Kentucky’s PGA Tour event canceled for 2020, plans for return in 2021
The coronavirus pandemic has led to unprecedented upheaval throughout the world of sports, and that reality hit home for Kentuckians again Thursday.
In a year when the Kentucky Derby has been rescheduled for the fall and the idea of a college football season remains in peril, the PGA announced measures to reset its calendar and, in so doing, eliminated Kentucky’s annual Tour stop in Nicholasville for 2020.
The PGA Barbasol Championship, played the past two years at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, was scheduled to be back for Year 3 in 2020 from July 16-19. The cancellation was one of several moves the PGA Tour announced Thursday that will affect the 2019-20 season as well as 2020-21.
However, PGA Barbasol officials said they expect Kentucky’s tournament to be back next year.
Kentucky’s event has traditionally been played parallel to the British Open, meaning most of the world’s top players are competing in a major tournament overseas the same weekend. The British Open was canceled this year. Forced by the pandemic to shrink its schedule, the PGA Tour opted to eliminate the Barbasol and use the July 16-19 dates for another existing event, according to tournament director Bryan Pettigrew.
Under the PGA’s revised schedule, The Memorial tournament, held annually in Columbus, Ohio, has been moved into the weekend previously reserved for Kentucky.
“While we’re disappointed to not be on the revamped schedule announced today, we understand the complexity of the situation,” Pettigrew said in a news release. “As we continue discussions with the Tour, we would certainly consider an opportunity to host the Barbasol Championship in a safe and responsible manner if a date were to become available.”
Pettigrew said plans for next year’s Barbasol Championship, scheduled for July 15-18, 2021, are already in the works.
“I was really excited to defend my title this summer in Kentucky,” said 2019 champion Jim Herman. “And while I’m sad to have to wait, I’ll look forward to returning to the Bluegrass in 2021 and playing some great golf in front of the best fans in the country.”
Pettigrew also announced the inaugural Barbasol Junior Championship, featuring the top 120 under-19 golfers in the world which was to be played at Keene Run from June 29-July 2, will be pushed back to 2021 as well.
Other PGA Tour changes
The PGA Tour had previously targeted the week of the Charles Schwab Challenge (May 18-24) as the restart of the season, which has been suspended since The Players Championship was canceled March 12.
For health and safety reasons due to COVID-19, Thursday’s announcement delays that timeline three weeks — to June 8, starting with the Charles Schwab Challenge. Additional tournaments have been repositioned between then and the season’s conclusion, which is the Tour Championship, ending on Sept. 7.
The PGA plans to play its first four events with no spectators in attendance, and will continue to monitor the health and safety recommendations with local and state authorities as the schedule plays out.
The only PGA Tour event canceled other than the Barbasol was the RBC Canadian Open, which was originally scheduled for June 11-14.
This story was originally published April 16, 2020 at 10:17 AM.