By MIKE KERN
As many if not most had anticipated happening, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship that was scheduled to be held at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square from June 25-28 has been moved due to the ongoing uncertainty over the Coronavirus pandemic.
This, needless to say, is hardly the first golf tournament that has been forced to deal with this global crisis.
The new dates are Oct. 8-11. Provided, of course, that it is safe and responsible to do so by that time. We can only hope that our everyday lives are back to some sort of normalcy by then.
“In this unique and unsettling time, it became evident that finding new dates … was a prudent choice for the LPGA players, the local community, Aronimink membership and our staff,” said PGA of
America President Suzy Whaley. “Throughout the process of making this decision, we appreciated the support we received from our friends at KPMG and the LPGA. Collectively, we remain resolute in our commitment to this Championship as well as helping future generations of women to be more successful on and off the course.”
This event is one of the LPGA’s five majors.
“The PGA of America will work closely with public health officials at the national, state and county levels throughout championship week,” the PGA said in a statement. “The health and safety of spectators, volunteers, rules officials and staff remains the top priority.”
And no one will know for some time whether or not fans — or how many — will be allowed on the grounds. This whole thing is a fluid situation. And everyone is just trying to make the best of it.
This Championship, the second-oldest on the LPGA Tour, was played from 1994-2004 at DuPont
Country Club in Wilmington, Del., with McDonald’s as the title sponsor.
KPMG, a global accounting firm, took over that role five years ago.
The LPGA has targeted July 15th to restart its season at the Dow Great Lakes Invitational in Michigan. The PGA Tour is hoping to begin a month earlier, in Texas, but without fans for the first four events.
The ShopRite Classic, a fixture at the South Jersey Shore, will be the LPGA’s third tournament back, from July 31-Aug. 2 at Seaview just across the bay from Atlantic City. It was originally scheduled for its traditional date of the last week in May.
The U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, which was supposed to be hosted by Philadelphia Cricket Club in mid May, was cancelled. Here’s hoping they can get it back here at some point in the future, since it’s such a wonderful venue.
The men’s PGA Championship, in case you forgot, is also coming to Aronimink in 2026.
