The 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits will now take place next year after being postponed
Ryder Cup Postponed To 2021 Due To Covid-19
After months of speculation, the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits has officially been postponed until next year.
The event was due to take place from 25th-27th September in Wisconsin but will now be played from 24th-26th September 2021.
“It became clear that as of today, our medical experts and the public authorities in Wisconsin could not give us certainty that conducting an event responsibly with thousands of spectators in September would be possible. Given that uncertainty, we knew rescheduling was the right call," PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh said.
Guy Kinnings, Europe’s Ryder Cup Director, said: “The Ryder Cup is rightly celebrated as one of the world’s greatest sporting occasions, made special and totally unique in our sport by the fervent atmosphere created by the passionate spectators of both sides.
“While that point is significant, it is not as important as the health of the spectators which, in these difficult times, is always the main consideration. We considered all options including playing with a limited attendance but all our stakeholders agreed this would dilute the magic of this great occasion.
This is the second time the Ryder Cup has been postponed after the 9/11 attacks pushed back the 2001 match.
Whilst this will undoubtedly have huge financial implications for the organisers, it does mean that the match, apart from next year, will not clash with the Olympics every four years, something that should help with future high profile commercial deals.
The Ryder Cup going back a year into odd-numbered years also gives Adare Manor the chance to host a special centenary match in 2027, 100 years after the inaugural Ryder Cup at Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts.
Rome will host the 2023 Ryder Cup and 2025's match will be contested at Bethpage Black.
The Presidents Cup will be pushed back to 2022 and it remains to be seen whether the Solheim Cup does the same.
Prior to the announcement, there were rumours that the Irish Open at Mount Juliet could move into the spot left by the Ryder Cup.
The news of the postponement will be welcomed by the likes of Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka who all called for the match to be postponed rather than played without fans.
World No.1 Rory McIlroy said in May that it would be "the right call" to push the Ryder Cup back a year whilst Brooks Koepka said he doesn't "see a point in playing it" without crowds.
Steve Stricker also said that it would be a "crime" to play the match without fans.
It means that USA will have to wait another year to attempt to win the trophy back after Europe won 17.5-10.5 at Le Golf National in 2018.
Since the turn of the century, Europe have won seven of the nine Ryder Cups, although the USA's two wins have both come at home.
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