Indian Open cancelled for second straight year due to COVID-19

Indian Open cancelled for second straight year due to COVID-19

Another bad news for the golf fans in India comes in the form of the cancellation of the prestigious Indian Open due to COVID-19.

The star-studded event was officially cancelled on Friday by the managing authorities for the second straight year due to the deadly second wave of the dangerous Corona pandemic.

The tournament, now in its 60th year, is co-sponsored by the European and Asian Tours, was scheduled to take place in India from October 28 to October 31.

The European Tour said in a statement, ''The European Tour today confirms that the Hero Indian Open, scheduled to take place from October 28-31, has been cancelled due to the ongoing threat in the country posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the safety of everyone involved in the tournament being the main priority and travel to and from India remaining challenging, the decision has been taken following consultation with the Indian Golf Union, the Asian Tour and the tournament title sponsor Hero MotoCorp Ltd.''

Stephen Gallacher
Stephen Gallacher

The last event of the Indian Open was held in 2019, in which Stephen Gallacher of Scotland became the champion by winning the prestigious event by one stroke.

There have been no tournaments that took place on the Asian Tour since the COVID-19 rocked the world in March last year. The travel restrictions in different countries of Asia are the main reason behind the Asian Tour’s absence from the golfing world.

The European Tour, on the other hand, has cancelled all of its events in Asia but continues to hold events in the Middle East and Europe.