At least one of the LPGA’s five majors won’t be played this year. Players learned on Tuesday morning via a Zoom call that the Evian Championship in France has been canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions. The tournament has since released a statement.
“We have waited for as long as organizational issues allow to make this decision with Mike Whan and the LPGA,” said Franck Riboud, Evian Chairman. “But unfortunately, it was unavoidable in view of the situation with regards to U.S. travel to Continental Europe. Our top priority is of course to ensure everyone stays healthy and safe. All of our teams are very affected by the forced cancellation of our major, but we must not lose sight of what matters most.”
The Evian Championship, which awarded a $4.1 million purse, was scheduled to be played Aug. 6-9 in France. The Aberdeen Scottish Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open and AIG Women’s British Open were set to follow the Evian and are still in place. There will be an update given on the two events in Scotland later in June, sources tell Golfweek.
It’s also possible that the Marathon Classic in Toledo, Ohio, which will be contested with fans, will move to a later date now that Evian is off the schedule. It could move even later if the two events in Scotland don’t happen.
The LPGA hasn’t staged an event since the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open in mid-February. A total of 12 LPGA events have been canceled.
The ANA Inspiration, typically the year’s first major, has been moved to Sept. 10-13 at Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, California; the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is slated for Oct. 8-11 at Aronimink Golf Club Newtown Square, Pennsylvania; and the U.S. Women’s Open will be the penultimate event on the tour’s schedule Dec. 10-13 at Champions Golf Club in Houston.
