The PGA Tour is moving a tournament from China to Indonesia over coronavirus fears
The PGA Tour Series-China is moving its global qualifying tournament from China to Indonesia due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, according a tour news release.
“We felt this change was the best course of action considering what’s happening in China right now,” said Greg Carlson, the executive director of the tour’s China series.
The tournament, set for February 25-28, will now be played in Lagoi, Indonesia, just outside Singapore, instead of Haikou, China. Haikou is the capital of Hainan, the island province off China’s southern coast.
The tournament will be held at Laguna Golf Bintan, a course originally designed by Australian golfer Greg Norman and was renovated in 2016.
The PGA Tour series in China is scheduled to begin March 26 in Sanya, China. But the ongoing coronavirus outbreak could force the tour to change its plans. The tour said officials in China and at the tour’s headquarters in Florida will continue to assess the situation.
“The health and well-being of our players, staff, fans and all who are associated with PGA Tour Series-China tournaments is of the utmost importance to us,” Carlson said. “We will continue to monitor what’s happening in China and how it might affect the start of our regular season.”
The coronavirus outbreak started in late 2019 in Wuhan, the capital of central China’s Hubei province. Since then, it has spread across the globe with more than 24,500 confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide, and more than 490 deaths attributed to the virus.
The World Health Organization has deemed it a public health emergency of international concern, and a several airlines have suspended flights in and out of China.
