The 2021 Buick LPGA Shanghai, which was to have been played Oct. 14-17 at Qizhong Garden Golf Club, was canceled due to ongoing COVID-19 travel restrictions.
It is the second year in a row the tournament has fallen off the schedule because of the pandemic. Danielle Kang won the first two editions of the event in 2018 and 2019.
“We thank SAIC-GM Buick, the China Golf Association, the CLPGA and IMG for all their efforts and look forward to returning to Qizhong Garden Golf Club next year,†the LPGA said in a news release.
The tournament was to have been one of four in a row played in the Far East. But earlier this year the Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA also was canceled.
The BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea (Oct. 21-24) and TOTO Japan Classic (Nov. 4-7) remain on the schedule.
Spectators at next year’s Open Championship at St. Andrews will be allowed to leave and re-enter the Old Course in a reversal of policy by the governing body.
The R&A enforced a strict “no re-entry†code in recent years, whereby any spectator who left the golf course was not readmitted. The policy came into effect for the 2017 championship at Royal Birkdale, partly for security measures, and to try to stop unofficial “pirate†hospitality on the fringes of the championship.
With the Old Course’s close proximity to the town of St. Andrews, enforcing a policy that prohibits re-admittance is more difficult than at other venues.
“We have reviewed our no re-admission policy following the Open at Royal St. George’s,†an R&A spokesperson said. “We believe it has proved effective in deterring unofficial hospitality providers and protecting fans. In light of this, we have decided to amend the policy for the 150th Open at St. Andrews and future championships.â€
Sunningdale Golf Club will host the 2024 Curtis Cup, the R&A announced. The Berkshire course staged the 1987 Walker Cup and has hosted many R&A events, including this year’s Senior Open Championship. However, it has never staged the premier team event in women’s amateur golf.
“The Curtis Cup is the apex of women’s amateur golf in Great Britain & Ireland and the USA, and we are thrilled to be staging the match at Sunningdale,†R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said.
The next match is scheduled for June 10-12, 2022, at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.
Louise Duncan’s T10 finish in the AIG Women’s Open at Carnoustie helped her break into the World Amateur Golf Ranking top 40 for the first time. The 21-year-old Scottish player and reigning Women’s Amateur champion posted 7-under 281 to finish five shots behind Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist and take the Smyth Salver as low amateur. It meant a 102-ranking jump to 31st place for the Stirling University student.
England’s Sam Bairstow was the highlight of movements on the men’s ranking. Winning the Brabazon Trophy at Ganton Golf Club saw him step into the top 40 with a 28-position rise to a personal-best ranking of 32nd place.
British bookmakers have made the U.S. team the favorite to win this week’s Solheim Cup match at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. Ladbrokes and William Hill list Team USA as a 1/2 favorite with Team Europe’s odds at 2/1. The odds on a draw are 12/1.
Sunningdale Golf Club members are in mourning after the death of one of their own. Former club captain and England cricket legend Ted Dexter died Wednesday at age 86. He had been a Sunningdale member since 1958.
The Cambridge University graduate knew how to wield a golf club. There were those, including Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, who said he could have had the same success in golf as he had in cricket. Dexter disagreed.
“Cricket’s kinder on the nerves,†he once said. “OK, it’s hard when you first go in, but once you’re in it’s lovely, isn’t it? Whereas in golf you’re cruising along, then suddenly something happens and the nerves come rushing in. You’ve got to find a way of getting through those difficult phases.â€
Dexter, who was born in Milan, Italy, was awarded a CBE in 2001 for his services to cricket. He was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in June. He is survived by his wife, Susan, to whom he was married for 62 years, and by their two children.
TAP-INS
The PGA Tour looks back at Tiger Woods’ entry into professional golf 25 years ago (READ MORE). ... The American Junior Golf Association announces the addition of former LPGA player Candy Hannemann to its board of directors (READ MORE). ... Ken Crow, a longtime golf instructor and club operations manager and recently a regional vice president at Century Golf Partners, died Aug. 23 at age 62 (OBITUARY). ... The European Challenge Tour announces Empordà Golf Club on Spain’s Costa Brava will close out the Road to Mallorca regular season with consecutive tournaments in mid-October (READ MORE). ... Events on the Professional Golf Tour of India are set to restart following a five-month hiatus due to COVID-19 restrictions (SCHEDULE).
Staff and Wire Reports
