Officially Official: The 2020 Ryder Cup Has Been Postponed Until 2021 Due To Coronavirus Concerns

PALM BEACH GARDENS and PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (July 6, 2020) - The PGA of America, Ryder Cup Europe and the PGA TOUR jointly announced today that both the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup have been rescheduled and will now be played one year later than originally planned. The 43rd Ryder Cup, scheduled for September 22-27, at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin, has been rescheduled for September 21-26, 2021. Likewise, the Presidents Cup, initially slated for September 30-October 3, 2021, at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, will now be played September 19-25, 2022. The decision to reschedule the Ryder Cup was based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and in conjunction with the state of Wisconsin and Sheboygan County, with the health and well-being of all involved as the top priority.

“Unlike other major sporting events that are played in existing stadiums, we had to make a decision now about building facilities to host the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits,” said PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh. “It became clear that as of today, our medical experts and the public authorities in Wisconsin could not give us certainty that conducting an event responsibly with thousands of spectators in September would be possible. Given that uncertainty, we knew rescheduling was the right call. We are grateful to PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan and our partners at the TOUR for their flexibility and generosity in the complex task of shifting the global golf calendar.

There it is. Finally it's official. Reports came out 2 1/2 weeks ago saying this was going to happen but now it's officially official with that announcement, the Ryder Cup has been postponed until 2021 due to coronavirus concerns and will switch to odd years going forward.

Here's what I wrote 2 1/2 weeks ago when the reports first came out:

Well god damn. Another golf event bites the dust because of the fucking coronavirus. Although the Ryder Cup being postponed until 2021 isn't all that surprising because nothing is surprising in 2020. We're already living in a world where the Open Championship isn't happening at all this calendar year and the Masters is in NOVEMBER so we're not even close to dealing with reality in 2020. Talk about whether or not the Ryder Cup could happen (with or without fans) in 2020 has been widely debated but it sounds like the two governing bodies are close to coming to an agreement to postpone the event by a year. Hopefully (HOPEFULLY) by then the world will have COVID much more under control and the event can happen with fans. Fingers crossed.

By the way I think it's absolutely the right move to postpone the Ryder Cup until 2021. Regular golf tournaments like the Charles Scwhab Challenge and the RBC Heritage can be played without fans and it really doesn't make much of a difference at all. If you've been watching those events the last couple of weeks on TV you hardly even notice a difference. But the Ryder Cup? That would be a completely different event without fans. Fans from both sides going fucking ballistic at the Ryder Cup is what makes it so special. Drunk Americans chanting against drunk Euros is what the Ryder Cup is really all about. Sure it's also about the golf being played but, more than any other golf event in the world, the fans at the Ryder Cup are almost just as important as the golfers themselves.

That's pretty much exactly how I still feel today. It sucks man. No doubt about it. The Ryder Cup is one of the greatest sporting events in the world but the decision to postpone it makes all the sense in the world. Like I said in the original blog, you just gotta hope that a year from now the world is in a much MUCH better place and the Ryder Cup can go off without a hitch at Whistling Straits. Fingers crossed.