Posted on 04/06/2020 8:07:09 AM PDT by ml/nj
Five days after Golf Digest first reported that the Open Championship would be canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the R&A on Monday made it official. Originally scheduled for July 16-19 at Royal St. George’s in England, this year’s tournament will not be held, leaving just three men’s majors to be (hopefully) contested in 2020.
“Our absolute priority is to protect the health and safety of the fans, players, officials, volunteers and staff involved in the Open,” R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said in a statement on Monday. “We care deeply about this historic championship and have made this decision with a heavy heart. We appreciate that this will be disappointing for a great many people around the world, but this pandemic is severely affecting the U.K. and we have to act responsibly. It is the right thing to do.
“I can assure everyone that we have explored every option for playing the Open this year, but it is not going to be possible.”
It marks the first time the Open will not have been played since 1945, when it was canceled because of World War II.
While announcing the cancelation of this year’s event, Slumbers also revealed changes to the Open schedule for the next two years. Royal St. George's will now be the venue for the 2021 Open Championship and the Old Course at St. Andrews will from 2021 to 2022. This will allow the R&A to continue to celebrate the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews.
The announcement also comes just days after Slumbers had released a statement saying that no decision had been made on the fate of the Open, following Golf Digest’s initial report citing multiple sources. “We are continuing to work through our options for The Open this year, including postponement,” he said at the time.
However, sources reiterated the tournament would ultimately be canceled rather than postponed.
“There are many different considerations that go into organizing a major sporting event of this scale,” Slumbers said in the release, elaborating on the decision. “We rely on the support of the emergency services, local authorities and a range of other organizations to stage the Championship and it would be unreasonable to place any additional demands on them when they have far more urgent priorities to deal with. In recent weeks we have been working closely with those organizations as well as Royal St George’s, St Andrews Links Trust and the other golf bodies to resolve the remaining external factors and have done so as soon as we possibly could. We are grateful to all of them for their assistance and co-operation throughout this process.
“Most of all I would like to thank our fans around the world and all of our partners for their support and understanding. At a difficult time like this we have to recognize that sport must stand aside to let people focus on keeping themselves and their families healthy and safe. We are committed to supporting our wider community in the weeks and months ahead and will do everything in our power to help golf come through this crisis.”
Part of the reason the championship is being canceled—rather than postponed as the Masters and PGA Championship have been and the U.S. Open is expected to be—is because of insurance, according to a source. Similar to Wimbledon, the R&A has a policy that shields against a global pandemic, the source said.
The news also comes on the heels of the All England Club canceling the Wimbledon tennis tournament (scheduled for June 29) last Wednesday.
The R&A said that it will transfer over tickets and hospitality packages purchased for the 2020 championship to the Open in 2021. Purchasers who no longer wish to (or are no longer able to) attend in 2021 can receive a full refund. More information on this process will be sent directly to ticket and hospitality purchasers in due course.
ML/NJ
This just seems ridiculous to me...
I hope that as many of the U.S. golf tournaments as possible get a venue before the year is over, but due to the abbreviated season I think this year’s Fedex Cup be cancelled. In the Fedex cup players win points advantages in the regular PGA tournaments leading up to the Fedex Cup. I think the abbreviated season would give any Fedex points advantages with far too few chances for them.
"I do it for the exercise."
You hit a ball. Get in a cart, drive over to where the ball landed, get out, and hit it again.
Get back in the cart, drive over to where it landed, get out and putt it into a hole.
What exercise?
Golf is the ultimate social distancing sport. At the most extreme they should hold the tournament without spectators this year, but the tournaments should continue.
I don’t mind golf. It can be fun. I just can’t stand it when people call it a sport. It’s a game people, like darts! Bull fighting, football (used to be), and dirt bikes are sports!
My SIL runs a private club course, he told me yesterday that last week was their highest ever number of holes played. He thinks that’s because so many are off work and can hit the course during the week.
They have a crew of braceros washing down and detoxing the carts.
I played a round last week and am playing tomorrow afternoon. I haven’t been out of the house much the last 3 weeks (working at home) and it really helped my mood and overall mental state. It is the one thing I can do where it feels normal and I’m not terrified of catching the plague. That and I’m a golf junkie and need my fix.
I think the first major sporting event worldwide could be the upcoming NFL season.
“This just seems ridiculous to me...”
It IS ridiculous. Citizens of the western world don’t value liberty and absolutely deserve what’s coming.
Don’t think the political class hasn’t taken note of how easy it is to get people to run and hide and do exactly as they’re told, even to the point of turning in their neighbors.
Has Christmas or Winter Solstice Holiday been cancelled yet?
I’d suggest Kuanza get cancelled but that would be racist.
For many golfers, there’s a lot of time exercising by trudging through the woods looking for the ball before the “hit it again” part takes place. I’m in this group.
I hate this. The Masters and The Open are my 2 favorite tournaments of the year.
That’s pretty silly. Come play golf with me in the midday Florida 90 degree heat and you will be exhausted at the end of the day.
You would only be correct if you never missed a fairway or a green. Not possible for amateur play.
Don't EVEN start about doing stuff in Southern heat. Parris Island, summer of '89. Lots of Black Flag days.
Before that, four summers of Drum Corps. A little more dynamic and exhausting than...
Golf.
8~)
Lol. Understood.
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