The British Open will not be staged this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, The R&A announced yesterday.
The 149th edition of the world’s oldest Major was originally scheduled for this July 16-19 at Royal St George’s in Kent, England, and will now take place a year later at the same venue.
The R&A noted that it was “necessary to cancel the championship based on guidance from the UK Government, the health authorities, public services and The R&A’s advisers. This is the first time since the Second World War that golf’s original championship, first played in 1860, has been cancelled.”
The new dates for the 149th Open are July 15-18, 2021, while the 150th edition will be played at St Andrews in July 2022.
“Our absolute priority is to protect the health and safety of the fans, players, officials, volunteers and staff involved in The Open,” said Martin Slumbers, chief executive of The R&A. “We care deeply about this historic championship and have made this decision with a heavy heart. We appreciate that this will be disappointing for a great many people around the world but this pandemic is severely affecting the UK and we have to act responsibly. It is the right thing to do.
“I can assure everyone that we have explored every option for playing The Open this year but it is not going to be possible.
“There are many different considerations that go into organising a major sporting event of this scale. We rely on the support of the emergency services, local authorities and a range of other organisations to stage the championship and it would be unreasonable to place any additional demands on them when they have far more urgent priorities to deal with,” he added.
