PGA and LPGA events in China are off for the third consecutive year.
COVID-19 restrictions in China caused the PGA Tour to cancel the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament scheduled for Oct. 27-30.
The event began in 2005 but was last contested in 2019 due to the pandemic.
“We have worked with all Tours, as well as the China Golf Association, on the viability of hosting the WGC-HSBC Champions this fall, but unfortunately the logistical implications forced the difficult decision to cancel the event,” PGA Tour international senior vice president Christian Hardy said in a statement. “We are thankful for HSBC’s partnership during these trying times as we continue to navigate the changing COVID-19 climate.”
Rory McIlroy won the event in 2019. The total purse of $10.5 million is part of the reason it’s viewed as Asia’s major tournament on the Tour.
The LPGA will not hold the Buick LPGA Shanghai, scheduled for Oct. 13-16 at Qizhong Garden Golf Club. The event was last held in 2019 and won by Danielle Kang.
“Following guidance from our partners at the China Golf Association, the LPGA can confirm that the 2022 Buick LPGA Shanghai, scheduled to be held Oct. 13-16, is canceled due to ongoing COVID-19 related restrictions,” the LPGA Tour said in a statement. “We thank SAIC-GM Buick, the China Golf Association, the CLPGA and IMG for all their efforts, and hope to compete in front of our fans at Qizhong Garden Golf Club in the future.”
Already scheduled for the same dates in October 2022, the Butterfield Bermuda Championship will be the PGA Tour’s stand-alone event with full FedEx Cup points. The total purse has been raised to $6.5 million.
The World Golf Championship was created with four events each year. The WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, WGC-Workday Championship and WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational remain active tour events.
–Field Level Media
