The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship has been postponed due to concerns over the coronavirus, the R&A has announced.
Officials hope to reschedule the championship later in the year. The event was set to take place next week at Siam Country Club in Thailand. The LPGA is scheduled to host an event at the same club Feb. 20-23.
“The decision has been taken amid serious concerns for the safety of players and officials traveling during the current coronavirus outbreak,” said R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers in a statement. “Our utmost priority is to ensure their safety, and the advice we have received in the last 24 hours is that we should not ask them to travel at this time.”
The winner of the Asia-Pacific event receives exemptions into the AIG Women’s British Open, Evian Championship and Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
Last month, the LPGA canceled its event on China’s Hainan Island due to safety concerns. The 2020 Blue Bay LPGA was scheduled to take place March 5-8.
So far the LPGA has yet to announce any changes to its upcoming events in Thailand and Singapore. The tour is currently on a two-week swing in Australia.
Sung Hyun Park, currently No. 2 in the Rolex Rankings, has decided not to play in Asia this spring. Park’s manager said the decision to postpone her start to the season wasn’t entirely due to the coronavirus.
The mysterious virus first broke out in Wuhan, China, in December. Health officials report the latest death toll from the virus stands at 725 globally. There are more than 34,000 cases in China.
