Anirban Lahiri plans to play just four more events, besides the President's Cup in 2017, before taking time off to rest and prepare for the next season.
Lahiri, who improved his world ranking from 75 to 68 last week after a Top-10 finish at the BMW Championships, the third leg of the FedExCup Play-offs, plans to play two events in Asia at the CIMB Classic in Malaysia and the new event, CJ Cup@ Nine Bridge in Korea.
He will also play at the Shriners in Vegas and the Mayakoba Championships in Mexico. “I have played 23 weeks this calendar year and these four events besides the Presidents Cup will make it 28,” said Lahiri, who played 27 events in 2015 and 28 events last year.
“Ideally I would like to play something like 24—25, but lets see next year.”
If Lahiri can finish well in his planned four events for the remainder of 2017, he could get close to Top-50 or inside it and be assured of the four Majors next year. That will give him a lot of options to choose from among other events.
“I need to periodically take time off for rest and work on small things in my game,” said Lahiri. “A crowded schedule does not give me the chance to do that.”
The PGA TOUR on Wednesday released the full 2017—18 Season schedule of 49 FedExCup tournaments. That meant an increase of two events with the previously announced additions of THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES at Jeju Island, Korea and the elevation of the Web.com Tour’s Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in the Dominican Republic.
The total prize money for the season will be a record of more than USD 363 million and the schedule includes nine tournaments in eight countries outside the United States.
THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, Korea’s first official PGA TOUR event, debuts October 16—22 at The Club at Nine Bridges as one of eight tournaments in the 2017 portion of the schedule.
The Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, which was held for two years on the Web.com Tour, will debut on the PGA TOUR March 19-25, next year, the same week as the World Golf Championship—Dell Technologies Match Play.
The Puerto Rico Open, in turn, moves from Match Play week to February 26-March 4, coinciding with the World Golf Championships—Mexico Championship. Other significant changes relate to venues. The AT&T Byron Nelson (May 14-20) moves to the new Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas, while two FedExCup Playoffs events change courses: THE NORTHERN TRUST (August 20-26) returns to The Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey and the BMW Championship (September 3-9) visits historic Aronimink Golf Club near Philadelphia for the first time, marking only the second time in the tournament’s 115 years of play that it will be held in Pennsylvania (1959 being the other).
Additionally, the US. pen (June 11—17) returns to Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, for the first time since 2004; The Open Championship (July 16—22) rotates to Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland and the PGA Championship (August 6—12) will be held at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis for only the second time (first being in 1992).
One final change sees the open week during the 2018 FedExCup Playoffs shifting by one week. The first three events will be held consecutively — THE NORTHERN TRUST, the Dell Technologies Championship at TPC Boston (August 27—September 3) and BMW Championship. Then comes the open week, followed by the season—ending TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta (September 17—23).
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