The British Open golf tournament will not be played this year because of the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Golf Digest reported late Wednesday.
The R&A, which organizes the tournament, may announce the cancellation, the first of the tournament since 1945, as early as Thursday. This year's event is scheduled to be held July 16-19 at Royal St. George's Golf Club in England.
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A Golf Digest source said the R&A moved to cancel in part because of insurance considerations. The club has a policy that protects against a global pandemic and needed to announce a cancellation before a certain date to collect, the source told Golf Digest.
The R&A was also waiting for the All England Club, the organizers of the Wimbledon tennis championships, to make a decision before moving foward, Golf Digest reported. The All England Club canceled this year's Wimbledon tournament on Wednesday, also for the first time since 1945.
Golf's oldest major — this would be the 149th edition of The Open Championship — is the first Grand Slam event to be canceled this year amid the pandemic. The PGA Championship and the Masters in the U.S. are hopeful of playing in late summer or early autumn. The U.S. Open, which is operated by the United States Golf Association, remains on schedule for mid-June.
