Coast’s PGA Champions golf tourney has been canceled due to new coronavirus concerns
The Rapiscan Systems Classic, which was scheduled to take place March 25-27 at Fallen Oak in Saucier, has been canceled.
PGA commissioner Jay Monahan first announced Thursday that all tournaments will go ahead as planned without fans in attendance, but he changed his mind later in the day and the PGA announced that events will be canceled through April 5.
The PGA’s ruling went into effect Friday during this week’s The Players Championship, which is held at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, and will last through the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio, which ends on April 5.
“We have pledged from the start to be responsible, thoughtful and transparent with our decision process,” The PGA said in a statement. “We did everything possible to create a safe environment for our players in order to continue the event throughout the weekend, and we were endeavoring to give our fans a much-needed respite from the current climate. But at this point — and as the situation continues to rapidly change — the right thing to do for our players and our fans is to pause.”
The Rapiscan Systems Classic is Mississippi’s only event on the PGA Tour Champions, which features professional golfers 50 years and older. The tournament, which started in 2010 as the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic, features a winning purse of $1.6 million.
Biloxi Shuckers’ 2020 season on delay
Minor League Baseball announced Wednesday that it is delaying the start of the 2020 campaign due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
That means the Biloxi Shuckers will not start the new season on April 9 as originally, and it’s unclear when the Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers will have a chance to take the field at MGM Park.
“We will continue to monitor the developments and will announce additional information about the 2020 season at a later date,” Minor League Baseball said in a release. “We will work with Major League Baseball and our community partners to resume play as soon as it is safe to do so. The health and the safety of Minor League Baseball fans, players and executives is our top priority, and our thoughts are with those around the world who have been affected by this outbreak.”
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 3:45 PM.
