The famous par five 17th hole at Valderrama – the 2020 Andalucia Masters has been postponed because of the ongoing threat from the coronavirus pandemic
THE European Tour has cancelled the Estrella Damm N A Andalucia Masters, which was due to take place at Valderrama, at the end of April, because of the threat caused by the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
The decision was made in light of the travel restrictions in force in Spain.
And it came after consultation with parties associated with the tournament which was going to be hosted by the Sergio Foundation.
They included the regional government in Andalucía, Real Club Valderrama, the Sergio Garcia Foundation and title sponsor Estrella Damm.
Discussions are ongoing with all parties looking into the possibility of rescheduling the tournament at a later date.
Valderrama chief executive Javier Reviriego said: “We are deeply concerned by the current developments related to coronavirus and we believe postponing the event is the best decision.
“We will work jointly with the European Tour and our sponsors to find a new date in the calendar to host this fantastic golf tournament.
“All of us at Valderrama look forward to hosting players and fans when we put this exceptional situation behind us.”
European Tour chief excutive Keith Pelley said: “We are all taking a day-by-day approach at the moment and we continue to assess the impact of coronavirus on all our events.
“But following discussions with all parties involved, it was clear that postponing the Estrella Damm N A Andalucia Masters at this point is the correct course of action.
“Public health and well-being remains the absolute priority for all of us.”
In brings the number of Eurpoean Tournaments that have been cancelled to five – lasting from March until the beginning of May.
On top of that, the Masters – the first Major of the year – at Augusta has been postponed for the first time since 1946, while the second World Golf Championship event of 2020 – the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play, which was due to return to Austin Country Club, in Texas (March 25-29), has also been cancelled.
The European Tour has said it is still looking to rearrange as many of its cancelled events as possible – December’s Hong Kong Open which was postponed because of the civil unrest in the former British colony – had to go ahead as an Asian Tour-only sanctioned event, in February.
The Magical Kenyan Open and Hero Indian Open were cancelled after governments in the host countries imposed travel restrictions while the Maybank Championship, in Malaysia, and the Volvo China Open, were called off in the early stages as the COVID-19 virus spread initially through parts of Asia.
•You can see the full European Tour schedule by clicking here.
