US Open golf delayed due to coronavirus

NEW YORK: The third major championship of the season has officially been delayed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The United States Golf Association will push back the U.S. Open this summer, according to the New York Post. The annual tournament was set to take place from June 18-21. While the USGA hasn’t announced a new date for the U.S. Open, it is hopeful that the major will still take place at Winged Foot Golf Club in New York, which is hosting its first U.S. Open since 2006. The club closed down last week indefinitely due to the coronavirus. “(We) remain hopeful about late in the summer, [maybe] early September,” a source told the New York Post.

The PGA Tour, like essentially every other sports league in the country, has suspended operations due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Tour canceled The Players Championship after the first round earlier this month, and has canceled all future events across all Tours — including the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour Champions — through the AT&T Byron Nelson, which was set to finish on May 10. The LPGA has also suspended operations.

The Masters, which is not run by the PGA Tour, was also postponed. The PGA of America postponed the PGA Championship, too, which was due to follow the AT&T Byron Nelson.

The fourth and final major of the year is The Open Championship, which is scheduled to start on July 16 at Royal St. George’s Golf Club in England. The R&A has not yet postponed that event, however, is undergoing “a comprehensive evaluation of our plans to stage” the tournament. (AGENCIES)