Hong Kong Golf Open back on as flagship sporting event is confirmed for January
- November event was postponed due to civil unrest but will now be staged from January 9-12
- The 61st Hong Kong Open will now be the curtain-raiser for the Asian Tour’s 2020 season
It is not clear yet whether the event’s new date will hinder its chances of attracting some of the stellar names, who initially signed up to compete at Fanling, with organisers saying the line-up for the January 9-12 event is still to be confirmed.
However, it is understood major winners Henrik Stenson, Patrick Reed and Francesco Molinari will be unable to compete because of prior commitments but negotiations are taking place with other leading European Tour and PGA Tour players.
The European Tour revealed it would be unable to sanction the rearranged edition because it now clashes with the South African Open but its event management team would still help run the tournament.
Keith Pelley, chief executive of the European Tour, said: “Due to our long-standing commitment to deliver a full field for the South African Open hosted by the City of Johannesburg, which will also be played from January 9-12, regretfully we are unable to sanction this edition of the Hong Kong Open.
“However, we are delighted to retain an integral role in staging one of Hong Kong’s best-loved sporting events and we very much look forward to returning next November when the 62nd Hong Kong Open will kick off our 2021 European Tour season.”
