Masters Tournament to be postponed amid coronavirus fears

The Masters Tournament, which was scheduled to tee off in Georgia on April 9, will be postponed “to some later date” amid coronavirus fears, the Augusta National Golf Club said in a statement on Friday.

“Ultimately, the health and well-being of everyone associated with these events and the citizens of the Augusta community led us to this decision,” said Augusta chairman Fred Ridley. “We hope this postponement puts us in the best position to safely host the Masters Tournament and our amateur events at some later date.”

The Masters is the highest-rated golf tournament of the year, averaging more than 13 million viewers during its final round.  

In 2019, the final round featuring Tiger Woods’s first victory in a major tournament since 2008 drew 13.2 million viewers despite being played in the morning due to weather concerns for later in the day. 

The announcement on the Masters Tournament comes after almost all major sports leagues in the U.S. have decided to suspend play in their respective leagues, including the National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, and Major League Soccer.

The NCAA announced Friday its men’s and women’s tournaments known as “March Madness” would also be canceled.