Home   Sandwich   News   Article

Coronavirus: The Open organisers R&A are 'monitoring the situation' ahead of 149th championship in Sandwich

Organisers of a major golf championship - set to be staged in Kent this summer - say they are monitoring the ongoing coronavirus situation.

The Open 2020 is expected to attract crowds of more than 200,000 when it's staged in Sandwich in four months time.

Organisers of The Open say the event will still go ahead Picture: Barry Goodwin
Organisers of The Open say the event will still go ahead Picture: Barry Goodwin

But while the R&A proceed with plans, the verdict on whether the global sporting event will go ahead ultimately depends on advice issued by the government and other authorities.

An R&A spokesman said: “We are proceeding with our plans for The 149th Open at Royal St George’s.

"Like all sports, we are continuing to monitor the situation during the current coronavirus outbreak and will be carefully following the advice issued to us from the UK Government, relevant health authorities and our medical consultants.”

It comes as all forthcoming fixtures in Europe's top football contests, the Champions and Europa leagues, have been postponed.

The Premier League will hold an emergency meeting later to discuss its future fixtures.

The Open was last held in Sandwich in 2011 when Darren Clarke claimed the Claret Jug Picture: Barry Goodwin
The Open was last held in Sandwich in 2011 when Darren Clarke claimed the Claret Jug Picture: Barry Goodwin

And places like California have banned public gatherings of more than 250 people.

The Open was last hosted at The Royal St George's Golf Club in 2011.

Its return to the town was announced in February 2017 and years of preparation has gone into the event planned for Sunday, July 12 to Sunday, July 19.

This includes a multi-million pound project to extend the platform at Sandwich Railway Station - which is ongoing.

For everything you need to know about The Open 2020, click here

For the latest coronavirus news and advice, click here

Read more: All the latest news for Sandwich

Close This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.Learn More