The Masters, golf’s most prestigious tournament, is the latest sporting event to succumb to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Fred Ridley, chairman of The Masters, announced the decision to postpone the tournament via the following statement.
“On Wednesday, March 4, we issued a memo stating that our plans to host the Masters Tournament, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals had not changed. Considering the latest information and expert analysis, we have decided at this time to postpone the Masters Tournament, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals,” read the statement.
“Ultimately, the health and well-being of everyone associated with these events and the citizens of the Augusta community led us to this decision. We hope this postponement puts us in the best position to safely host the Masters Tournament and our amateur events at some later date. We will continue to work with the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Office of the Governor, the Georgia Department of Public Health, the City of Augusta and all other local authorities. We are grateful to all of these entities for their exceptional efforts and guidance,” Ridley continued.
The tournament was scheduled to be played from April 9-12. It doesn’t seem likely that returning champion Tiger Woods will get the chance to claim the famed Green Jacket at Augusta National Golf Club anytime soon. The news comes only a day after the PGA Tour announced the cancelation of The Players Championship. Day 1 and 2 of The Masters were scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN, with day 3 and 4 on CBS.
At this point the Coronavirus has affected almost every single major sport in the United States. In the last couple days alone, the NBA announced it was halting its season, March Madness was canceled, the MLB announced it was pushing back the baseball calendar, and the NHL also suspending the rest of its fixtures.