Jeff Winther of Denmark plays his second shot on seventh hole in fourth round of Qatar Masters at Education City Golf Club on March 8, 2020. (Warren Little)
By Tod Leonard
If promises come in the form of tickets sold and distributed, the European Tour is making no commitments to its supporters about any tournaments in the future.
In a letter to the tour’s email base on Monday, Chief Executive Keith Pelley said the tour was suspending ticket and hospitality sales for all the events it promotes “until further notice.”
“This is a temporary measure, but one that we feel is proportionate in the current circumstances,” Pelley wrote. “If there are any changes to the status of any of our tournaments, we will communicate with you in due course.”
Five events, not including the Masters and WGC-Match Play, have been postponed or cancelled by the European Tour. The last tournament played, the Qatar Masters won by Jorge Campillo, finished on March 8. Currently, the next event, the Andalucia Masters, is scheduled for April 30-May 3 in Spain—one of the European countries hit hardest by the coronavirus. There were 9,191 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Monday, with 309 deaths. The Spanish government last week declared a state of emergency, telling its citizens they could only leave their homes for work or essentials such as food or medicine.
