British Open won't be played this year for 1st time since 1945
US golfer Tiger Woods waves to the crowd as he leaves the 18th hole after the second round of the British Open golf Championships at Royal Portrush golf club in Northern Ireland on July 19, 2019.(Photo credit ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP/Getty Images)
LONDON - 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 Monday 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.
Masters organizers targeting new dates: Nov. 9-15
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.
In addition, the PGA Tour is pushing back other playoff event dates by a week:
- August 10-16 – Wyndham Championship, Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, North Carolina
- August 17-23 – THE NORTHERN TRUST, TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts
- August 24-30 – BMW Championship, Olympia Fields CC, Olympia Fields, Illinois
- August 31-September 7 (Labor Day) – TOUR Championship, East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia