By Tod Leonard
Count the PGA Tour Series in China as another casualty of COVID-19.

With only one qualifying tournament played in January before the coronavirus pandemic halted its progress, the 2020 PGA Tour Series-China season was officially cancelled on Tuesday by the tour and the China Golf Association.

“It’s a disappointment, but I know our players and fans understand—given the continuing evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic—that the health and safety of everyone associated with the Series is of the utmost importance, and staging a tour based in China with players from five different continents is just not feasible at this time,” Greg Carlson, the PGA Tour Series-China executive director, said in a statement.”

The Series joined another circuit with PGA Tour ties, the Mackenzie Tour in Canada, as those that have had their entire seasons erased because of COVID-19. In both cases, players having to travel across international borders during the pandemic became a major sticking point.

In the announcement, the PGA Tour said that player membership in China will remain the same as it was entering the 2020 season. The players who earned their cards via the 2020 Mainland China Qualifying Tournament can keep their membership, as well.

The China tour was inaugurated in 2014, though it took a hiatus in 2017, and has sent players to the Korn Ferry and PGA tours. There were 14 tournaments scheduled this year and 13 were played in 2019. Five different Americans won last season—Trevor Sluman, David Kocher, Kevin Techakanokboon, Max McGreevy and Joey Lane. McGreevy, Sluman and Kocher topped the Order of Merit.

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By Joel Beall
The PGA Tour Series-China has announced that it is moving its global qualifying tournament in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

The event, one of three qualifying tournaments the circuit holds (Siyun Liu almost became the first woman to earn PGA Tour-related status in the early January competition), will now be held in Lagoi, Indonesia, just outside Singapore, beginning on Feb. 25. The 72-hole event bestows players exempt and conditional membership for the season.

“We felt this change was the best course of action considering what’s happening in China right now,” said Greg Carlson, PGA Tour Series-China Executive Director. “Our existing relationship with the golf course and its staff made this a relatively seamless change. It is a very good golf course, and we very much appreciate Laguna Golf Bintan and its leadership accommodating us and helping this come together so quickly.”

As for the season itself, the 2020 campaign is scheduled to begin on March 26 in Sanya, China. However, as the disease continues to spread—the AP reported on Tuesday morning that infections have surpassed 20,000 in the country—the possibility of a delayed or moved start exists.

“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 third global qualifying event remains scheduled for March 3 at Laguna Golf Phuket in Phuket, Thailand.

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