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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- The PGA TOUR announced Friday the inaugural FedEx Cup schedule for 2007, which features a strong sequencing of tournaments leading into the conclusive four-event Championship Series.
"A significant amount of time and effort went into the development of the FedEx Cup schedule to maximize the strength of our tournaments, sponsors and venues, while providing a logical flow geographically," PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem said.
"We are excited about the fact that the FedEx Cup season will feature a strong and regular spacing of significant opportunities for the world's best players to compete against one another," Finchem said. "The major championships, THE PLAYERS Championship, the World Golf Championships and the season-ending, four-event Championship Series will create and hold fan interest throughout the FedEx Cup season.
 | | The Mayakoba Classic, Feb. 19-25, 2007, will be the TOUR's first official-money event held in México. |
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"The new schedule will benefit the TOUR as a whole and each event individually, while enhancing our opportunity to promote the entire season with our three long-term broadcast partners: CBS, NBC and The Golf Channel. We couldn't be more pleased with the flow and impact of this new schedule," Finchem added.
The schedule announcement follows the TOUR's release Wednesday of a streamlined television package that makes CBS and NBC the network partners for six years and The Golf Channel the exclusive cable network provider for the TOUR through an unprecedented 15-year agreement.
The new FedEx Cup competition, a dramatic season-long points bonus program for players spanning 37 weeks, begins with the Mercedes Championships in Hawaii (Jan. 4-7) and concludes Sept. 13-16 with THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola.
The Championship Series, which focuses on the final push for the FedEx Cup title, will begin with the Barclays Classic in New York Aug. 23-26, followed by the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston Aug. 31-Sept. 3 and then the Championship Series/Chicago Sept. 6-9, before concluding at THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. More specifics on the Championship Series will be given at a later date.
Other significant changes include:
- A reorganized sequence through Florida that adds the Tampa Bay Championship (March 8-11) and the newly announced World Golf Championships-CA Championship at Doral Resort & Spa (March 22-25).
- THE PLAYERS Championship moving from March to May 10-13, followed by the BellSouth Classic, which switches from late March to May 17-20.
- The Shell Houston Open changing from late April to March 29-April 1.
- The 84 LUMBER Classic's move from the fall to June 21-24, one week after the U.S. Open.
- The Bell Canadian Open moving from September to July 26-29.
- The Carolina Classic at Greensboro switching from October to August 16-19 to become the final FedEx Cup qualifying tournament before the Championship Series.
The TOUR will continue to schedule a second event opposite certain championships. Finchem today confirmed that the U.S. Bank Championship at Milwaukee will play opposite the British Open (July 19-22) and that the new Mayakoba Classic at the Mayakoba Resort on the Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo, México, will be held opposite the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship (Feb. 22-25). Finchem added that Reno-Tahoe is also under consideration for an opposite event, as is a potential new event in Puerto Rico at the Coco Beach Golf & Country Club.
Once the FedEx Cup season concludes with THE TOUR Championship Presented by Coca-Cola, the TOUR will enter the Fall Series, featuring six to seven official money tournaments that will determine the remainder of the 125 players eligible for the next year's FedEx Cup. The entire series will be telecast on The Golf Channel.
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