European Tour confirms new 2020 schedule

Hanbury Manor will host the English Championship from August 3-6

The European Tour has announced plans for the resumption of the 2020 season with the launch of a new six-week ‘UK Swing’, as well as the confirmation of new dates for four Rolex Series events.

The news, which Golf News reported last week, will see the Betfred British Masters hosted by Lee Westwood, played at Close House, near Newcastle, from July 22-25 – a week earlier than originally scheduled. It will be followed by the English Open at the Marriott Forest of Arden (July 30- Aug 2) and the English Championship at Marriott Hanbury Manor (Aug 6-9), before Celtic Manor hosts back-to-back European Tour tournaments – the Celtic Classic (Aug 13-16) and the Wales Open (Aug 20-23). The UK Swing will then conclude with the UK Championship at The Belfry from August 27-30.

Details of subsequent tournaments on the European Tour from September through to November will be announced in due course, with a variety of scheduling options currently under consideration as the global situation continues to evolve. However, rescheduled dates have been announced for four Rolex Series events; the Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club which now takes place from October 8-11 and the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, which moves to the following week, October 15-18.

The European Tour will return to action initially behind closed doors in July and run through until December. All tournaments will be subject to stringent safety and testing protocols set out in the Tour’s comprehensive health strategy which will continue to evolve, aligned with international government guidance and health guidelines.

There are also new dates for the final two tournaments of the year. The Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player is now scheduled for December 3-6 at Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, with the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai now due to take place from December 10-13 at Jumeirah Golf Estates, where the 2020 Race to Dubai Champion will be crowned.

The Tour has confirmed that there will be no Qualifying School this year and no promotion from the Challenge Tour, with playing rights from 2020 guaranteed for 2021.