The 34th Senior Open Championship, scheduled for July at Sunningdale Golf Club in Berkshire, England, on Tuesday became the fourth of five Champions Tour major championships to lose its place on the 2020 schedule when it was postponed indefinitely because of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The event was scheduled for July 23-26 and organizers hope it can be played later in the year.
“The decision to postpone the Senior Open has been made in the best interests of everyone involved,” said Mark Aspland, head of the Staysure Tour. “Our priority is ensuring the health and safety of all players, spectators and sponsors, and it is therefore the right decision to postpone the event.
“We will continue to work closely with the R&A, Rolex and other key stakeholders to reschedule the event at a later date when we have further clarity on the global situation.”
Last week, the R&A announced that it was canceling the 149th Open Championship at Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, England, the first time the oldest tournament in the world has been canceled since World War II.
Royal St. George’s will host the 2021 Open and the 150th Open will be played at St. Andrews in Scotland in 2022.
PGA Tour Champions majors canceled for 2021 are the 81st Senior PGA Championship, which was set for May 21-24 at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Mich., and 41st U.S. Senior Open, which was set to be played at Newport Country Club in Newport, R.I., on June 25-28.
The 32nd Regions Tradition at Greystone Golf and Country Club in Hoover, Ala., has been rescheduled from May 6-10 until Sept. 24-27, while the 38th Senior Players Championship still is scheduled for July 9-12 at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, from July 9-12.
“’We will continue to investigate alternative options to host the Senior Open later in the year, if at all possible and will make an announcement in due course,” said Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, executive director for championships at the R&A.
Bernhard Langer of Germany captured his fourth Senior Open and 11th Senior major title last year at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in Lancashire. England.
