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The Masters has officially been postponed due to the coronavirus. No specific date has been put forth for the future, but the announcement does state that the tournament will hopefully be held at “some later date.”
The statement out of Augusta comes the morning after the PGA Tour decided to cancel the remainder of The Players and all tournaments leading up to this year’s Masters, which was scheduled to begin on April 9. The news also comes just nine days after Augusta National said the Masters was set to go on as scheduled, but that they were monitoring the coronavirus closely.
Press release via the Masters:
Considering the latest information and expert analysis, we have decided at this time to postpone the Masters Tournament, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals.
Ultimately, the health and well-being of everyone associated with these events and the citizens of the Augusta community led us to this decision. We hope this postponement puts us in the best position to safely host the Masters Tournament and our amateur events at some later date.
We will continue to work with the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Office of the Governor, the Georgia Department of Public Health, the City of Augusta and all other local authorities. We are grateful to all of these entities for their exceptional efforts and guidance.
This is just the second time the Masters won’t be played in April in its 83 editions. It was canceled from 1943-45 during World War II and now postponed due to coronavirus.
While it was a strong rumor that the Masters could be played as scheduled but without spectators, Augusta National’s decision to completely postpone the tournament certainly follows suit with the PGA Tour and all other leagues around the world postponing and canceling their seasons.
Maybe we’ll see some Fall golf at Augusta National this year.
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