Augusta National Golf Club Targets A November Masters Tournament
Apr 6, 2020, 10:11 AM
A view of the locked gates at the entrance of Magnolia Lane off Washington Road that leads to the clubhouse of Augusta National on March 30, 2020 in Augusta, Georgia. The Masters Tournament, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals has been postponed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – For sports fans around the world, the last month has been grim. Any news that has come out of the sporting world has generally been bad news. League’s have been canceled, postponed and suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic while athletes and icons from around the globe admit to testing positive every day.
But finally, we have good news!
Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, released a statement that states that the 2020 Masters will hopefully take place from November 9 through to the 15th of this year.
The trees that surround the magnificent and historic landscape of Augusta National will be changing colors. Remarkable.
“In collaboration with the leading organizations in golf, Augusta National Golf Club has identified November 9-15 as the intended dates to host the 2020 Masters. While more details will be shared in the weeks and months to come, we, like all of you, will continue to focus on all mandated precautions and guidelines to fight against the Coronavirus. Along the way, we hope the anticipation of staging the Masters Tournament in the fall brings a moment of joy to the Augusta community and all those who love the sport,” Ridley said.
However, there is no guarantee that the dates will hold.
“We want to emphasize that our future plans are incumbent upon favorable counsel and direction from health officials. Provided that occurs and we can conduct the 2020 Masters, we intend to invite those professionals and amateurs who would have qualified for our original April date and welcome all existing ticket holders to enjoy the excitement of Masters week.”
The Open Championship Canceled
The news comes some 12 hours after the announcement that The 149th Open Championship will be canceled. It was originally scheduled to take place at Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, England from July 16-19.
“I can assure everyone that we explored every option for playing The Open this year but it is not going to be possible,” R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said.
The 150th Open Championship, which was scheduled to take place at The Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland, will be pushed back a year so that Royal St. George’s can host, following the cancelation of the 2020 event.
The Open Championship has joined many sporting organizations and events to either have to cancel or postpone.
PGA Championship, U.S Open Updates
Both the PGA Championship and the U.S Open have made the decision to postpone their events.
The PGA Championship, which was originally scheduled for May 14-17, will now be held on August 6th to 9th. While the U.S Open, which was originally scheduled for June 16-19, will now be held on September 17 to the 20th.
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Tom Hackett is a Utah and Real Salt Lake Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the It’s Utah’s World Podcast (Utah Football themed) and The Lion’s Den Podcast (Real Salt Lake themed). Follow him on Twitter: @TomCantHackett.
