Former PGA chief executive Sandy Jones feels the R&A are right to take their time in deciding whether to postpone this summer’s Open Championship at Royal St George’s.
The R&A yesterday moved to downplay speculation they were due to announce the postponement of the tournament due to coronavirus, with chief executive Martin Slumbers issuing a statement confirming they are “continuing to work through options including postponement.”
The 149th Open is due to be held in Sandwich, England between 16-19 July.
Having spent 25 years as chief executive of the PGA, Jones can empathise with the complexities Slumbers faces in calling off the event.
Press and Journal columnist Jones said: “These things are massive operations.
“Taking time to get it right is better than a rushed decision that could turn out to be one you regret.
“I think people are being wise to do that, just as Wimbledon did. They took their time before coming out with their decision, which everybody agrees is the right decision.
“There will be insurance policies involved in all of this, but I don’t know what they are as I wasn’t personally involved in it.
“They have to consider all the costs for the providing companies and hotels that are organised, and a lot more. I totally support what they are doing in taking their time.
“It’s an ever-changing situation – but I have this gut feeling it’s not going to go away quickly.”
Jones was also a Ryder Cup board member, and was involved in the postponement of the 2001 matches to the following year due to the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers.
Jones appreciates wider issues outwith golf will be at the heart of any decision on the Open, adding: “I was the guy that got the phone call to tell me the Americans weren’t coming.
“It happened, and then we spoke to the Americans for a couple of days on where we were with it.
“On the Saturday night at about 7pm I got the phone call to say the players didn’t feel comfortable leaving their families and coming over in the circumstances, so they would prefer to postpone the match.
“That’s what we did – we didn’t have a lot of choice. The rest is history and it all got sorted out.
“People’s safety is the most important thing – and that goes for everybody involved from players, to officials to spectators.”
In his statement, Slumbers said: “We are continuing to work through our options for the Open this year, including postponement. Due to a range of external factors, that process is taking some time to resolve.
“We are well aware of the importance of being able to give clear guidance to fans, players and everyone involved and are working to resolve this as soon as we can.
“We will give a further update as soon as we are in a position to do so and thank everyone for their support and understanding in this challenging situation.”
