PGA Tour permanently removes Greenbrier from tournament schedule amid changes

The PGA Tour schedule is now one event shorter. A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier has been permanently canceled among broader schedule changes brought about by the spread of the coronavirus. Instead, the event’s Sept. 7-13 dates will be used by the Safeway Open to kick off the 2021 PGA Tour season.

“We are happy to reach a resolution with the PGA Tour that is mutually beneficial to both parties in this time of crisis,” Dr. Jill Justice, President of the Greenbrier, said in a statement to the media announcing the changes.

The Justice family purchased the Greenbrier resort in 2009, led by Jill’s husband Jim (who is now governor of West Virginia). The tournament has served on the Tour’s schedule since 2010 and was under contract through 2026.

“We are very grateful to Governor Jim Justice and his Greenbrier Resort for a highly successful 10 years of partnership with the PGA Tour,” said Andy Pazder, chief tournaments and competitions officer at the Tour. “Governor Justice’s vision and leadership helped shine a light on the men and women that serve our country through the military and first responder programs he implemented through the tournament, and The Greenbrier Resort was an incredibly unique and world-class venue that our players will always remember and cherish.”

In 2018, the PGA Tour moved A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier from July to September as part of sweeping golf schedule changes that also shifted the PGA Championship and Players Championship. In its statement to the media, the Greenbrier pointed to those changes as the impetus behind the decision to quash the event in future years.

“The tournament moving to the fall has not served the Greenbrier as well as the event did in prior years when it was hosted over the July 4 week,” the statement said. “With kids being back in school, the attractiveness for sponsors and the attendance for the fans dropped significantly.”

Over the years, the Greenbrier has served as a barometer for some of golf’s biggest names. The resort hosted the 1979 Ryder Cup and the 1994 Solheim Cup, and in recent years saw Xander Schauffele and Joaquin Niemann’s first PGA Tour victories.

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