The British Open Was Canceled And The Masters Moved To November As Coronavirus Shifts The PGA Schedule

Golf’s schedule was already in chaos due to the coronavirus pandemic, and now we officially know one major will not happen this year due to COVID-19. The PGA announced on Monday that the British Open, originally set for July at St. Andrews, will be canceled as the golf calendar has been altered by the spread of the disease.

Reports surfaced early Monday morning that the event would not take place, and soon after it was officially announced that the Open would not be held while other events saw their dates moved around as well. It was later announced that the tour would start in mid-May with no fans in attendance, while at least one major would be skipped this year.

The new schedule is a considerable shift in the traditional golf calendar, especially with the Masters taking place in fall. In fact, the only major golf event this year that still has its original date is the Ryder Cup, which is still scheduled for September 25-27.

Reports that the British Open would be canceled surfaced last week, but the official word did not come until the rest of the calendar was altered by the PGA. The Masters had already been postponed, as it was scheduled for April 9-12. That event will now take place at Augusta on November 12-15, while the U.S. Open runs September 17-20 and the PGA Championship is currently scheduled for August 6-9. But with the uncertainty still surrounding just how long COVID-19 will impact our ability to interact with others and assemble in crowds, there just wasn’t enough dates left on the calendar to get all four majors in this year.