Global Pro Golf Tour "All Stop Panic"... Until the Masters?

'The 5th Major' The Players Canceled Immediately After Round 1, Next Month's 9th First Major Masters Indefinitely Postponed

'The 5th Major' The Players was abruptly canceled right after the first round, and the Masters scheduled for the 9th of next month has also been postponed indefinitely.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "All stop panic."

The global professional golf tours have frozen instantly. The shock was even greater as the American Professional Golf (PGA) Tour stopped following Asia and Europe. This is because the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been rapidly spreading in the United States recently. The "fifth major," The Players Championship (total prize money $15 million), was suspended immediately after the first round on the 13th, and the first major, the Masters scheduled for the 9th of next month, was postponed indefinitely.

▲ The Players "No spectators → Cancellation" = The PGA Tour initially announced, "The Players will be held without spectators from the second round." However, Jay Monahan, PGA Tour Commissioner, abruptly shifted to cancellation, saying, "The health of players, officials, and galleries is important." Players who had already completed the first round were equally given half of the total prize money, $7.5 million (91.35 billion KRW). That is $52,083 (63.44 million KRW) per person.

The situation escalated rapidly due to confirmed cases in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The NBA, as well as the North American Ice Hockey League (NHL) and Major League Soccer (MLS), suspended their seasons, and Major League Baseball (MLB) plans to delay the regular season opening on the 27th by at least two weeks. The PGA Tour also canceled the Valspar Championship on the 19th, the World Golf Championships (WGC) Dell Technologies Match Play on the 25th, and the Valero Texas Open on the 2nd of next month.

Professional golf tours worldwide, including Asia and Europe, have already been hit hard by COVID-19. The European Tour postponed the Kenya Open and India Open in March, and the Maybank Championship (Malaysia) and China Open (China) in April. The LPGA Tour excluded three tournaments from the schedule: the Thailand Ladies Open (Thailand) and HSBC Women's (Singapore) in February, and the Blue Bay LPGA (China) in March, followed by the Founders Cup and Kia Classic, and the ANA Inspiration in April during the Asian swing.

Augusta National, the host of the Masters, has expressed its intention to reschedule the event in the second half of the year.

▲ Masters postponed indefinitely: "Will it be held within the year?" = Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National, stated in a press release on the 14th, "Now is the time to prepare for the risks of COVID-19," and expressed hope that the tournament will be held safely later. The change in the Masters schedule is the first in 75 years since World War II in 1945. This year, the spotlight was even brighter as the "returning golf emperor" Tiger Woods (USA) was set to defend his title.

They delayed the decision as much as possible while monitoring the spread of COVID-19, but after U.S. President Donald Trump declared a national emergency, there was no turning back. The Masters is especially notable for its gallery size and density, with up to 200,000 people gathering daily. They expressed the intention to hold it in the second half of the year. The problem is that this is also not easy. The turf in Georgia, USA, struggles to endure the summer heat.

May has the PGA Championship, June the U.S. Open, and July The Open Championship, with different majors waiting each month. August features the three PGA Tour Playoffs (PO) events, and September hosts the Ryder Cup, the intercontinental golf competition between the U.S. and Europe. Moving into October complicates matters as it falls into the 2020/2021 season. Jack Nicklaus, the "old golf emperor" (USA), said in an interview with ESPN on the 15th, "Chairman Ridley said 'postponement,' but holding it within the year is impossible."

Tiger Woods wearing the green jacket immediately after winning the Masters last year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.