The Hugel-Air Premia LA Open was among five tournaments canceled Wednesday by the LPGA Tour due to the limited dates available for official full-field events because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The tournament had been scheduled to be played April 23-26 at the Wilshire Country Club. It was among five tournaments whose postponement or rescheduling was announced March 20.
The LPGA Tour announced Wednesday it is seeking to resume its season July 15 with the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational in Midland, Michigan. Its most recent tournament was the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, which concluded Feb. 16 in Seaton, Australia. Its next three tournaments, planned for Thailand, Singapore and China, were canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak.
“One thing that has become clear is that there will be no opening bell regarding a return to safe play in this new normal of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan. “To be honest, being first has never been the goal when it comes to returning to play in this new normal.
“We have built a schedule that we think is as safe as possible given what we know about travel bans, testing availability, and delivering events that our sponsors and our athletes will be excited to attend. While July seems like a long way away, we are certainly aware that restarting our season in Michigan, Ohio and New Jersey will require a continued improvement in the situation in each of those states.”
The LPGA Tour has two tournaments scheduled for Southern California — the ANA Inspiration planned for Sept. 10-13 in Rancho Mirage and the Kia Classic, set for Sept. 24-27 in Carlsbad.