The PGA of America has cancelled the 2020 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, the longest-running of the five majors recognized by PGA Tour Champions.
The event was set to be played from May 21-24 at Harbor Shores Resort in Benton Harbor, Mich., but officials chose to cancel the event in light of the stay-at-home order enacted March 23 by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
“While we are incredibly disappointed, we all understand that protecting public health is the highest priority,” said PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh in a statement. “We are especially disappointed for the Benton Harbor community, our friends at KitchenAid and the fans and volunteers who support this important championship so passionately.”
The cancellation means the next scheduled event on the 2020 PGA Tour Champions schedule is the American Family Insurance Championship, scheduled for June 5-7 at University Ridge Golf Course in Madison, Wis.
"This was not an easy decision. This Championship means so much to our KitchenAid brand and the Southwest Michigan community, however the health and safety of our community is our priority," said Jeff Noel, vice president of communications and public affairs for Whirlpool Corporation, parent company of KitchenAid.
"We thank our corporate and hospitality partners and our 1600 volunteers for their continued support of the Championship. The contestants have become a welcomed extension of our community over the years and while we are incredibly disappointed that the Championship will not return to Benton Harbor in 2020, we know that this is the right thing to do."
The 2021 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship will be played at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla., from May 27-30, and return to Harbor Shores Resort in 2022, with the event set to be played there every other year.