Christiaan Bezuidenhout opened with a 65 before the PGA TOUR announced its response to the Covid-19 outbreak which included in the immediate cancellation of the Player Championship.
Golf’s leading tour had come in for some criticism with many suggesting playing on during the global pandemic would lead to serious trouble down the line.
As the Coronavirus continues to make headlines and cause cancellations of leading sporting events around the world, the tour finally reacted on Thursday.
Bezuidenhout was two back of Hideki Matsuyama.
The Tour statement:
It is with regret that we are announcing the cancellation of THE PLAYERS Championship.
We have also decided to cancel all PGA TOUR events – across all of our Tours – in the coming weeks, through the Valero Texas Open.
We have pledged from the start to be responsible, thoughtful and transparent with our decision process. 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.
