returns to its usual lineup. The Phoenix Open will be played the first week in February, followed by Pebble Beach and Riviera, leading to the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

The Match Play Championship has changed its format from a 36-hole championship match. Instead, four quarterfinal matches will be played Saturday, with two semifinal matches Sunday morning and an 18-hole championship match Sunday afternoon.

“We believe this will enhance the viewing experience for the fans on site as well as our NBC television audience,” Finchem said.

Here is the complete schedule:

Jan. 6-9
Hyundai Tournament of Champions
Kapalua, Hawaii

Jan. 13-16
Sony Open in Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii

Jan. 20-23 Bob Hope Classic
La Quinta, Calif.

Jan. 27-30
Farmers Insurance Open
La Jolla, Calif.

Feb. 3-6
Waste Management Phoenix Open
Scottsdale, Ariz.

Feb. 10-13
AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
Pebble Beach, Calif.

Feb. 17-20
Northern Trust Open
Pacific Palisades, Calif.

Feb. 23-27
WGC-Accenture Match Play Champoinship
Marana, Ariz.

Feb. 24-27
Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun
Playa del Carmen, Mexico

March 3-6
Honda Classic
Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

March 10-13
WGC-Cadillac Championship
Doral, Fla.

March 10-13
Puerto Rico Open
Rio Grande, Puerto Rico

March 17-20
Transitions Championship
Palm Harbor, Fla.

March 24-27
Arnold Palmer Invitational
Orlando, Fla.

March 31-April 3
Shell Houston Open
Humble, Texas

April 7-10
The Masters
Augusta, Ga.

April 14-17
Valero Texas Open
San Antonio, Texas

April 20-24
The Heritage
Hilton Head Island, S.C.

April 28-May 1
Zurich Classic of New Orleans
Avondale, La.

May 5-8
Wells Fargo Championship
Charlotte, N.C.

May 12-15
The Players Championship
Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

May 19-22
Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
Fort Worth, Texas

May 26-29
HP Byron Nelson Championship
Irving, Texas

June 2-5
Memorial Tournament
Dublin, Ohio

June 9-12
FedEx St. Jude Classic
Memphis, Tenn.

June 16-19
U.S. Open
Potomac, Md.

June 23-26
Travelers Championship
Cromwell, Conn.

June 30-July 3
AT&T National
Newtown Square, Pa.

July 7-10
John Deere Classic
Silvis, Ill.

July 14-17
The British Open
St. George's, England

July 14-17
Viking Classic
Madison, Miss.

July 20-24
RBC Canadian Open
Vancouver, B.C.

July 28-31
Greenbrier Classic
White Sulphur Springs, W. Va.

Aug. 4-7 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational
Akron, Ohio

Aug. 4-7
Reno-Tahoe Open
Reno, Nev.

Aug. 11-14
PGA Championship
Johns Creek, Ga.

Aug. 18-21
Wyndham Championship
Greensboro, N.C.

Aug. 25-28
The Barclays
Edison, N.J.

Sept. 2-5
Deutsche Bank Championship
Norton, Mass.

Sept. 15-18
BMW Championship
Lemont, Ill.

Sept. 22-25
The Tour Championship
Atlanta, Ga.

Sept. 29-Oct. 2
Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open
Las Vegas, Nev.

Oct. 6-9
Frys.com Open
San Martin, Calif.

Oct. 13-16
McGladrey Classic
St. Simons Island, Ga.

Oct. 20-23
Children's Miracle Network Classic
Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Oct. 27-30
CIMB Asia Pacific Classic
Selangor, Malaysia

Nov. 3-6 WGC-HSBC Champions
Shanghai, China

Nov. 17-20
Presidents Cup
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Nov. 24-27
Omega Mission Hills World Cup
Hainan Island, China