After reports that the British Open at Royal St. George’s would be canceled, the R&A denied any decision regarding the major championship has been made.
“We are continuing to work through our options for The Open this year, including postponement,” Martin Slumbers, chief executive of the R&A, said in a statement Thursday morning. “Due to a range of external factors, that process is taking some time to resolve. We are well aware of the importance of being able to give clear guidance to fans, players and everyone involved and are working to resolve this as soon as we can.
“We will give a further update as soon as we are in a position to do so and thank everyone for their support and understanding in this challenging situation.”
Slumbers’ statement follows a Golf Digest report that said the R&A was expected to cancel the Open as early as Thursday, according to unnamed people who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The report said the tournament would be canceled rather than postponed due to insurance reasons, citing an unnamed person who indicated to Digest the tournament would need to be canceled by a certain date to collect on the premium.
Earlier this week, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club canceled Wimbledon due to the coronavirus outbreak in the UK and the major logistical hurdles of setting up the Grand Slam later in the summer. Wimbledon, which was scheduled to begin June 29, had previously only been interrupted during times of war. The tournament paused between 1940 and 1945 due to World War II.
The British Open is scheduled for July 16-19 at Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent.