The United States Open Golfing Championship that is commonly called “The US Open,” is usually an annual. It is actually the fourth major golf championship and is on the schedule of the PGA tour.
Since 1868, players have been competing on 72-hole strokes, in 4 rounds of 18 holes each. The winner is the player with the lowest number of strokes per round. Normally, it is staged by the United States Golf Association – the USGA.
This year, the USGA golf championships were slated to be held on June 18th and 21st. However, due to the unprecedented nature of the coronavirus pandemic, the scheduled event will not take place as planned. To learn more about this event for 2020, continue reading.
The US Open
This would have been the 120th Open and it was to be held at Winged Foot, which is a golf club in Mamaroneck, New York. Due to the global pandemic, the event has been postponed to the 17th and 20th of September, at Winged Foot.
The tournament is hopeful that the postponement will offer them the opportunity to help mitigate threats against the safety and health of those who participate in and attend the event. They are, however, hopeful that in September the event will take place.
The USGA is however checking on the effects of the postponement on the definitive changes and the exemption categories, and they promised to communicate this as soon as possible. As previously indicated, they promised to conduct a qualifying process that shall fit the safety and health guidelines that have already been laid out.
The US Senior Open and the Women’s Open Championships
Additionally, the USGA made another decision to also cancel the US Senior and Women’s Open Championships for 2020. This would have been the 41st US senior open and was scheduled to have taken place between June 25th and 28th, at the Newport country club.
It would have been the 3rd Women’s Open and this would have taken place between July the 9th and 12th, at the Brooklawn club in Fairfield. It will, however, not take place this year, as no dates have been given.
According to the USGA, the cancellation was a difficult decision. Not only were the Senior and Women’s championships important pillars, but they have also made great strides in recent years. But, due to the ongoing pandemic, they felt it important to cancel the 2020 championships altogether.
The Other Amateur Championships
The USGA will continue to monitor the WHO and CDC recommendations in order to determine whether they will schedule the other eight amateur championships for 2020. The first two amateur competitions were already canceled. This is because they were supposed to happen on March 17th.
Which Other Championships Have Been Postponed?
Now, the world has been going through a troubling time due to COVID-19, and this has affected all areas in sports. Major sporting events such as NBA, MLB, NHL, ATP Tour, and MLS have all suffered big blows, not just golf.
Along with the NCAA, almost all organizations have shut down competitions in the near future. This is all an effort to try and curb the virus and protect the athletes, their families, and the fans as well.
Here are other Golf championships that have also been canceled.
- The Valspar Championship – this would have taken place between March 19th and 22nd
- The Players Championship – this would have happened between March 12th and 15th
- The Valero Texas Open – this would have taken place between April 2nd and 5th
- The WGC-Dell Match – this would have happened between March 25th and 29th
- The AT&T Bryon Nelson – this would have taken place between May 7th and 10th
Conclusion
This is really bad news for the fans and players as well, but some of these measures are necessary in order for people to stay safe. Here’s to hoping that in the next couple of months we will be rid of this horrible virus, and life can get back on track, including the US Open.
