What Will 2020’s Best Event Be?

GM ASKS...

What will be the standout event of 2020?

Words Fergus Bisset • Photography Getty Images

With the Olympics and Ryder Cup thrown into the mix, which tournament will deliver the greatest golfing thrill in the first year of the Roaring ‘20s?

his year could be an absolute cracker in terms of top-level competitive golf. On top of the regular season and the always exciting annual Majors, golf fans will also be treated to Olympic golf and the Ryder Cup. Which of these great events might stand out and electrify the sporting world? With a nine-month wait for a men’s Major Championship, since Shane Lowry’s momentous victory at Portrush last July, The Masters will be even more eagerly anticipated this year. The tapestry of colours at Augusta ushers in the golf season and, perhaps more so than any other event, The Masters inspires people to dust off the clubs and head for the fairways. Golf fans know the course so well and every hole conjures memories of historic strokes of brilliance or moments of costly misfortune. The lush fairways, challenging undulations, run-offs and hazards are all comfortingly familiar to those who can enjoy the test from the safety of their armchair. Last year’s Masters was simply incredible, with Tiger completing one of the great comebacks in sporting history. Could he win it again? Or could we finally see Rory triumph at a course so suited to his game? Whatever happens when the world’s best tee it up at Augusta on April 9, the golfing year will shift firmly into top gear. Moving into the summer, the 149th Open Championship will take place at Royal St George’s from July 16-19. For lovers of golf’s history and purists of the game, there’s no tournament to match The Open. For many professionals, the oldest Major is the one they want to win. To lift the Claret Jug and be named Champion Golfer of the Year is the pinnacle of the sport. The links delivers very different challenges to those faced by the top players week in, week out and it’s always hugely entertaining to see how the best golfers cope with the vagaries of weather and terrain. The championship returns to Royal St George’s this year –a venue that usually delivers a memorable contest. Last time on the Kent coast, in 2011, Darren Clarke was a hugely popular winner. After Shane Lowry’s triumph at Royal Portrush last year, what price another home champion? Let the Games begin When golf returned to the Rio Olympic Games in 2016, the viewing public weren’t too sure what to expect, neither were the players. But it turned out to be a great success, with Justin Rose winning gold for Team GB in the men’s competition and Inbee Park claiming the title for Korea in the women’s event. Having witnessed the spectacle in Rio, many of the best players who missed out that time have expressed their desire to compete in Tokyo, and it looks set to deliver two fabulous competitions between July 30 and August 8. How exciting would it be to see Tiger versus Rory for a Gold Medal? Golf at the 2020 Olympics will be contested over the “After Shane Lowry’s triumph at Royal Portrush last year, what price another home champion?” The Open returns to St George’s in 2020 T

2020 EVENTS

The Ryder Cup is an event like no other

beautiful Kasumigaseki Country Club. With its sweeping fairways and towering trees, it will provide a fitting setting for the competition. Held only once every four years, the significance of these tournaments will only increase. With players competing for their country, passions are sure to run high.

One of a kind Talking of passions running high, the 43rd Ryder Cup matches will take place at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin between September 25 and 27. No event in golf delivers the high-octane drama of a Ryder Cup and Team USA will be desperate to win the Cup back on home soil following their comprehensive defeat at Le Golf National in 2018. With partisan crowds, fired-up players and nail-biting matches, the Ryder Cup delivers one of golf’s great competitive spectacles. Steve Stricker captains team USA this time out and Padraig Harrington leads the Europeans. With the sides already taking shape, it looks likely to be a contest of the highest quality, featuring the very best players in the world. Whistling Straits is an incredible venue for the tournament, too –a rugged and windswept links-like layout beside Lake Michigan.

Justin Rose won a historic Gold in Rio

Europe has won nine of the last 12 Ryder Cups and the home side will be doing all in their power to prevent that becoming ten of 13. This year looks set to be an incredibly exciting one for professional golf and any one or all of the big tournaments described above could deliver competition that goes down in the sport’s history. Be it a chance to display individual brilliance, secure a medal for your country or step up for the team, 2020 offers a plethora of opportunities for golfing excellence.