[Golf Topic] JGTO "Tournament Suspension Until May"

[Asia Economy Reporter Noo Rae] ○…The Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO) will suspend tournaments until May.

Isao Aoki, chairman of JGTO, announced on the association's website on the afternoon of the 9th, "To prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and considering the government's state of emergency declaration and the infection situation," he said, "We have made the difficult decision to temporarily suspend tournaments at least until May 31." He added, "Due to the suspension of the tour, players and related personnel are going through anxious times," and asked for understanding, saying, "We are very sorry but ask for your understanding."

JGTO started its season in January with the Singapore Open, held jointly with the Asian Tour, but has consecutively canceled domestic opening events such as the Token Homemate Cup (April 16), The Crowns (April 30), the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup (May 7), and the Mizuno Open (May 28), which also serves as a qualifier for The Open. No tournaments have been held on the Japanese mainland. The Kansai Open, scheduled for May 21, has been postponed for one year.

The next event in the JGTO 2020 season is the Japan Golf Tour Championship, starting on June 4, with a total prize money of 150 million yen, but given the recent speed of COVID-19 spread within Japan, this is also uncertain. Chairman Aoki, who said, "We are consulting with related parties about future tournaments," promised, "We will make the basis for the association's decisions and actions as transparent as possible," and "We will create opportunities for players who are striving in difficult circumstances to perform as soon as possible."

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