Double Australian Open winner Matt Jones and joint third-placed Aaron Pike can breath a small sigh of relief knowing their places in the rescheduled 2021 Open Championship are assured.
The PGA sent a memo to all Tour members, including Jones, stating all players who had secured a spot in the field for the Open Championship as of April 6, 2020, will remain eligible for the rescheduled 2021 tournament at Royal St. George’s.
Strangely, the R & A had not indicated this in their recent statement to cancel the staging of the 2020 Open and reschudling in July 2021.
Matt Jones wins 2020 Australian Open (Photo – Golf Australia)
Jones emerged from the bushfire smoke that had engulfed Sydney and surrounds for a one-stroke winner at 14-under par over South African Louis Oosthuizen to clinch his second Australian Open title at the Australian Club.
The Sydneysider, and a member at the Australian, will be heading to a fifth Open Champioship albeit for it to be a 19-month wait as opposed a normal seven-month period.
Pike shot a final day 69 to share third spot with Japan’s and No. 1 world-ranked amateur, Takumi Kanaya and for both to secure a maiden Open Championship tee time.
Photo – @TheOpen
The PGA Tour also in the memo informed their players it intends to return to competition on May 21st at the Charles Schwab Championship at Fort Worth, Texas though with the Tour indicating it also wished ‘to preserve the maximum number of events we can while giving us more time as the crisis evolves.
Though the Florida-based body stated also that ‘we will continue to lean on guidance from health and government officials when coming to its decision about when to resume play’.
Once a final decision on a re-start date is made, the Tour stated also it will give its players the courtesy of a few week’s notice before any such move.
Aaron Pike – Photo @TheOpen
“At a minimum, it is our hope to give the membership at least three to four weeks’ notice before restarting the season,” the memo said.
“We understand many of you may be impacted by travel restrictions and/or the inability to practice in your area, thus we want to be able to give you as much time as possible to allow you to come back fully prepared.”
On Good Friday afternoon, the Tour also held a conference call with members of its player board, and next Tuesday members of the Player Advisory Council will join a conference call to discuss the schedule and the impact on player eligibility.
That includes such matters as whether to play events without spectators while the Tour is very conscious that players will get to play the minimum of 15 events to maintain membership and field sizes.
