Masters Tournament Postponed Due to Coronavirus

The Masters Tournament will be postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, Augusta National Golf Club announced Friday.

The classic tournament was to take place April 9-12.

“On Wednesday, March 4, we issued a memo stating that our plans to host the Masters Tournament, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals had not changed,” said Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, in a Friday statement. “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.”

Continued Ridley, “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 week, the NBA, NHL and MLS all suspended their seasons due to the coronavirus outbreak. Two players for the Utah Jazz have tested positive for the virus. The NCAA March Madness tournament was also canceled.

The MLB on Thursday announced the remainder of spring training has been canceled and the regular season start would be delayed by at least two weeks.