The US Open, the third golf major championship of the year, has already been postponed more than three months ahead of its scheduled date, according to reports from America.
Sources have told the New York Post’s golf correspondent Mark Cannizzaro that Winged Foot, the host venue for the event on June 18-21, has been informed by the US Golf Association that the 120th championship will now not take place on the scheduled date but “will be played later in the summer”.
The USGA are presently maintaining that no decision will be made until mid-April, but it seems inevitable given the rapid spread of the coronavirus in New York City – the centre of the city is only a few miles from the town of Mamaroneck, where the Winged Foot club is based – that the championship will be postponed.
Winged Foot is presently closed as a result of the executive order of New York state governor Andrew Cuomo forcing a lockdown of all non-essential workers. The site is only three miles from one town which has been shut down completely to control an outbreak of the virus.
The US Open will be the third men’s golf major to be postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, and as yet none of them have been rescheduled. The Masters, due to be played from April 9-12, was called off two weeks ago, and the PGA Championship, set for Harding Park in San Francisco on May 14-17, was postponed last week.
So far there is no change to the fourth and final major of the year, the Open Championship at Royal St George’s, Sandwich, Kent. The R&A have said they will continue to monitor the situation ahead of the scheduled date of July 16-19.
“We recognise that this is a rapidly changing situation and we will keep everyone informed of any changes to our plans,” said Martin Slumbers, the R&A chief executive a week ago.
“These are difficult times but we are bearing in mind our responsibility for what’s right for golf and most importantly for society.”
Meanwhile the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrew’s annual Spring Meeting of members has been cancelled for the first time in the modern era due to the coronavirus.
The spring meeting – scheduled for May 4-7 – is one of two annual events where hundreds of R&A members from across the world compete in 19 tournaments, and has been played consecutively since 1836. The only other times it has been cancelled were during the First and Second World Wars.
A spokesman for the club said: “We have a duty to protect the health and well-being of our members, who travel from around the world for this event, and so we are following the advice issued by the UK Government.
“The clubhouse is closed until government instructions allow it to be reopened.”
