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The 2016 golf season will see two majors in the space of three weeks with the news that PGA Championship will be held in July to accommodate golf’s inclusion in the Olympic Games in Rio the following month.

That means after the Open that year at Royal Troon, running from July 14-17, the game’s top players will have only one week to prepare themselves for the test of a major championship.

The 98th PGA Championship at Baltusrol GC, New Jersey, will be held from July 25-31, 2016.

The club is perhaps most famous for being the site of Phil Mickelson’s PGA Championship victory in 2005 and the decision means the major will be played in July for the first time since 1968, a change from its traditional August slot.

PGA of America president Ted Bishop is sure the decision will be well received, heralding the announcement ‘a win-win for our viewing audience’.

“The PGA of America is excited for what the year 2016 means for our association and the game of golf. It promises to be a historic season on many levels,” said Bishop, who features in the issue 133 of bunkered, available now.

“We believe that moving up the PGA Championship date that year is a win-win for our viewing audience.” – Ted Bishop

“We celebrate our centennial; our PGA Championship is being hosted on one of the greatest courses in America and the Olympic Games cap the summer by welcoming back golf as an official sport.

“We believe that moving up the PGA Championship date that year is a win-win for our viewing audience and our spectators as well as for what is likely to be, once again, the strongest field in golf.”

The Olympics after the PGA Championship

Around 30 countries are expected to submit golf teams for the Olympics. To make their respective Olympic line-ups, golfers from both the women’s and men’s games will have to ensure they sit well in the world rankings, as, come July 11, the official world golf rankings as of July 11, 2016 will determine competitors for the 2016 games.

The Olympic competition for both men and women is a 72-hole individual strokeplay tournament, with the lowest score earning the gold medal.

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