2020 British Open Reportedly to Be Canceled Due to Coronavirus Pandemic

The 2020 British Open is expected to become the next major sports event wiped off the calendar this summer due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

An official announcement could come as soon as Thursday, according to Joel Beal and Brian Wacker of Golf Digest. The Open is scheduled to begin July 16 at Royal St. George's Golf Club. This would mark the first time the tournament has been canceled since the 1945 Open was called off due to World War II.

However, the R&A released a statement to Wacker Thursday saying it is evaluating all options, including postponing the tournament.

The R&A—which oversees The Open—is more likely to cancel than postpone due to an insurance clause that shields against a global pandemic. The Wimbledon tennis tournament was canceled under similar circumstances on Wednesday.

"The R&A is the most [insured] of all the tournaments," a source told Beal and Wacker. "They have complete cancellation insurance. I just don't see any golf [being played] before August."

According to the World Health Organization, the United Kingdom has 25,154 confirmed cases of COVID-19 that have resulted in 1,789 deaths as of Wednesday.

Beal and Wacker note the tournament is not likely to return to St. George's in 2021 and will instead remain on its current rotation schedule with The Old Course at St. Andrews due up next. St. George's has hosted The Open 14 times, most recently in 2011, when Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke came away with the Claret Jug.

The spread of the coronavirus led The Masters to postpone its tournament until a date to be named later.

All across the sports landscape, the virus has caused major disruption to the spring and summer competition calendar. Aside from The Masters, The Open and Wimbledon, the Kentucky Derby has pushed back its race day until September, while the NBA, NHL, MLB and MLS remain on hiatus.

The U.S. Open has also been postponed, yet the New York Post's Mark Cannizzaro reports it will still be held at Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, New York. The PGA has also postponed the 2020 PGA Championship, which the tour notes will be rescheduled for TPC Harding Park later this summer.