Schedule cadence and the PGA Championship

This came up on Monday's SGS episode, and it's been a semi-recurring talking point. While I tend to agree with Andy's point that the schedule feels too compressed and the May PGA has squeezed some traditionally strong spring Tour events (e.g. Memorial, Charlotte). But it's worth remembering that the PGA moved to May because golf became an Olympic sport. Things get pretty compressed in the summer if the PGA moves back to August, and that would only be exacerbated with the addition of the mixed event to Olympic golf.

If we want to "de-compress" the schedule between the Masters and U.S. Open, which semi-realistic option(s) would work best?

It doesn't seem like there's any appetite at the Tour to extend the schedule back into the NFL season (which I kind of miss, but you had Tiger and Phil routinely skipping the Tour Championship in its last few years with an October date). So if the tour still wants an August finish, I don't see how you can cram the PGA in there, particularly in Olympic years (and I don't think moving the PGA around the calendar during Olympic years is going to do much for it's major credibility).

Personally, I'd like August/early September to be a sleepier time in the schedule. A lot of people tend to be on vacation anyway; could kind of function like the F1 summer break, except here it'd be a time for the mules to harvest some FedEx points, That could be followed by a brief ramp up where guys get a rep or two in before the Ryder/P Cups. It also potentially makes room for a lull for the post-Masters hangover.