U.S. Open postponed due to coronavirus

(Reuters) – The U.S. Open golf championship, which was set for June 18-21 at Winged Foot in New York, has been rescheduled due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, the U.S. Golf Association said on Monday.

The new dates for the year’s third major are Sept. 17-20 also at Winged Foot.

“We are hopeful that postponing the championship will offer us the opportunity to mitigate heath and safety issues while still providing us with the best opportunity to conduct the U.S. Open this year,” Mike Davis, USGA CEO, said in a statement.

“We are incredibly thankful to the membership and staff at Winged Foot for their flexibility and support.

“We are also grateful for the wonderful collaboration among the professional tours and other majors in working through a complicated schedule.”

The USGA’s announcement means three of golf’s majors have now been postponed and one — the British Open — scratched.

Earlier on Monday the R&A announced that the 149th Open Championship scheduled for Royal St George’s from July 16-19 had been cancelled due to the pandemic.

Augusta National Golf Club earlier on Monday identified Nov. 9-15 as a rescheduled date for the Masters, which was to begin on Thursday, while the PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, slated for May 11-17, will now take place from Aug. 3-9.

“This is a difficult and challenging time for everyone coping with the effects of this pandemic,” said golf’s governing bodies in a joint statement here

“In recent weeks, the global golf community has come together to collectively put forward a calendar of events that will, we hope, serve to entertain and inspire golf fans around the world.

“We are grateful to our respective partners, sponsors and players, who have allowed us to make decisions – some of them, very tough decisions – in order to move the game and the industry forward.

“We want to reiterate that Augusta National Golf Club, European Tour, LPGA, PGA of America, PGA TOUR, The R&A and USGA collectively value the health and well-being of everyone, within the game of golf and beyond, above all else.”