Two major professional golf events to be played in China later in the fall will be affected by this week’s announcement that China is canceling all international sports events for the year. The Associated Press reported on Thursday that an order from the General Administration of Sports wipes out all such sporting events apart from trials for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.
The PGA Tour’s HSBC Champions was to be played in Shanghai Oct. 29-Nov. 1. The World Golf Championships event is played annually at Sheshan International Golf Club. Rory McIlroy won it last year, and other recent champions include Xander Schauffele, Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson.
The LPGA schedule takes a hit as the Buick LPGA Shanghai, scheduled for Oct. 15-18, falls off the calendar. It would have been the first stop on a three-week Asian swing that includes subsequent stops at the Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA and TOTO Japan Classic.
The LPGA already lost events in Thailand, Singapore and China in February and March as the COVID pandemic began to take hold.
Other upcoming sporting events affected by the order include at least six Women’s Tennis Association events, the Asian sport climbing championships, the badminton World Tour Finals and two cycling events.
According to the AP, the General Administration of Sports cited “science and order” in issuing its plan to proceed on Thursday.