PGA cancels WGC-HSBC Shanghai tourney

[September 02, 2020]    Nearly two months after the General Administration of Sports of China canceled all sporting events for the remainder of 2020, the PGA Tour announced Tuesday the official cancellation of the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, scheduled for Shanghai later this year.

Speaking on behalf of the International Federation of PGA Tours and in consultation with the China Golf Association, PGA Tour executive Ty Votaw said in a news release, "We have worked extensively with all Tours, international officials, the China Golf Association and other local parties to find a solution to host the WGC-HSBC Champions. In line with Chinese government guidelines and being mindful of the implications, we collectively made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 event."

The WGC-HSBC Champions was scheduled for Oct. 29 through Nov. 1.

The announcement came one day after the PGA Tour relocated another event from Asia to the United States this fall. The ZOZO Championship, set to be played in Japan in October, instead will be held at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif., from Oct. 22-25.

The tour expects that the second-year ZOZO event will be moved just for 2020. The change was made due to "unprecedented challenges" and "unique circumstances," per a tour press release, apparently referring to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier in August, it was announced that the CJ Cup, the fifth event on the 2020-21 schedule, was being moved from South Korea to Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas. The CJ Cup will be held Oct. 15-18.

The WGC-HSBC Champions decision also comes three weeks after the LPGA announced the cancellation of the Buick LPGA Shanghai, which was set for Oct. 15-18, and more than a month after the ATP announced the cancellation of a quartet of tournaments scheduled for China in September and October, including the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

At the time it announced the cancellation of all sporting events in the country, the General Administration of Sports said "science and order" were behind the ruling. COVID-19 began in China the country has been wary about people from outside the country bringing the virus back.

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy won the WGC-HSBC Champions last November.

--Field Level Media

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