Ryder Cup put back by a year

The 2020 Ryder Cup golf showdown between Europe and the US was postponed to 2021 on Wednesday, becoming the latest major sports event disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The PGA of America, Ryder Cup Europe and the US PGA Tour announced the 43rd edition of the biennial matches, which had been set for Whistling Straits in Wisconsin on September 25-27, will instead be staged on September 24-26 in 2021.

A planned 2021 Presidents Cup between a US squad and the non-European Internationals team at Quail Hollow will be delayed until September 22-25, 2022, with a Ryder Cup in Rome pushed back a year to 2023.

The postponement is the first for the Ryder Cup since 2001, when September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington prompted the matches to be delayed a year. The Cup also went unplayed from 1939 to 1945 due to World War 2.

Holders Europe will keep for another year the trophy won in France in 2018.

The worldwide Covid-19 outbreak has prevented spectators from attending golf events, including US PGA Tour tournaments, after its return in June from a three-month shutdown.

Guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

as well as state and local officials prompted the decision, with health considerations the top priority.

“We had to make a decision now about building facilities to host the 2020 Ryder Cup,” PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh said. “Our medical experts and the public authorities in Wisconsin could not give us certainty that conducting an event responsibly with thousands of spectators in September would be possible.

“Given that uncertainty, we knew rescheduling was the right call.”

World No1 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and fellow four-time Major champion Brooks Koepka of the US were among top players who did not want a Ryder Cup without fans, whose passionate cheers, songs and shouts create a unique atmosphere at Cup matches.

“We considered all options, including playing with a limited attendance, but all our stakeholders agreed this would dilute the magic of this great occasion,” Europe’s Ryder Cup director Guy Kinnings said.

US captain Steve Stricker and Europe counterpart Padraig Harrington agreed they did not want to see a Ryder Cup without spectators.

“When you think of the Ryder Cup you think of the distinctive atmosphere generated by the spectators.