2012 PGA Tour Schedule Has Numerous Changes: Find Out What They Are

The 2012 PGA Tour schedule has been released and includes 45 official money tournaments, the same number as 2011.

The Tour will open with the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Kapalua, Hawaii Jan. 2-9, the first of 37 regular season events on the calendar, and will end with the Children's Miracle Network Classic in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., taking place Nov. 8-11.

The final round of the Tournament of Champions will be on a Monday, tour officials said, to accommodate NBC football coverage with the NFL playoffs scheduled for Jan. 8. This move should allow the event to get primetime billing, since the final round usually fell on Wild Card weekend for the NFL, which usually meant that eyeballs weren't on the golf coverage.

The Children's Miracle Network Classic is the last of six fall tournaments set for next year. These tournaments are experiencing the most shuffling. Following three fall series events, the tour will play two events abroad before returning back home to play the Network Classic.

In addition to the 37 regular events on the schedule, the PGA Tour will have the FedEx Cup's four playoff tournaments over five weeks. There will be an open date between the BMW Championship Sept. 3-9 and the Tour Championship Sept. 17-23. The Ryder Cup will be the week after the Tour Championship.

The 2012 schedule again demonstrates the strength of our sport with a very strong collection of tournaments, venues and sponsors that provide outstanding playing opportunities for our members and attractive viewing options for our fans, said PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem in a statement. The FedExCup and the PGA Tour Playoffs continue to generate interest and excitement through September, with the Fall Series focusing on the drama of players fighting for their playing privileges.

The major tournament schedule in 2012 has the Masters being played April 2-8, the U.S. Open June 14-17, British Open July 19-22 and the PGA Championship Aug. 6-12, all at the same venues as 2011.

Other changes to the schedule include:

• Two tournaments -- the Heritage Classic at Hilton Head, S.C. and the Bob Hope Classic in La Quinta, Calif. -- have acquired title sponsors after not being backed last year.
• With RBC in the fold, the Heritage will get its old date back next year. After taking the slot two weeks after the Masters, the event will once again be played the week following the first major of the year.
• One year after flipping dates, the Byron Nelson and Colonial will go back to their original rotation on the tour schedule. The Nelson will be played May 14-20, while the Colonial will be played May 21-27. Both events will still be played after the Players Championship (May 9-13).
• The Greenbrier Classic will be played on July 4th weekend this time. The event took place at the end of July during the 2011 season.
• AT&T National will be returning to Congressional CC in 2012, and will get the June 25-July 1 slot.

Click here for the entire tournament schedule