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Coronavirus outbreak causes postponement of third European Tour event this year

March 06, 2020
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Stuart Franklin

The European Tour announced Friday the postponement of next week's Magical Kenya Open due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

"Due to the threat posed by the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), the Government of Kenya, has this morning advised of their decision to postpone all meetings and conferences in the country of an international nature, a suspension which will be reviewed in a month’s time," said a statement issued by the European Tour.

This is the third European Tour event in 2020 that has been postponed due to concerns regarding the disease. Previously, the Maybank Championship in Malaysia and the Volvo China Open were pushed back. The two tournaments were scheduled for back-to-back weeks in April following the Masters.

And just last week, two European Tour players, Edoardo Molinari and Lorenzo Gagli, were quarantined over fears they had contracted the virus ahead of the Oman Open. Both players were eventually cleared and reinstated into the event.

“We understand and totally respect the decision made by the Government of Kenya in these difficult times," European Tour CEO Keith Pelley added in Friday's statement. “We are looking into the possibility of rescheduling the tournament at some point later in the season, but that remains simply a possibility right now—we have no definitive plans at this stage."

The Kenya Open has been around since 1967, but 2019 was the first year it was an official European Tour event. Guido Migliozzi is the defending champ.