The RBC Canadian Open falls into an unfortunate gap on the PGA Tour schedule, between an elevated event and a major championship. But 10 of the Top 30 players in the Official World Golf Ranking have made the trip north of the border to Oakdale Golf & Country Club, in Toronto.

Outside of the major championships, there are a handful of fantastic weeks on the PGA Tour calendar, and few better than the Memorial. It’s held at Jack’s place, Muirfield Village, in Dublin, Oh., a course that Nicklaus built in 1974 and where he staged the first Memorial two years later. This is an invitational, so the field is small. In 2023, it is especially strong as the Memorial now enjoys elevated status as one of the Tour’s designated events.

Two weeks after wrapping up the AT&T Byron Nelson, in McKinney, Tex., we are back in the Lone Star State for the Charles Schwab Challenge, at Colonial Country Club — an iconic Fort Worth course that has long been associated with Nelson’s buddy, Ben Hogan. The run of legendary names will continue next week at the Memorial, a course built by tournament host, Jack Nicklaus. Nelson. Hogan. Nicklaus. That’s three of the best to ever play the game, represented over a four-week stretch on Tour.

Golf’s second major championship of the season is upon us. The 105th PGA Championship will take place at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, NY., the host course to six major championships since it opened for play in 1926.

Following the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town, the PGA Tour has been on a run of tournaments that feature big, long courses — and it continues beyond this week with Oak Hill Country Club hosting the PGA Championship next week. Mexico Open host Vidanta Vallarta measured more than 7,500 yards; Quail Hollow Club was just less than 7,500 yards; and this week we arrive at TPC Craig Ranch, a par-71 that is 7,400-plus yards.

This week brings another Designated event, the Wells Fargo Championship, and at one of the finest courses in the country, Quail Hollow Club, which is playing host to the tournament for the 16th time. Most of the top players in the world are here and for many this may be their final tune-up before the PGA Championship at Oak Hill. Of the notables, only Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler have decided to skip this week. Next week is the Byron Nelson in McKinney, Texas, and then it is on to Oak Hill and the quest for the Wanamaker Trophy.

The Mexico Open at Vidanta, formerly known as the Mexican Open, dates back to 1944, but this is just the second year that it has been a part of the PGA Tour schedule. Jon Rahm won it last year on the same course we’ll see this week: Vidanta Vallarta, a resort property situated less than a mile from the coast between Nuevo and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Rahm’s four-day tally was 17 under par.

Born as a traditional stroke-play event, the Zurich was converted to a two-person team competition in 2017. There are 160 players in the field this week, which — if I’ve got my grade-school match correct — means 80 two-man teams. As a stroke-play event, this tournament’s appeal had been waning. But the team format has given it pizzaz, elevating fan and player interest. It gives the players a break from the weekly routine and allows them to team up with friends, college mates, and countrymen. There is a lot on the line in the way of FedExCup points, major championship exemptions, and, of course, cash, so the competition remains stiff while the camaraderie of a dual effort makes it extra fun.

Normally the RBC Heritage serves as a bit of respite for PGA Tour players. A short drive of less than 150 miles to the southeast of Augusta, Ga., Hilton Head Island, S.C. is a gorgeous, coastal, resort town and can be a calming exhale for these players after having gone through the grind of the season’s first major championship, the Masters.

All week long, it feels like Christmas Eve, waiting and waiting, knowing it’s almost here. The Masters gets underway on Thursday, at the tournament’s historic home, Augusta National Golf Club, in Augusta, Ga. While the weather forecast looks a little dicey, the Masters always feels like the birth of spring, a new beginning – and for many, the beginning of a new golf season. The azaleas, the dogwoods. The scents, the sights, the sounds. The flush of excitement never gets old.