© European Tour

After the interruption of the season on March 8 due to the global coronavirus pandemic, the European Tour will resume behind closed doors in July and will continue until December. All tournaments will be subject to strict safety and testing protocols, defined in the Tour's overall health strategy, which will continue to evolve, in accordance with international government guidelines and health guidelines.

The first tournament of "UK Swing" is the Betfred British Masters hosted by Lee Westwood, which will be played at Close House, near Newcastle in the north-east of England, from Wednesday 22 July to Saturday 25 July, a week ahead of schedule.

It will be followed by the English Open at the Marriott Forest of Arden and the English Championship at the Marriott Hanbury Manor, before the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport hosts two back-to-back European Tour tournaments - the Celtic Classic and the Wales Open.

This return to South Wales is timely, as this year also marks the tenth anniversary of Europe's spectacular victory over the United States in the 2010 Ryder Cup, which took place at the same venue. .

The UK Swing will then end with the UK Championship in Belfry, another venue rich in Ryder Cup history, having hosted four competitions, with Europe having triumphed in two of them (1985 and 2002), the States United having won in 1993, the match of 1989 having ended with a score of 14-14.

Details of the upcoming European Tour tournaments from September to November will be announced in due course, and various scheduling options are currently under consideration as the global situation continues to evolve.

However, dates have been postponed for four Rolex Series tournaments: the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open at Renaissance Club, which now runs October 8-11, and the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club, which takes place the following week. , from October 15 to 18.

New dates are also planned for the last two tournaments of the year. The Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player is now scheduled for December 3-6 at Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, while the season-closing DP World Tour Championship in Dubai will take place December 10-13 at Jumeirah Golf Estates, where the 2020 Race to Dubai champion will be crowned.

All tournaments in the new 2020 season will be governed by the Tour's overall health strategy, developed by Dr Andrew Murray, Chief Medical Officer of the European Tour, in consultation with healthcare specialist Cignpost, who will focus on in place the testing procedure, and with advisers in most of the 30 countries where the Tour is playing. This strategy will continue to evolve, aligning with international government guidelines and health guidelines.

In addition to adhering to the health strategy, all European Tour tournaments from July to December will also be part of the new initiative "Golf for Good" du Tour, a story that will underpin the season and which aims to give back in three key areas:

• Support the communities where the European Tour takes place.
• Reward real heroes, such as front-line workers.
• Promote the many health benefits of golf.

The initiative "Golf for Good" will be launched at the new "UK Swing" in July and August, six weeks during which £ 500 of the European Tour will be distributed equally between local charities and charities chosen by the top ten players as part of a mini Order of Merit that will take place throughout the six tournaments.

Keith Pelley, Managing Director of the European Tour said: "Since the suspension of our 2020 season in early March, we have adopted a measured approach by re-evaluating our calendar, informed at each stage by our medical advisers and the advice of the government".

“We have always said that safety is our top priority and that is why we are announcing today our resumption in two months, supported by a comprehensive health strategy that has been led by our medical team. "

“There's no question that we've had to think differently for the rest of our 2020 season, which is reflected in today's announcement. Diversity is usually one of our greatest assets, but in this case it has become one of our greatest challenges. "

“Initially, therefore, based on the expert advice we received, playing in clusters, in one territory, is the best option in terms of testing, travel and accommodation. "

“So I would like to take this opportunity to thank Betfred, Close House, Marriott, The Forest of Arden, Hanbury Manor, The Celtic Manor Resort and The Belfry for sharing our vision for this 'UK Swing' and we look forward to returning to tournament in July with this innovative series of six events. "

“In addition to reviving golf for our players, broadcasters, stakeholders and millions of fans around the world, these new events will also allow us to give back in these unprecedented times, building on some support. community already provided by our players in recent months. "

“I would also like to pay tribute to Rolex, BMW, Aberdeen Standard Investments, the Scottish Government, Nedbank, Sun International and DP World, for their continued commitment to the European Tour, which has enabled us to move four extremely important tournaments from the l 'European Tour to new dates later in the year. "

"Not only have they shown flexibility, but they have also shown that they understand the current world situation and we are really lucky to have them as partners on the European Tour."

While the intention remains to crown a new Dubai Championship race on Sunday, December 13, as part of the changes made at the end of the 2020 season due to the impact of COVID-19, the Tournaments Committee of the European Tour recently agreed that all 2020 categories of members, and their ranking within that category, will be maintained in 2021, with associated playing rights protected to the absolute maximum during the 2021 season.

This decision was taken unanimously by the Committee, as was the fact that there will be no more « minimum tournament rules ”for the 2020 season.

Mr. Pelley added: “We recognize that when we return to golf, every player's situation will be different. So we don't want to put anyone in a position where they have no choice but to perform in certain events in order to protect their livelihoods. "

“Likewise, the feeling was that it wasn't fair to disadvantage a member who might want to play in an event but might not be able to due to the current travel restrictions. This is why, in consultation with our tournament committee, it was agreed that preserving their exempt status for 2021 was the fairest solution in these unprecedented times. "

“As a result, there will be no qualifying school this year and no official Challenge Tour diploma, although the Tournament Committee has agreed to reward outstanding performance on both the European Tour and the Challenge Tour in 2020, the precise details of which we will announce in due course ”.

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