Coronavirus? No, street protests: Singapore takes over from Hong Kong as host of prestigious Eisenhower Trophy, World Amateur Team Championships
- Hong Kong Golf Association’s Danny Lai says the decision by organisers was made weeks before the coronavirus threat emerged
- Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Justin Thomas are among the big names who have used the tournament to launch their careers
Hong Kong has lost hosting rights to the most prestigious amateur golf tournament in the world – not because of the fast-spreading coronavirus threat, but because of the anti-government protests that previously plagued the city.
October’s World Amateur Team Championships – the breeding ground for some of the game’s biggest names, such as Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Justin Thomas – is moving to Singapore, the International Golf Federation (IGF) said.
The event was scheduled for October 12-24, 2020 at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling and Clearwater Bay Golf and Country Club, with the men vying for the famous Eisenhower Trophy and the women competing for the Espirito Santo Trophy.
The announcement was made last week but the move had been in the pipeline for the past few months – weeks before the coronavirus emerged as a global health threat in January.
“We told the IGF that we are still keen to host the tournament but the decision to move it would have been made some time back,” said Hong Kong Golf Association chief executive Danny Lai. “With the way the protests were portrayed around the world by the media, they were worried that countries may not want to go to Hong Kong and did not want to take any chances.
