Coronavirus outbreak: European Tour cancels French Open, BMW International Open

The British Open, golf's only major tournament played outside the United States, had already been scrapped.
For representational purposes
For representational purposes

LONDON: The European Tour on Friday announced the cancellations of both the French Open and the BMW International Open in Munich due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the Scottish Open postponed.

The British Open, golf's only major tournament played outside the United States, had already been scrapped, with top tours having been shut down since March 13.

The last completed event on the European Tour was the Qatar Masters, which ended on March 8.

The French Open, continental Europe's oldest Open competition, was due to be held from July 2-5, but was cancelled after the French government extended the ban on all mass gatherings until mid-July.

The BMW event in Munich was scheduled for June 25-28.

"Both Germany and France have been significantly impacted by coronavirus, and our thoughts go out to everyone affected in both countries, as well as elsewhere around the world," said European Tour chief Keith Pelley.

The Scottish Open, usually a key warm-up for the now-cancelled British Open, was due to take place in mid-July.

"Discussions about the possibility of rescheduling this event will continue as we look at a variety of different scenarios for our schedule for when it is safe and permitted to resume playing," added Pelley.

"We will only announce details of these plans when we have clarity on the global situation."

The golfing calendar has been thrown into disarray by the COVID-19 outbreak, with the Masters, originally scheduled for April, to be played in November, while the PGA Championship has been moved from May until August, and the US Open from June to September.

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