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HERE'S THE STATEMENT FROM THE R&A:

The R&A has decided to cancel The Open in 2020 due to the current Covid-19 pandemic. The Championship will next be played at Royal St George's in 2021.

The Open was due to be played in Kent from 12-19 July but it has been necessary to cancel the Championship based on guidance from the UK Government, the health authorities, public...

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST SET of golf clubs?

I've spent part of the morning trying to answer that question for myself.

I started playing golf at the age of 12 at Desert Aire Golf Course, a public 9-hole course in Palmdale, California.

I'm pretty certain my first full set of golf clubs included a used set of Lloyd Mangrum irons. They had black shafts made of glass. After doing some research, I've determined the model name was Golfcraft (see photo).

The irons were castoffs from somebody my dad knew. I played with them during my first two years of high school. Then I acquired a used set of Wilson Staff irons. They were blades, of course. I loved them.

My woods? That was a mixed bag as I went through adolescence. They included Hagens, Hogans and MacGregor Tourneys.

To be...

Mickey Wright died in February. This USGA announcement (edited) came earlier this month. The U.S. Women's Open has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. – The United States Golf Association (USGA) announced that the medal presented each year to the winner of the U.S. Women's Open Championship has been renamed in Mickey Wright's honor and redesigned with an image of her iconic swing, ensuring that every future champion is forever linked to one of golf's greatest pioneers and competitors.

The gold medal, which until now has not had a formal name, dates to the 1953 U.S. Women's Open when the USGA first began conducting the championship. Beginning in June with the 75th U.S. Women's Open at Champions Golf Club in Houston, each champion will receive the Mickey Wright Medal along with the U.S. Women’s Open Trophy.

Over the course of her career, Wright, who died on Feb. 17 at the age of 85, won four U.S. Women's Open titles, which ties Betsy Rawls...

Source: European Tour Pros Urge Support of 'Real Heroes'

GOLF COURSES ARE CLOSING ACROSS the United States. But some remain open, including a former country club in my community. Today, as I drove by, I was surprised to see so many cars in the parking lot.

The Golfweek article by Larry Bohannan (link above) offers a handful of tips for playing golf during the pandemic. They include walking instead of riding, riding alone if you must ride, bringing your own disinfectant and more.


Source: Golfweek's 5 Tips for Safe Golf During Coronarvirus

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PETE COWEN, A GOLF INSTRUCTOR who works with Henrik Stenson, Brooks Koepka, Gary Woodland, Graeme McDowell and others, believes he is sick with COVID-19, according to a report by The Telegraph.

Cowen, 69, has been laid low by the virus.

"I'm feeling horrendous and wouldn't wish this on anyone, no matter how young and fit they may be," he said.

Cowen was helping players at The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach before the tournament was canceled after the first round. He hasn't been tested.

"After a few days of self-isolation," Cowen said, "we decided to ring the ambulance and the medics said I ticked every box on the corona sheet.

"They were fantastic, but said they were not allowed to test me unless I was admitted to hospital and then the staff there decided to keep you in."

Cowen delivered an ominous message.

"I don't want to alarm anyone, and I might just have...

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WHILE THE UK BATTLES COVID-19, the Old Course at St. Andrews remains open to golfers. It's a small slice of normalcy during these surreal days of a global pandemic and what might be the term of the year: "social distancing."

Golfworld's Tod Leonard wrote:

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I'VE BEEN MENTALLY PLANNING a golf outing at my semi-deserted municipal course in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

Golf is played outside. What could be healthier?

Especially when there are no crowds. In fact, practically no one around and only a few cars in the parking lot. That's the norm where I play, even before the coronavirus.

Golfworld asked an infectious disease expert, "Can you play golf amid coronavirus concerns?"

The answer: "With proper precautions, yes."

An excerpt: