The PGA Tour's fall Asian Swing looks increasingly unlikely to happen in 2020.
With the Chinese government announcing the cancellation of all non-Olympic-related international sports events through the end of the year, the WGC-HSBC Champions and the LPGA's Buick-sponsored event in Shanghai are almost certainly cancelled. That takes away one of three Asian events in the fall, leaving the CJ Cup in South Korea and the Zozo Championship in Japan. The Associated Press reports those events will likely not be played in their original locales.
With the Masters planned for Nov. 12-15, the Asian Swing would require players to make long-haul flights to and from the continent in late October, leaving just a few weeks to prepare for Augusta National.
The AP further reports the PGA Tour is in the early stages of looking at these events and the viability of hosting them in the United States in a one-off move to allow the events to be played.
Of course, conditions could change, though that's unlikely by key decision dates.
Were the Asia-based events to be canceled instead of played stateside, the PGA Tour could come up with replacement events -- perhaps even with the same title sponsors -- similar to the Workday Charity Open, which was created quickly to fill in for the John Deere Classic.
