European Tour to welcome back Hong Kong Open in November as postponed 61st edition set to tee off with largely Asian field
- The Tour is unable to sanction the delayed 2019 tournament, which is still backed by the Asian Tour and the Hong Kong Golf Association
- Officials are happy to have two Hong Kong Open tournaments in the same year and are confident of a strong field for November
Hong Kong will stage two editions of its flagship international tournament in 2020 after officials confirmed on Tuesday that the Hong Kong Open will return as a tri-sanctioned event at the start of the next season’s European Tour.
The 61st edition of the Hong Kong Open was postponed from its November-December 2019 spot because of anti-government protests in the city and rescheduled for this week – without European Tour sanction.
However, top officials from the European and Asian Tours said on Tuesday that they would again back the tournament when it returns to its full status at the end of November this year.
“It was never in doubt,” said Vicky Jones, the European Tour’s championship director. “Obviously we had to postpone this event and unfortunately because of a scheduling clash we were unable to sanction this week, but we’ve always been committed to the sanctioning of the Hong Kong Open by the European Tour with the Asian Tour and the [Hong Kong] Golf Association, so we’re looking forward to being back here in November with a strong field.”
The tournament tees off on Thursday at Fanling with a largely Asian field. Players who committed to Hong Kong for last year, such as major champions Patrick Reed and Henrik Stenson, are unable to make it for January, with the European Tour also conducting an event in South Africa this week.