Next week’s Hero Indian Open – co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours – has been called off as a result of the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak

NEXT week’s Hero Indian Open has been postponed due to the ongoing threat posed by the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The decision was made following consultation between the Indian Golf Union, the tournament’s co-sanctioning partners – the European Tour and the Asian Tour – and the tournament title sponsor Hero MotoCorp.

The move came after the latest public health travel advice announced by the Indian government.

The Hero Indian Open was scheduled to take place from March 19-22 at DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurugram, New Delhi – Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher would have been the defending champion.

All parties are looking into the possibility of rescheduling the tournament at some point later in the year, but there are no definitive plans at this stage.

European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley said: “In these difficult global circumstances, we fully understand and appreciate the recent restrictions introduced in respect of travel into India.

“As these new measures now prevent many members of both Tours being able to play in the tournament, everyone involved in the staging of the Hero Indian Open felt it was the correct decision to postpone the tournament.

“I would like to thank Dr Pawan Munjal and everyone at Hero MotoCorp in addition to the Indian Golf Union for their continued support, and we look forward to returning to India in due course.”

Cho Minn Thant, chief executive and commissioner of the Asian Tour, said: “With these new travel regulations now in place, there has been a significant impact on the ability of our members, officials and service teams of both Tours to make their entry into India for the tournament.

“We will continue to take advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and local health authorities – while monitoring the situation in relation to the possibility of rescheduling the event later in the year.”

European Tour players who are not in the world’s top 50 – and therefore exempt on the PGA Tour – now face a dearth of golf over the next two months.

There are no European Tour events scheduled for five weeks in a row – including the week of The Masters at Augusta (April 91-12) – starting from the World Golf Championship World Match Play Championship, in Austin, Texas, in the last week of March (25-29).

The next European Tour event is scheduled to be the Estrella Damm NA Andalucia Masters, at Valderrama, from April 30-May 3.

The original 2020 European Tour schedule comprised 44 events including the four Majors, plus the Ryder Cup against the USA at Whistlling Straits, in Wisconsin, in September.

•The women’s LPGA Tour called off two of its biggest events earlier in February – the Honda LPGA Thailand (February 20-23) and the HSBC Women’s World Championship a week later.

The LPGA announcement came on February 10 as the virus originally took hold in Asia and after it had already called off the Blue Bay LPGA in China – due to take place on Hainan Island, from March 5-8 – at the end of January.

MENA Tour called halt to season

Ryan Lumsden (right) celebrates his MENA TOUR victory in Jordan

The MENA Tour also abandoned their spring season after the first four events in 2020 – as the virus outbreak impacted on the golf world with other top sporting events also being cancelled around the world.

The United Arab Emirates-based MENA Tour – which holds a string of events across the Middle East for players working their way up to the European and Challenge Tours – announced the temporary halt to the season on social media last week.

It tweeted on March 5: “Unfortunately, due to the various travel issues caused by the ongoing COVID-19 situation, the MENA Tour by Arena has decided to postpone the remainder of our 2020 season to September-December.

“We will post the new schedule as soon as possible.”

In December, the MENA Tour, which was founded in 2011, announced 11 events played across five countries, including one in North Africa, during the first five months of 2020.

It announced the halt to play after the fourth event of the season – the Journey to Jordan No. 2, which was won by Royal Wimbledon’s Ryan Lumsden, at Ayla Golf Club, in Jordan.

In a statement since published on its website, the tour said: “We are monitoring the situation on a daily basis and we will be publishing the revised 2020 MENA Tour by Arena schedule on our website as soon as possible – all players will be informed of the revised schedule via email.”

The MENA Tour statement on Twitter last week after it cancelled seven events

Magical Kenya Open third event lost

THIS week’s Magical Kenya Open was cancelled by the European at the end of last week after a similar decision was made by the East African country’s government.

The Government of Kenya decided to postpone all meetings and conferences of an international nature in the country.

The Magical Kenyan Open became the third European Tour event of 2020 to be called off because of the Coronavirus crisis.

In the middle of February, the European and Asian Tour announced that April’s Maybank Championship in Malaysia, and the Volvo China Open, were being postponed because of the Coronavirus outbreak.

As in the case of India, Mr Pelley said the Tour would consider rescheduling the tournament later in the year, but admitted last week that the idea was only a possibility with no definitive plans in place.

The Kenyan Government said the suspension of international events would be reviewed after a month.

Italy’s Guido Miggliozi was due to defend his title in Kenya this week.

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Andy Sullivan is tied at the top of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters leaderboard alongside Spaniard Jorge Campillo after the Nuneaton GC member shot his second 66 in Dhoa. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

JORGE Campillo and Andy Sullivan shared the lead heading into the weekend at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.

But they have a host of European Tour winners breathing down their necks at Education City Golf Club – the new venue for the event which has been a cornerstone of the European Tour’s Desert Swings for 20 years.

Sullivan – looking for his first European Tour title since he claimed three in 2015 to earn his Ryder Cup place in 2016 – took advantage of the low winds in the morning to fire a second consecutive 66 to get to 10-under.

And it looked for a long time as if the man from Nuneaton Golf Club would not be caught at the top of a congested leaderboard.

Sullivan, whose maiden win came at the South African Open early in the 2015 season, said: “I’ve got it under lock at the moment.

“I feel like I am control of myself, which is the most important thing for me, I really felt like I took my time a little bit more on shots and stuff.

“When I have been doing well before I generally rush the shot, maybe try to hit it a bit quickly.

“So I have been trying to take my time a little bit more and be a bit more composed over the shot trying to hit it to the right areas,” said the 33-year-old from Warwickshire, who won the Selborne Salver by shooting at record 60 at Blackmoor GC, in 2011.

“I’ve not been super aggressive the past two days and I have holed a couple of putts to keep me in it.

“So like I said yesterday, it’s just about being patient and that is what I have been doing the past two days,” said Sullivan, who stacked shelves at Asda 10 years ago to earn money to support his amateur golf career.

“I feel like I have grown up a little bit now on the golf course. You know I think that having a laugh on the course is all well and good – and I still enjoy it.

“But for me, I have really had to knuckle down the past two days to keep myself in check because there are times when I find myself wondering.

“It has been difficult, and it is something new for me, trying to keep focused for so long. Normally I drift in and out a little bit.

“But it’s been really good and positive signs as the golf has been really good,” added Sulllivan, who also recorded three wins in a season as an amateur in 2010 – winning the Hampshire Salver, the Lagonda Trophy and the Midland Amateur Championship.

But just when it looked like Sullivan might lead the tournament heading into the weekend, Jorge Campillo went blemish free in posting his own 66 to also get into double figures and join Sullivan in top spot.

“I’ve worked on a few things over the last week and in Oman, said Jorge Campillo.

“It’s working out good and I’m putting great as well – I’ve been putting awfully lately – and it’s been a great two days.

“It’s a nice position to be in going into the weekend. Hopefully I can play like this and if I do, I’m going to have a good chance to win on Sunday.”

•Jorge Campillo is due to defend his Trophee Hassan II title at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, which he won in April last year, when the event moves to its new date in June.

Björk goes lowest at Education City

SWEDEN’S Alexander Björk carded the lowest round of the week and his European Tour career with a course record 63 to sit at nine-under.

Björk, whose maiden win came in the 2018 Volvo China Open, said: “I have been struggling a lot lately, but I have been starting to feel last week that the game was getting a bit better.

“I played quite good yesterday but did not get the putts to drop, so I don’t know.

“I just got in a really good flow from the start, hitting almost every fairway, kind of firing at the pins so it just felt really good.

“I took advantage of the really calm weather and when you feel like the swing is really there, and there is no wind, you can aim at the pins and I got a lot of good chances.

“Like I said, I have been coming off quite a tough stretch, so it was a lot of fun to actually feel the flow again, and maybe my best round tee to green since I won two years ago.

“It was fun to get that feeling again because it was a long time ago.”

Bjork is alongside countryman Marcus Kinhult, Essex’s Oliver Fisher, Frenchman Romain Langasque and Dutchman Joost Luiten, a winner in Oman two years ago.

Danish trio Nicolai Højgaard, Benjamin Poke and Jeff Winther, South African Darren Fichardt, Scotland’s Scott Jamieson and England’s Jack Senior are three shots off the lead.

Teenage senation Højgaard, who led after a superb 64 on Thursday, added a level-par 71, containing three birdies and three bogeys as he seeks to match twin brother Rasmus’ rookie win in Mauritius.

•For live scoring in round three click here.

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The European Tour has called off next week’s Magical Kenya Open after talks with the African country’s government because of the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

THE European Tour has cancelled its third tournament as the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) claimed the Magical Kenya Open as the latest sporting event to be cancelled.

The Government of Kenya announched its decision today (Friday) to postpone all meetings and conferences of an international nature in the country.

With the numbers of people infected with Coronavirus outside of China, continuing to grow daily, the Magical Kenya Open – presented by sponsors Absa – which was scheduled to take place at the Karen Country Club, in Nairobi, next week (March 12-15), will now not take place.

The European and Asian Tour announced that April’s Maybank Championship in Malaysia, and the Volvo China Open, were being postponed because of the Coronavirus outbreak, in the middle of February.

European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley said: “We understand and totally respect the decision made by the Government of Kenya in these difficult times.

“We are looking into the possibility of rescheduling the tournament at some point later in the season, but that remains simply a possibility right now – we have no definitive plans at this stage.

“I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank president Uhuru Kenyatta and the Kenyan Government for their unwavering support, alongside Kenya Open Golf chairman Peter Kanyago and tournament director Patrick Obath for their strenuous efforts and commitment.

“We look forward to returning to Kenya in due course.”

The suspension of international events by the Kenyan government will be reviewed in a month’s time.

But with Pelley admitting it was only a possibility the Kenyan Open could rescheduled, European Tour players who are not in the world’s top 50 – and therefore exempt on the PGA Tour – face a dearth of golf over the next two months.

There are now no European Tour events scheduled for five weeks in a row – including the week of The Masters at Augusta (April 91-12) – starting from the World Golf Championship World Match Play Championship, in Austin, Texas, in the last week of March (25-29).

After this week’s Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, the next European Tour event is scheduled to be the Hero Indian Open, from March 19-22 – but then there is no tournament until the Estrella Damm NA Andalucia Masters, at Valderrama, from April 30-May 3.

The original 2020 European Tour schedule comprised 44 events including the four Majors, plus the Ryder Cup against the USA at Whistlling Straits, in Wisconsin, in September.

•To see the full European Tour schedule click here.

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Finland’s Mikko Korhonen – winner of the 2019 Volvo China Open, which has been postponed because of the Corona-virus threat, along with Malaysia’s Maybank Championship, in April. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

TWO European Tour events in Asia – scheduled to be played in April – have been postponed because of the health threat posed by the outbreak of the Corona-virus.

The Maybank Championship and the Volvo China Open have both been postponed following the outbreak in China in December, of what has now been named Covid-19 – by the World Heath Organisation – after the corona-virus spread to a number of different countries, including the UK, this month.

The European Tour and Asian Tour accepted a request from title sponsor and promoter Maybank to postpone the Maybank Championship – due to take place at Saujana Golf & Country Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – from April 16-19.

Meanwhile the decision to postpone the Volvo China Open scheduled for April 23-26, at Genzon Golf Club, in Shenzhen, was taken following consultations with the China Golf Association, Genzon Golf Club, the Shenzhen Government, title sponsor Volvo and promoters Mitime Golf.

Discussions are ongoing with all parties looking into the possibility of rescheduling both tournaments later this season.

European Tou chief executive Keith Pelley said: “The well-being of our players, spectators and staff is always our absolute priority.

“While it is therefore regrettable the Maybank Championship and Volvo China Open have been postponed, we feel this is the correct course of action at this time.

“We are currently investigating alternative dates for both events,” added Mr Pelley, whose members lower down the Race to Dubai rankings face a much harder task to retain their European Tour cards, if the two events are not able to be rescheduled later in the year.

Datuk Abdul Farid Alias, group president and chief executive of Maybank, said: “The decision to postpone the Maybank Championship was made after intense deliberation and careful consideration in the interest of all the players, visitors, working teams and partners.

“The postponement of the Maybank Championship was not an easy decision to make.

“However, the safety of all stakeholders takes precedence, and we want to ensure that any risk of possible exposure to Covid-19 is mitigated.

“We will monitor the situation and work closely with the European and Asian Tours, as well as our other partners, as we plan for our return in the future.”

•Last year’s Volvo China Open was won by Finland’s Mikko Korhonen. Australia’s Scott Hend would have been the defending champion in the Maybank Championship.

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Li Haotong (left) with Phil Mickelson at the 2019 World Golf Championship HSBC Champions at Sheshan International Golf Club. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

CHINA’S leading golfer Li Haotong has signed a worldwide management representaion deal with IMG covering all commercial activity.

Tiger Woods amassed the biggest fortune in golf during his 15 years as a client of IMG. Picture by David Mark from Pixabay

IMG – founded by lawyer Mark McCormack in the 1960s – revolutionised sports management in golf and tennis in particular.

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