Dan Box
By Dan Box

An announcement is set to be made next week which confirms that the Ryder Cup, scheduled to be held in Wisconsin in September, will indeed be pushed back to 2021 after weeks of speculation due to concerns over the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Ryder Cup Postponed To 2021

According to an exclusive report in The Guardian on Monday, discussions between the European Tour, PGA of America and local Wisconsin officials are drawing to a close. The usual setting up of stands and structures at host course Whistling Straits, which would by now be well underway, is yet to properly begin, another indication that the idea of golf's biggest and most marketable event starting three months from now is extremely unlikely.

On Monday the PGA of America confirmed that the PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park is set to take place between August 3-6 without fans present, but the Guardian report suggests that playing the Ryder Cup, which is famed for its intense atmosphere, without spectators was never really a realistic option and so postponement seems the only way to be able to allow thousands of people to watch the event up close.

The exclusive continues:

As recently as last month hopes had been raised that the Ryder Cup could take place. The relevant parties have considered the US and Europe facing off in front of reduced numbers, with around 25,000 per day mooted, but that is not now thought viable amid coronavirus concerns. Ongoing travel restrictions – such as quarantine – are also a factor.

As a result of this move, the Ryder Cup is now set to take place in odd-numbered years going forward, as it originally was before the postponement in the wake of the 9/11 terror attack in 2001. Italy is slated to host Europe's next playing of the Cup in 2023, before Ireland's Adare Manor in 2027.

This does however mean that the Ryder Cup is now scheduled to be played in the same year as the President's Cup, adding two weeks of exhaustive competition for the US players, and it is believed that the PGA Tour are open to shifting this event forward by a year in order to accomodate for this reshuffle.

What do you think about this news? Which side does a year's postponement favour? Comment below!


If you enjoyed this, you may also like:

European Tour Announces Six New Events

A Ryder Cup With No Fans?

Share:

Facebook Comments