The Renaissance Club was set to stage the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open in July – the European Tour is looking to move it back in the season. Picture by SHIRLEY PINDER

TWO more European Tour tournaments have been cancelled while the Scottish Open – part of the Rolex Series – has been postponed as a result of the continuing threat posed by the spread of the coronavirus.

The BMW International Open and the French Open will not take place in 2020 while European Tour staff are looking to move the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open from its July date to later in the season.

The BMW International Open, which has been played every year in Germany since 1989, was due to take place at Golfclub Munchen Eichenried, in Munich, from June 25-28.

The French Open – continental Europe’s oldest national open, was scheduled to take place a week later, July 2-5, at Le Golf National, near Paris, which staged the 2018 Ryder Cup.

It has been cancelled following the French government’s decision to cancel all mass public gatherings and events until mid-July.

The Scottish Open was one of eight Rolex Series events announced at the start of the 2020 season.

It was scheduled to return to The Renaissance Club, in North Berwick, from July 9-12 – but could now form part of a plan to stage several events in the UK later in the season (see below).

European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley said: “The decision to cancel the BMW International Open, which has been a cornerstone of the European Tour calendar for three decades, and the Open de France – one of our most historic national opens – was made in consultation with our long-term partner BMW and the French Golf Federation, respectively, with public health and well-being the absolute priority for all of us.

“Both Germany and France have been significantly impacted by Coronavirus, and our thoughts go out to everyone affected in both countries, as well as elsewhere around the world.

“In consultation with Aberdeen Standard Investments, VisitScotland and Rolex, we have also decided to postpone the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, which is part of our prestigious Rolex Series.

“Discussions about the possibility of rescheduling this event will continue as we look at a variety of different scenarios for our schedule for when it is safe and permitted to resume playing.

“We will only announce details of these plans when we have clarity on the global situation.”

•The latest cancellations bring the total number of events postponed in 2020 by the European Tour to nine, with five more events cancelled completely.

The Wentworth-based European Tour is working on plans for its UK events later this year

‘European Tour considers UK swing’

A LETTER sent from Pelley to Tour players earlier this week – and backed up by a Sky TV interview with Eddie Pepperell – revealed the tour are considering running up to four events in the UK over a condensed period.

They could even be played without fans, the European Tour has said – the PGA Tour announced the first four events of its resumed season will be played behind closed doors, yesterday.

The likely scenario being discussed would see the BMW PGA Championship go ahead at Wentworth, to be followed or preceded by a rearranged Betfred British Masters, which was due to be played at Newcastle’s Close House, at the end of July.

The BMW PGA it is currently scheduled to be played the week before the US Open, at Winged Foot (September 17-20), which was rearranged earlier this month by the USGA.

The Scottish Open and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship – due to be played at St Andrews the week after the Ryder Cup (September 25-27) – could form part of a British Swing to resurrect the 2020 season.

The biggest problem is that European stars heading to the States for the US Open face being isolated for up to 14 days, which could force the European Tour into moving the BMW PGA back til after the Ryder Cup which would mean October.

Wentworth hosted the World Match Play Championship in October between 1964 and 2007 – but with a much smaller field.

The lack of daylight would affect any events the European Tour hopes to stage in October – the Alfred Dunhill Links has been a celebrity pro-am since 2001, attracting stars from sport and entertainment in the US and UK, including Hollywood actors.

It also traditionally has one of the biggest purses on the European Tour – and was easily the biggest outside the 2020 Rolex Series with €5million at stake.

Combining the Dunhill Links with a rearranged Scottish Open would make the most sense logistically, given the need to make it easy for players from all over the world to compete in any rearranged tournaments – before the climax to the Race to Dubia, due to take place in Italy, China, Turkey, South Africa and Dubai in November or early December.

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Nicholas Colsearts has had three runner-up finishes since playing for the winning European Ryder Cup team in the miracle at Medinah seven years ago. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

NICOLAS Colsaerts will take a three-shot lead into the final round of the Amundi Open de France after a Saturday round of 67 took him to 13-under, at Le Golf National.

The big-hitting Belgian claimed the last of his two European Tour titles in 2012, the same season he was part of the famous Miracle at Medinah when Europe came back from 10-4 down to win the Ryder Cup.

Colsaerts said: “I’m a bit on a mission. I have a lot to play for. It’s not like actually winning this tournament is at the forefront of my mind.

“I stil. have to play shots. It got a little bit easier at the end but it’s a difficult course to play. If you just lose a little bit of focus, which I think if I looked at the leaderboard and everything, I might do.

“I’m in control of a lot of things, my striking, my emotions, for whatever reason I can’t tell you. It would be amazing to win this thing.

“But like I said, if I stay away from thinking that, I think my chances will be a lot higher than if I see this thing right in front of me.”

Colsearts has had three second places since then and has finished inside the top 100 on the Race to Dubai Rankings every season, but is currently 114th and battling to keep his playing privileges.

South Africa’s George Coetzee’s round of 70 took him to 10-under, as he kept within touching distance of the lead despite a double bogey on the 13^th, which had followed a monster putt for birdie on the previous hole.

Coetzee, whose last win came in March 2018 in his native South Africa, said: “I was hoping it would continue but came to an abrupt halt on 13.

“Kind of the way I’ve been playing this week. It’s either hot off the blocks, or just hold on until you find something, and when you find something, just try and keep it.

“You’d think the putt on 12 was the best putt I hit today, but the putt on 13 for bogey was probably the best putt I hit.

“Because if I had not hit a good putt, I might have left myself a tester for about a double, probably would have been a triple.

“I’m reasonably happy getting out of that hole with a double. I guess I’ll have to play really good golf tomorrow.”

Jamie Donaldson is another Ryder Cup star battling to keep his card and the Welshman celebrated his birthday by  recording a 66 to sit one shot further back at nine-under alongside America’s Kurt Kitayama, who is seeking a third win of his rookie season on the European Tour.

Donaldson, who hit the winning putt at Gleneagles in 2014, said: “I played nicely most of the way.

“Very happy, being my birthday and all. You don’t really try to remember your birthday when you get to 40-plus, but yeah, a memorable day on my birthday.

“Just keep playing the way I’ve been playing the last three days, which is being aggressive. I’ve got a game plan, but I need to be pushing on to try to win the tournament.”

Kitayama, who is favourite to win the Siry Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award after his two wins in his first four months on tour, said: “I just didn’t make as many putts as I made the first two days.

“Still got plenty of opportunities. Just didn’t roll it well. I won’t think about it too much, just felt a little off today. Just look forward to tomorrow.

“I’m quite a few back, so going to have to stay a little aggressive and then, hopefully get off to a hot start, put on a little pressure early. See what happens.”

Dane Joachim B Hansen carded a remarkable 69 as he overcame a quintuple bogey nine on the 13th to get to eight-under alongside Ireland’s Gavin Moynihan and Scot Richie Ramsay.

Benjamin Hebert remains the leading French player at seven-under after rounds of 66, 71 and 69, alongside German Major winner Martin Kaymer and South African Brandon Stone.P

•For live scoring at Le Golf National click here.

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South African George Coetzee tied for the lead in the Frenh Open with Ryan Fox after they both shot a six-under par 65. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

GEORGE Coetzee and Ryan Fox opened up a one-shot lead at the top of a congested leaderboard after the first round of the Amundi Open de France.

South African Coetzee fired his lowest opening round of the season to set the target at six-under par with his round of 65.

The four-time Euorpean Tour winner said: “It was almost perfect. Played really well. Just dropped one on 17, but I can’t complain.

“It’s nice to be in the mix again. It’s been kind of a hard, long year, but it feels like the game is coming along nicely,” added Coetzee, whose last win came in Tshwane Open, in March last year.

“ I think you find which holes you can attack when you get to the green. There’s no real aggressive game plan on this golf course.

“Just keep the ball in play and give yourself opportunities, and there’s obviously a couple of holes where you’ve got to be careful,” added Coetzee, who has won the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit three times in the last four years.

Fox matched Coetzee in the afternoon as the New Zealander also carded seven birdies and a single bogey to join him at the summit.

“I’m pretty happy,” said Fox. “This is a golf course that can kick you pretty quickly. I played really solid today. Holed some putts.

“I played those tough holes, that closing stretch, really well. I could have potentially grabbed a couple more on those last four, which is always a bonus – but very happy to walk away with a 65 around here.

“You’ve got to drive it really well. For the most part I did a really good job of keeping it in play,” said Fox, whose sole Euorpean Tour win came in the ISPS Handa World Super 6 in Perth, in Feburary.

“A couple holes I hit poor tee shots and I managed to scramble and make pars from there, which is nice,” Fox added. “But yeah, you just keep yourself out of trouble.”

Benjamin Hebert – currently the leading French player on the Race to Dubai – delighted the home fans at Le Golf National with a birdie on the last to sit one shot off the lead alongside American Kurt Kitayama and Scotland’s Richie Ramsay.

Benjamin Hebert said: “I putted very well today. I’ve worked on my putting since the start of the week.

“I had a private lesson with David Orr, who is a big putting expert. We changed some stuff and it works very well. So, I’m pretty happy.

“I feel good support from the French public. We have only one tournament a year, so it’s very important for us to represent this week.”

Ramsay has been fighting issues over spending time away from his young daugher over the past couple of seasons – the 35-year-old Scot only secured his card in the last event of 2018, and has spoken about possibly retiring at 40, or at least taking a whole year out of the game.

“It’s obviously a fantastic golf course. A little bit different this year. A bit colder, a bit softer, so the course is playing quite long,” said Ramsay whose best result of the season is tied for sixth in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

“It’s a joy to play a golf course like this, because it just tests the whole part of your game and mentally, obviously there’s a lot of water out there, so you have to be very committed to your shots,” Ramsay added.

Victor Perez became the latest player from France to win on the European Tour when he took the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship title last month.

And the Dundee-based Frenchman is just two shots off the lead at four under, alongside South African trio Darren Fichardt, Jaco Van Zyl and Justin Walters, plus Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts, Denmark’s Nicolai Hogaard and Kalle Samooja, from Finland.

•For live scoring in the French Open click here.

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Alex Noren has fond memories of Le Golf National after holing a monster putt to get in the play-off last year – and then hole a monster putt in the Ryder Cup singles three months later. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

ALEX Noren returns to a venue full of incredible memories as he aims to defend his Amundi Open de France title this week.

The Swede claimed a one-shot win at Paris’ Le Golf National in July last year.

And more glory was to follow three months later as he made a memorable Ryder Cup debut, which included one of the greatest moments of his career.

With team victory assured and the celebrations going on around him, Noren holed a monster putt for a birdie on the last to beat Bryson DeChambeau one-up to put the gloss on a 17½-10½ triumph for Europe.

Noren said: “It was an amazing week last year. I just made the cut and then had a great weekend.

“I didn’t think I was even going to get into a play-off with the score I had, I thought I had to make the putt on the last, that long putt.

“I just missed it, but then it was pretty tough coming in for the rest of the guys and I ended up winning. I felt very fortunate.

“The putt on 18 at the Ryder Cup was amazing, maybe the best moment of my golfing career.

“I know the whole match was over, but my game was still going and the coaches and captains had told us to keep going until the end of every match.

“It just felt great to finish my game like that and it ended up being the finish of the whole match.”

The 10-time European Tour winner is joined in the field this week by double Major champion Martin Kaymer.

The former World No. 1 has played in every edition of this event since turning professional, and counts the 2009 Open de France among his 11 European Tour titles.

“I think it’s one of the best golf courses that we play on the European Tour,” said the 2010 USPGA and 2015 US Open Champion.

“We used to play on a different date for the last 12 years or so that I have been here, so this week it will be a little different.

“My win in 2009 was a very enjoyable week in many ways. I was very in control of my game.

The German, who broke through with his first European Challenge Tour win back in 2006, said: “I had so much support during that week and I was playing really well.

“The week after I also won in Loch Lomond at the Scottish Open, so it was a really nice time for me.

“It was always one of those tournaments that you would like to win in your career, and fortunately I could win it fairly early in my career.”

Noren and Kaymer will face a strong local challenge around the famously testing Albatros Course this week, with the three in-form Frenchmen inside the top 25 of the Race to Dubai Rankings.

They are Benjamin Hebert, Victor Perez – the recent winner of the Alfred Dunhill Links – and former Amateur Champion Romain Langasque – all seeking to add gloss to impressive seasons with victory on home soil.

•To follow live scoring at Le Paris National click here

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