French Open golf tournament postponed due to new coronavirus clampdown in France

Paris: The French Open golf tournament scheduled for 6-9 May has been postponed due to the latest coronavirus clampdown in France, the European Tour announced on Wednesday. The EPGA with the French golf federation said the decision followed the extension of coronavirus restrictions across France announced by President Emmanuel Macron last week. The tournament at Le Golf National was due to be staged two weeks before the French Open tennis grand slam at Roland Garros. A joint EPGA and FFG statement said they would be working together to reschedule the event later in the year. It added: “Organising any European Tour event sees hundreds of people — players, caddies, TV production personnel, staff and media — travelling to the venue from more than 25 different countries on average. “Given this, and the current overall health situation in France, the European Tour and the FFG took the decision to announce the postponement.” European Tour Chief Executive Keith Pelley said that while disappointing it was “the responsible decision” to take. The European Tour said it was considering options to fill the vacant 6-9 May slot in the calendar. Wednesday’s announcement followed the news on Tuesday that the French government had discussed delaying the French Open, due to start on 23 May, by “a few days”.