PGA Tour may start in fall, keep 2 Asian events

SHANGHAI - The PGA Tour is no longer looking for new tournaments in Asia as it considers revamping the schedule so that a new season would start in the fall after the FedEx Cup is over.

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said Sunday that if players approve the idea of a fall start to the season, then it would be easy to give the HSBC Champions equal status as the other three World Golf Championships. That would include making prize money official.

That would give the PGA Tour two Asia stops - the Asia Pacific Classic in Malaysia and the HSBC Champions - which Finchem feels is adequate combined with the domestic tournaments.

The earliest a fall start could happen is 2013, and Finchem said much of that depends on a player meeting in January at Torrey Pines and the next policy board meeting in March.

“We have a combination set of changes in front of the players that would relate to restructuring the Nationwide Tour and maybe restarting the season in the fall,’’ Finchem said. “If we go down that road, it makes it a lot easier. And that’s the road I’d like to go down.’’

AP