The LPGA Tour has cancelled next month’s Blue Bay LPGA tournament due to the on-going coronavirus health crisis in China, which has so far resulted in the deaths of over 400 people, including several outside of China.
The tournament was due to be played from March 5-8 on Hainan Island in China’s Hainan Province.
In a statement, the LPGA said: “Given the current health concerns and significant travel restrictions put in place due to the coronavirus in China, the LPGA along with our partners in China have made the decision to cancel the 2020 Blue Bay LPGA, which was scheduled to take place March 5-8 on Hainan Island. Any time you cancel an event, it is a difficult decision and we appreciate how hard our title partner (Blue Bay), IMG, the China LPGA and the China Golf Association have worked to host this event. The health and safety of our players, fans and everyone working on the event is always our highest priority. While we are disappointed that the tournament won’t take place this season, we look forward to going back to Blue Bay in 2021 and for many years to come.”
The announcement came following the US State Department’s advice warning all its citizens against all travel to China, while many countries have banned all travel to China, closed borders and are quaranteening citizens who have recently returned from Wutan and surrounding Chinese cities.
The PGA Tour has moved its PGA Tour Series-China’s global qualifying tournament, which was scheduled for February 26-29 in Haikou, to a new location at Laguna Golf Bintan in Indonesia from February 25-28.
“We felt this change was the best course of action considering what’s happening in China right now,” said Greg Carlson, PGA Tour Series-China Executive Director. “Our existing relationship with the golf course and its staff made this a relatively seamless change. It is a very good golf course, and we very much appreciate Laguna Golf Bintan and its leadership accommodating us and helping this come together so quickly.”
The European Tour has yet to announce any changes to its scheduled staging of the Volvo China Open, which is due to be held from April 23-26 at Genzon Golf Club in Shenzen.