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As the coronavirus continues to spread across the globe like wildfire, one professional golf tour has announced the postponement of the remainder of its season.

The MENA Golf Tour, a development circuit in the Middle East and North Africa, founded in 2011 by the Dubai-based Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, has taken the decision to call off the final six events of its 2020 season.

The tour, affiliated to the R&A and the Arab Golf Federation and which serves as a gateway to the Sunshine Tour in South Africa, has events running from January to April.

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Scotland’s Ryan Lumsden won the most recent of those, which concluded yesterday, to climb to third on the tour’s Order of Merit.

However, less than 24 hours on, the organisers of the circuit have conceded defeat – for now, at least – in the fight with coronavirus.

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“As an international tour, the health and safety of our players, staff, venue partners and partners is our paramount goal,” read a statement. “Accordingly we re going to postpone the final six tournaments of the 2020 MENA Tour and re-schedule between September- December 2020.

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“We will endeavour to release the revised schedule by the end of this month. Our current planning is for the revised tournament schedule for 2020 to neatly flow into the 2021 MENA Tour.”

Last night, the Masters Tournament Committee announced that they still intend to stage the first men’s major of the season next month but added that they, too, are monitoring the situation.


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Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor

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