The 149th Open Championship, scheduled for July 16-19, was canceled Monday due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The R&A confirmed the decision and said the tournament, which was to be played at Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, England, will move to that location in 2021. Further details were to be released.
“I can assure everyone that we explored every option for playing The Open this year but it is not going to be possible,” said R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers.
That means the 150th celebration for the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland will be moved to 2022. Royal Liverpool, in Hoylake, England, already scheduled for 2022, will move to another year.
An announcement on the status of the PGA Championship, U.S. Open, Masters, Ryder Cup and PGA Tour scheduled is coming later Monday. The events are expected to be rescheduled, with the Ryder Cup maintaining its late September date — all based on clearance from medical officials.
The Open joins a long list of sporting events and golf tournaments that have either been postponed or canceled.
The PGA Tour has already canceled or postponed nine events with tournaments in late May now in danger of facing a similar fate.
The PGA Championship, scheduled for next month in San Francisco, is expected to announce that it is postponing its tournament until August. The Masters, which was to take place this week, is postponing to a likely November date and the U.S. Open at Winged Foot in June is expected to also be postponed until September.