The new coronavirus outbreak has forced the PGA Tour Series-China to postpone two qualifying tournaments and delay the start of its season.
The season was supposed to start March 26 with four straight events across China. Now the qualifying tournaments will be moved to late April or early May, and the start of the season will not be until late May or early June.
One qualifier already had been moved from China to Indonesia over coronavirus concerns, but that event has since been postponed as well.
The tour says players can enter the qualifiers or get a refund for their application fees. After originally scheduling 14 regular season events, the tour plans to continue with a 10-tournament schedule.
The PGA Tour Series-China is a feeder tour for the Korn Ferry Tour, a developmental tour in the U.S. for those who have not reached the PGA Tour.
“We watched and scrutinized the situation closely, and we did not make this decision lightly. After consultation with a variety of agencies, we determined postponement of the Qualifying Tournaments and the start of the regular season are the best courses of action at this time,” said Greg Carlson, PGA TOUR Series-China executive director in a press release. “This is a major international health issue, and we will do everything possible to ensure the safety and well-being of our players and everybody else associated with these two tournaments."
The announcement follows a decision made earlier this month by LPGA to cancel several of their events in the region.
Since the outbreak in Wuhan, China, more than 40,000 cases of coronavirus have been reported worldwide with the death toll exceeding 1,100.
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