Column: PGA to May the critical piece in golf's new schedule

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The timing for a revamped PGA Tour schedule could not have been more appropriate.

This is the 50-year anniversary of the PGA Tour breaking away from the PGA of America, leading to years of disharmony. Well, as much as this genteel game allows. And yet all these years later, it took a strong relationship between the two organizations for American-based golf to get the schedule it wanted.

Next season's schedule was released Tuesday, and there were lots of moving parts, most of them already known.

The FedEx Cup playoffs have been reduced from four events to three, with the opening event alternating between the New York area and Boston. The season will end at the Tour Championship on Aug.