Coronavirus & golf: LPGA Evian Championship in France cancelled

The Evian Championship - which was set to be the Ladies' Professional Golf Association's first major of the year - has been cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

It was scheduled to take place between 6-9 August at the Evian Resort Golf Club in France.

"The ongoing uncertainty concerning the opening of borders poses a major risk to the organisation," organisers said.

Because of the crisis, the women's tour has been on hold since late February.

The Evian Championship is the 10th LPGA Tour tournament to be cancelled. Tour organisers initially hoped it would be the first of the sport's five majors to be played in a rescheduled calendar.

Under the new schedule, the Women's British Open at Royal Troon in Scotland has been moved back to August, followed by the ANA Inspiration in September, the Women's PGA Championship in October and the US Women's Open in December.

The LPGA Tour had hoped to restart on 15-18 July at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational tournament in Michigan.

In a statement, the tournament added: "The LPGA and the Evian Championship's organising committee have to recognise that the conditions for a safe event that lives up to the expectations of the public, players, organisers and their partners are not in place."

The men's PGA Tour resumes on Thursday with the Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas, with the first five events played behind closed doors.

The first men's major - the US PGA Championship at Harding Park in San Francisco - is planned for 6-9 August, the same weekend as the women's Evian Championship was supposed to be played.