The R&A announced Thursday it canceled two more events as the threat of coronavirus continues to evolve.
Based on advice by the UK Government, the R&A has canceled two international amateur events — the R&A Student Tour Series Final at St Andrews and Carnoustie and The R&A Girls’ U16 Amateur Championship at Fulford. Both events were scheduled for April.
The R&A said it is also evaluating current plans for the British Open at Royal St George’s in July and the AIG Women’s British Open at Royal Troon in August. Currently, the R&A plans to proceed with both events, but will also consider a range of options for the championships if necessary.
“Our absolute priority is to ensure the safety of players, fans, officials, staff and all involved in our championships and that will be at the forefront of our thinking as we monitor developments,” Chief Executive of the R&A Martin Slumbers said in a statement. “We have some time before we start building the infrastructure at both venues and so we are keeping the scheduled dates in place for The Open and AIG Women’s British Open at this point.
“We recognize that this is a rapidly changing situation and we will keep everyone informed of any changes to our plans. These are difficult times but we are bearing in mind our responsibility for what’s right for golf and most importantly for society.”
The R&A said in its statement it will stay updated on the progression COVID-19 and how it will impact the remainder of the season’s events.
The R&A is not the only organization holding off on canceling major events scheduled for later this summer. The International Olympic Committee has not yet called off the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo even though COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic last week and many countries have barred non-essential travel.
That said, the PGA Tour postponed the PGA Championship on Tuesday and Augusta National postponed the Masters Tournament last week.
