Stuart Franklin

By Joel Beall
The Evian Championship, one of the five majors in women’s professional golf, has been cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Officials for the tournament announced the decision on Tuesday, citing ongoing travel/border restrictions and government quarantine requirements for the cancellation.

“I have been incredibly impressed by the entire team at The Evian Championship. They worked so hard to host this global event despite the obvious challenges,” said LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan. “They know that high-pursed, career-changing events like The Evian are more important than ever, especially in an LPGA year that has been drastically reduced due to COVID-19. I know this was a tough decision for everyone involved, but it’s one that we had to take given the restrictions we faced.

“It is disappointing to miss a major championship but Evian’s strong history of showcasing the best female golfers will continue once again when we return in 2021. We look forward to being back on the mountain in Evian next year and for a long time to come.”

Tournament chairman Franck Riboud said the decision was delayed to give as much time as possible for the aforementioned obstacles to work themselves out. However, it was clear in the current landscape they couldn’t guarantee the safety of the field.

“All of our teams are very affected by the forced cancellation of our major, but we must not lose sight of what matters most,” Riboud said.

The Evian has battled schedule problems throughout its history, as its historical September date in France often produced rainy and cold weather. The LPGA moved it to the summer in 2019, hoping its new calendar date would bolster its future, but the tournament had already been delayed to August this year due to the pandemic.

Tournament officials promised the event would be back next summer.

“We are already committed to the next edition in 2021 to fully rediscover the values and the spirit of a family celebration, the conviviality and emotions that have made our Major unique for more than 25 years.,” Riboud said.