LPGA Tour's Dilemma: "May, July, September Resumption Scenarios"
Considering Rescheduling Due to COVID-19 Impact, Q Series and Simetra Tour Also Postponed
[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] The LPGA Tour in the United States, which was halted due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), is considering three possible restart dates.
Mike Whan, LPGA Tour Commissioner, appeared on the homepage podcast on the 3rd (Korean time) and said, "We are reviewing plans to resume the tour," adding, "The three options are May, July, and mid-September." Commissioner Whan said, "All three options require considering numerous variables and assessing what changes they might bring," and lamented, "In the past, the main task was to review plans over two or three years, but nowadays we are focused on schedules just two or three months ahead."
If the tour starts next month, it will be the Pelican Championship opening on May 14 in Belleair, Florida. If the tour resumes from this tournament, most of the summer season events concentrated in the eastern United States can be held. If this is difficult, the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational scheduled for July 16 in Midland, Michigan is the next option. In the worst case, the first major, the ANA Inspiration, postponed to September 11, is being considered as the restart date.
If the tour restarts in mid-September, only three tournaments will be held on the U.S. mainland before moving on to the "Asian Swing," which includes China, Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. The LPGA Tour has been suspended since the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open ended on February 16. The LPGA has also postponed the Qualifying Tournament (QT) and the Symetra (second-tier) Tour schedules one after another. The first QT round, originally scheduled for August 20 in California, has been moved to October 12 in Florida.
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The second round, initially planned for October, has also been postponed to November. The location and specific dates have not been decided. The final Q-Series will be held in December at a golf course other than the usual Pinehurst in North Carolina. Last year, the Q-Series was a 144-hole event over two weeks, but this year it will be reduced to a 90-hole tournament over one week. The Symetra Tour has also postponed all five tournaments scheduled for May and June, starting with the IOA Invitational originally set for May 7.
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