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Australian Open to be postponed amidst Coronavirus concerns

By Christopher O'Day

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 08: Matt Jones of New South Wales poses with the Stonehaven Cup after winning the 2019 Australian Open during day four of the 2019 Australian Golf Open at The Australian Golf Club on December 08, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 08: Matt Jones of New South Wales poses with the Stonehaven Cup after winning the 2019 Australian Open during day four of the 2019 Australian Golf Open at The Australian Golf Club on December 08, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images) /
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Another tournament has fallen to Coronavirus concerns, this time outside the PGA Tour. The Australian Open has been postponed until 2021.

It isn’t just the PGA Tour that is feeling the struggles amidst trying to schedule tournaments in today’s trying times. Amidst Coronavirus concerns, the Australian Open has been postponed.

Most fans of the PGA Tour may not realize it, but the Australian Open is actually one of the oldest tournaments in this history of golf. This was set to be the 105th edition of the event, putting in an echelon that very few events can lay claim to.

It makes sense on multiple fronts as to why an event in this position would be postponed. When it comes to most of the events in the United States, they can sort of get around some of the restrictions other tournaments face. There isn’t a ton of travel that is needed, as you can stay in the United States for the entirety of the season, playing on the most prestigious tour in the world. This means the majority of the top talent in the world is here, save for a few non-US players.

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This is the problem for the Australian Open, the European Tour, as well as other Tours around the world.

You just cannot draw as deep a field, as any players that are foreign to the country that an event is being played in are going to face trouble just trying to find a way to get there if they are able to get there at all.

It’s one of the reasons that they gave for pushing the Australian Open back to 2021. Players that would normally travel down under to play no longer have that option, mostly due to concerns over the health and logistics of making such a lengthy trip. As with any travel, you have to add in quarantine regulations for not just wherever you are landing, but wherever you plan on heading back to as well.

It’s been over 70 years since the Australian Open has been affected by outside sources, as the last time it was missed was back during World War II.

That isn’t to say that other circumstances in the event’s history haven’t had an impact. Just last year, the horrible fires that plagued Australia left competitors wondering if they should play, and those that did played through a smoky and hazy tournament.

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As one of the longest-running events in the history of golf, there is no worry that the Australian Open will come back. More than anything, we hope that by the time it is planning on coming back; between January and March of 2021, that it will be able to do so safely.

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