Reports of the Ryder Cup Being Postponed are False

In the midst of the threat that the world is facing from the novel coronavirus, everyone seems to be tuned into the news constantly. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that all the news you see is fact.

Unfortunately there’s a lot of misinformation being spread about the affects the coronavirus is having on people and events around the world, and the golf world is finding itself right in the mix of it all.

A false news story broke yesterday that the Ryder Cup, which isn’t supposed to kick off until the end of September, would be postponed. But that only ended up being a false alarm.

The reports of the event’s postponement came from the UK but the BBC quickly shot down the speculation when they spoke to a source that said any report about the Ryder Cup was “inaccurate” and that it was too early to speculate any further. The captain of the European team this year, Padraig Harrington, also chimed in to say “I know there’s been some rumors and they had to put out a statement to say there’s been no change, but there’s definitely no change.”

Reports today that the 2020 @RyderCup is expected to be postponed are inaccurate.

— Ryder Cup USA (@RyderCupUSA) March 17, 2020

It’s certainly encouraging to see someone on the inside of conversations come out and confirm that no changes have been made to the schedule at this time but one has to think if it could be a real possibility in the future. While the event is set to be played on U.S. soil this year, Europe is being hit even harder by the coronavirus and any player traveling from Europe could still be subject to travel restrictions by the time September rolls around.

Embed from Getty Images

On top of that, even if the pandemic has settled or lessened by September, the golf world is going to be facing a tough time crunch. The schedule was already jam-packed in the summer with the PGA Championship, U.S. Open, The Open, and the Olympics all teeing off within three months of each other.

Now with The Masters and PGA Championship postponed, the PGA TOUR is going to have to find some way to fit those events into the summer or fall around the rest of the schedule. One possibility could be pushing back the Ryder Cup, even if by a month, to provide some relief.

We are all still trying to figure out how life moves on in wake of this unprecedented challenge and it’s going to be even more challenging for major sports associations like the PGA TOUR. So in the meantime, stay safe, stay informed, and don’t panic about everything you see on the internet or on the news!