PGA Tour "Suspended Until May"... "Majors Postponed One After Another"

Second Major PGA Championship After Masters Postponed, 5 More Tournaments Added

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] Following the Masters, the second major, the PGA Championship (total prize money $11 million), has also been postponed.

The PGA Tour announced on the 18th (Korean time), "Due to recent concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States, the PGA Championship scheduled for May 14 has been postponed." This means that both early-season majors, including the Masters, have been canceled. This tournament was the stage where Brooks Koepka (USA) successfully defended his title last year, achieving the remarkable feat of back-to-back wins for the first time in 12 years since Tiger Woods (USA, 2006?2007).

The United States Golf Association (USGA) has canceled the first qualifying round for the third major, the US Open (total prize money $12.5 million), scheduled for June. It was supposed to be held on the 21st in Korea and Japan, and from the 27th in 109 locations across the United States and Canada. The US Open operates uniquely by holding qualifiers not only in the U.S. but also across Asia, Europe, and other countries worldwide. The atmosphere is one of consecutive major postponements. The USGA has also removed the US Amateur Four-Ball Championship scheduled for May from its calendar for the time being.

The PGA Tour abruptly suspended the tournament immediately after the first round of The Players Championship, known as the "fifth major," on the 13th, and 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 April 2. On this day, the RBC Heritage on April 16, the Zurich Classic on April 23, the Wells Fargo Championship on April 30, and the AT&T Byron Nelson on May 7 were also added to the list, significantly extending the hiatus period into mid-May.

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