Augusta National Golf Club on Friday said that this year's Masters has been "postponed due to Coronavirus COVID-19 concerns," according to John Gogick of the AUGUSTA CHRONICLE. ANGC Chair Fred Ridley in a statement said, "We hope this postponement puts us in the best position to safely host the Masters Tournament and our amateur events at some later date." Gogick reports "no new date was set," while the second annual Augusta National Women’s Amateur and Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals also have "been postponed" (AUGUSTA CHRONICLE, 3/13). GOLFCHANNEL.com's Ryan Lavner notes playing The Masters later in the year will "take some maneuvering with the schedule." To "beat the summer heat, Augusta National typically closes in late May and doesn’t reopen until October," and the Ryder Cup is slated for Sept. 25-27, which is the "midst of the fall portion" of the PGA Tour’s '20-21 wraparound schedule (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 3/13).
TRADITIONS, TRADITIONS: YAHOO SPORTS' Dan Wetzel writes the 2020 Masters "would have truly been a tradition like no other." Wetzel: "A vision of normalcy. A glimpse of hope. A moment of distraction. But even that doesn’t seem possible." Since Augusta National "doesn’t usually stay open in the summer in regular times, this feels more like a cancellation than a postponement" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 3/13). GOLF.com's Sean Zak writes it is a "significant but unsurprising decision given the week" it has been (GOLF.com, 3/13).
THE RIGHT CALL: Golf Channel's Eamon Lynch said consideration for the coronavirus is "very important" for golf's governing bodies and ruling bodies because "we all know golf has fought this issue of optics over the years of being tone deaf, of perhaps being a little bit elitist or disconnected from the world" ("Live From The Players," Golf Channel, 3/13). ESPN's Bob Harig said this is a "good move" by Augusta National to postpone, because it "would be impossible to think of playing the Masters without spectators out there." ESPN's Andy North said not having fans in attendance for the Masters "goes against pretty much everything that Augusta stands for" ("First Take," ESPN, 3/13).
STILL OPEN? GOLFCHANNEL.com's Brentley Romine notes the U.S. Open and other USGA championships "remain on schedule." The USGA released a statement Friday morning, "saying it had 'not made any decisions' regarding its championships, which begin in late April and run through September." That includes the U.S. Open, which is scheduled for June 18-21 at Winged Foot (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 3/13).
