British Open canceled until 2021 as golf schedule reworked
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Ireland’s Shane Lowry holds and kisses the Claret Jug trophy on the 18th green as he poses for the crowd and media after winning the British Open Golf Championships at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland in 2019. The organizers of the British Open announced they have decided to cancel the event in 2020 due to the current Covid-19 pandemic and that the Championship will next be played at Royal St George’s in 2021.
The British Open will not be played this year for the first time since 1945, with the R&A choosing to play golf’s oldest championship next year at Royal St. George’s and move the 150th Open at St. Andrews to 2022.
It was a major piece of golf trying to reconfigure a schedule brought on by the spread of the new coronavirus.
Golf organizations were expected to announced later today the PGA Championship moving to August, the U.S. Open going to September and the Masters to be played in November, two weeks before Thanksgiving.
All that depends on guidance from government and health authorities.
R&A chief Martin Slumbers said the decision to cancel the British Open was based on guidance from the U.K. government, health authorities and public services.
He said all tickets and other hospitality packages will be shifted to 2021 or fully refunded.
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