The RBC Canadian Open next year will be played once again during the week immediately following the British Open, according to the PGA Tour's 2011 schedule released Thursday.
The national championship begins July 21 at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver.
The Canadian Open has been played after its British counterpart since 2007, when it moved from a September date. The July time slot isn't considered ideal because it comes directly after a major championship overseas and many of the elite players take the week off.
Tournament organizers have sought a better date but a move hasn't been a high priority in the past couple of years and wasn't expected for 2011. The event is likely to stay in place as well in 2012, the final year of the tour's TV contract.
Tournament director Bill Paul at Golf Canada said the schedule held "no surprises" and his organization is more concerned with "the task at hand, preparing for a return to Vancouver this coming July and working with Hamilton Golf and Country Club on 2012."
The tour's schedule, including the Canadian Open's spot, could have more flux in 2013.
"The tour will begin their discussions with their broadcast partners shortly," Paul said. "That will set the stage for what's to come with respect to the future of the PGA Tour beyond 2012."
Golf Canada executive director Scott Simmons added the organization is "in constant contact with the tour and [looks]forward to sitting down with them in the near future" to discuss the Canadian Open's scheduling from 2013 through 2017.
He expects it'll be the middle of 2011 before those discussions happen.
Most of the other significant scheduling changes had been previously announced. The Viking Classic will move to the same week as the British Open from the Fall Series. The Reno-Tahoe Open, which had been held the same week as the British Open, moves to the same week as the Bridgestone Invitational (Aug. 4 through 7).The PGA Tour lost one tournament and picked up seven new title sponsors for a 2011 schedule that is not much different than last year and still offers about the same amount of prize money.
The schedule released Wednesday includes 45 tournaments that count toward official money, down one from last year after the Turning Stone Resort Championship decided not to renew.
Despite losing that tournament, however, total prize money hardly missed a beat. Assuming the majors keep their purses at least the same, the total is $288-million - an increase of $3.8-million that offsets the $4 million Turning Stone purse. The 17 tournaments had slight purse increases built into their contracts.
FedEx will become title sponsor for one year at the St. Jude Classic in Memphis, Tenn., held a week before the U.S. Open. FedEx had been the title sponsor until it shifted its focus to the FedEx Cup in 2007.
Six new title sponsors had already been announced, a strong showing in this economy. Those were Hyundai (Kapalua), Farmers Insurance (San Diego), Wells Fargo (Charlotte, N.C.), Cadillac (Doral, Fla.), McGladrey (St. Simons Island, Ga.) and CIMB (Malaysia).
That leaves only two tournaments on the schedule that do not have sponsors - The Heritage at Hilton Head and the Bob Hope Classic. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem has said both events could make it at least another year without one.
"The 2011 schedule reflects the overall strength and stability of the PGA Tour," he said.
Only four tournaments remain in the Fall Series - held after the FedEx Cup is over - with the Viking Classic in Mississippi moving to the same week as the British Open.
The Disney event will be held before leaving the country for a two-week swing through Asia. This year, Disney was the week after the HSBC Champions in Shanghai, which is a World Golf Championship event that does not count toward official money. Three players - Heath Slocum, Richard Johnson of Sweden and Rickie Fowler - flew from China to Florida to play this year.
The tour will have another week off in September, only this time it will be after the second playoff event at the Deutsche Bank Championship outside Boston. That tournament traditionally ends on Labor Day, and there were concerns it made for a quick turnaround the following week.
Next year, players will have a week off after Boston before going to the BMW Championship at Cog Hill outside Chicago, followed by the Tour Championship in Atlanta.
The West Coast was reconfigured this year because of the Olympics and returns to its usual lineup. The Phoenix Open will be played the first week in February, followed by Pebble Beach and Riviera, leading to the Match Play Championship.
The Match Play Championship has changed its format from a 36-hole championship match. Instead, four quarter-final matches will be played Saturday, with two semifinal matches Sunday morning and an 18-hole championship match Sunday afternoon.
"We believe this will enhance the viewing experience for the fans on site as well as our NBC television audience," Finchem said.
With a file from The Associated Press