Masters postponed due to coronavirus outbreak
The impact of the coronavirus is still being felt across the entire sports world, as the Masters has now also been postponed.
Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley issued a statement on Friday announcing that the 2020 Masters has been postponed.
Statement from Chairman Ridley:
"Considering the latest information and expert analysis, we have decided at this time to postpone @TheMasters, @anwagolf and @DriveChipPutt National Finals."
Full details at https://t.co/FX2AN1MLsY pic.twitter.com/Z2DjS5TYdG
— The Masters (@TheMasters) March 13, 2020
The PGA has followed suit with other major sports leagues, most of which have canceled or postponed upcoming events. The first round of The Players Championship took place on Thursday, but the PGA has since decided to cancel the tournament. The Masters was scheduled to begin on April 9, and no date has been set yet for when it might be played. It’s possible the entire PGA schedule could be shifted, but the decision likely won’t be made until more is known about the coronavirus outbreak and how severe it will be.
Most sports have postponed events, though the NCAA decided to cancel the 2020 NCAA Tournament altogether on Thursday. The tournament was scheduled to begin next week, and there has been some backlash against the NCAA for canceling rather than postponing.
The overall theme is that everyone is trying to play it safe, which is the smart thing to do. It’s better to be early than late with these types of things, which is why events that are still a week or more away are already being pushed back.
