Curtis Cup among events hit by new round of coronavirus postponements
The fight against the Covid-19 pandemic has taken another big chunk out of golf’s fixture schedule, both in Ireland and abroad with the Curtis Cup matches in Wales put back to 2021 and a raft of amateur tournaments set for May and June postponed.
The 41st Curtis Cup, the biennial women’s amateur matches between Great Britain & Ireland and the United States, had been set for June 12-14 at Conwy in north Wales but has been rescheduled to an as yet unspecified date next year by hosts the R&A in agreement with the USGA.
The R&A also announced that it was rescheduling both the Amateur Championship and Women’s Amateur from June to August 24 start dates. Mallow’s James Sugrue had been set to defend the Amateur title he won at Portmarnock in 2019 at Royal Birkdale and West Lancashire from June 15-20, with the Women’s Amateur originally scheduled for Kilmarnock in Scotland from June 23-27.
Those announcements came on the day the Golfing Union of Ireland indefinitely postponed all its championship and inter-club competitions set for May, including the AIG Irish Amateur Close Championship at Rosapenna from May 9-13 and Munster Stroke Play Championship at Cork on May 2-3. A new date for the East Of Ireland Championship at Co. Louth, which had been due to take place from May 30 to June 1.
In a statement, the GUI said: “The calendar for the remainder of the season is under review as the COVID-19 crisis develops, and decisions will be made on whether to reschedule or cancel events listed as postponed when the picture ahead is clearer.
“In doing so, the Union and Provincial Branches will place an emphasis on having an appropriate balance of underage, men’s, mid-amateur and seniors championship golf where possible in whatever time remains of the season.”
