The Abbotsford professional golf duo of Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor will get to compete at The Masters in 2020, it’ll just be a little later than they planned.
Golf’s governing bodies made the announcement on April 6, with all major tournaments being shifted back several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hadwin and Taylor, who originally had been scheduled to tee off at the Augusta, Ga tournament from April 9 to 12, will now tentatively compete at the prestigious tournament from Nov. 12 to 15.
Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley said he hopes the new dates bring a different energy to the event.
“We hope the anticipation of staging the Masters Tournament in the fall brings a moment of joy to the Augusta community and all those who love the sport,” Ridley stated. “We want to emphasize that our future plans are incumbent upon favourable counsel and direction from health officials.”
Augusta National closed early this year because of the coronavirus and does not open until October. Instead of being the second full week in April, it will compete against football. At the collegiate level, Georgia is home against Tennessee that weekend.
Hadwin qualified for the Masters after finishing in the top 50 of the world golf rankings for 2019. He earned the invite on Dec. 23, 2019.
RELATED: Canada’s Adam Hadwin qualifies for the 2020 Masters by finishing year in top 50
Hadwin also competed at The Masters in 2017 and 2018, finishing tied for 36th and 24th respectively.
Taylor punched his ticket to the event with a huge win at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Feb. 9. He edged Phil Mickelson in the final round and became the first Canadian to win at the California event.
RELATED: Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor wins at Pebble Beach
Other new tentative dates on the golf schedule include:
— Aug. 6-9: PGA Championship.
— Aug. 13-16: End of PGA Tour regular season at Wyndham Championship.
— Aug. 20-23: Start of FedEx Cup playoffs at The Northern Trust.
— Aug. 27-30: BMW Championship, second playoff event.
— Sept. 4-7: Tour Championship for the FedEx Cup.
— Sept. 17-20: U.S. Open at Winged Foot.
— Sept. 25-27: Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits.
– With files from: The Associated Press
