The coronavirus crisis has caused the cancellation of The Players Championship after having played yesterday at TPC Grass the first day of what is considered the fifth major of world golf. The PGA Tour golf management has announced the cancellation of the tournament that was being played in Ponte Vedra Beach (Florida), and at least three others that follow in this year’s calendar.
The decision was announced after ten hours earlier, the commissioner of the PGA Tour, Jay Monahan, had said that the tournament would continue, but without spectators on the course of TPC Grass, the course of the iconic 17th hole and its spectacular green almost completely surrounded by water.
However, the professionals did not agree with the decision taken, especially after what all professional and collegiate sports in the United States had done, to suspend, at least for a month, competitions due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The golfers’ position led Monahan to hold another meeting during the night, after the first day of the tournament had concluded, and it was decided to cancel the tournament and three others that follow on the calendar.
They are the Valspar Championship, scheduled for next week near Tampa (Florida); the Dell Match Play, in Austin (Texas) and the Valero Texas Open, in San Antonio.
The Players Championship this year had the great incentive of seeing the top three in the world ranking in competition: Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka. In the first round, the Spaniard was the best, with 3 under par, followed by the American, with one stroke more, and the Northern Irishman, who finished at par. The best was the Japanese Hideki Matsuyama with a spectacular round of 63 strokes, 9 under par, equaling the course record.
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