Hong Kong Open forced to postpone yet again
The Hong Kong Open can’t take a trick.
In the past few years, the iconic 130-year-old Hong Kong Golf Club has been under growing pressure from developers with its sprawling 170-hectare layout an anachronism on the tiny island.
Wade Ormsby (Credit: Asian Tour)
Last year, the Hong Kong Open was forced to move its tournament to January due to the pro-democrat protests that rocked the country in late 2019.
And now in 2020, the tournament finds itself facing the worldwide COVID -19 pandemic that has decimated so much of the Asian golfing schedule so far this year.
The Hong Kong Open, which is co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours, has decided to push its November event back to 2021.
“As with all tournaments, the safety and well-being of players, spectators and tournament personnel is our absolute priority,” said organisers in a statement.
“In view of the continuing restrictions in force due to Covid-19, organisers of the 2020 Hong Kong Open have made the decision to postpone the tournament until the new year and are reviewing suitable options for staging the event.”
The Hong Kong Open winner’s list includes the likes of Greg Norman, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia and the late Peter Thomson.
Most recently Australia’s Wade Ormsby backed up his 2017 title with another victory on the Fanling layout in 2019, defeating Shane Lowry by four strokes.
