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European Tour to return with run of UK events

Lee Westwood.
Lee Westwood.

The European Tour is set to return with a run of five tournaments in the United Kingdom.

Golf Digest said the Tour would return with a month-long run in the UK with a series of behind-closed-doors events.

It will start with the Betfred British Masters at the end of July and include an event in Wales at Celtic Manor.

The British Masters is on the original 2020 schedule and is due to be hosted by Lee Westwood at Close House from July 30 to August 2 but is expected to be brought forward to run from July 23-26.

It remains unclear how big the fields would be for these events, particularly with the possibility of two-week quarantine periods for visitors to the UK on the horizon, but there will be a substantial drop in prize funds.

Forest of Arden in Birmingham and Hanbury Manor near London have also been reported as possible host venues, with the European Tour looking at courses with large on-site hotels to create a “bubble” for players.

The PGA Tour is set to return in America with the Charles Schwab Challenge on June 11 with Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka all expected to tee up.

Westwood has a place in the field for the opening event as well as the RBC Heritage the following week by virtue of his Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship victory in January propelling him into the top 50.

However, he does not intend to travel to the States because of the current quarantine restrictions.

He said: “Right now I won’t be playing them, not with having to leave here two weeks before, quarantine, then play the two tournaments, then come back here and quarantine again.

“It’s six weeks for two tournaments, and to me that’s just not worth it. And it’s not worth taking the risk if everybody thinks that those kind of precautions have got to be in place. I don’t feel like golf’s a priority if it’s that severe.”

Eddie Pepperell has already said he would prioritise playing in a European Tour run of UK events rather than play in the US PGA Championship which is due to take place at TPC Harding Park from August 6-9.

He said: “Even if the rules were to change, and if the rumours from the European Tour are true, and there might be some golf to be played in the UK in July and August in a run, I will prioritise that ahead of one major championship in San Francisco.

“Playing the UK events makes more sense to me, and I can’t see myself going anywhere outside of Europe, and I’ve got a holiday booked in Ibiza in July.”

It is also understood that qualifying school will not take place this year and there will be no graduation from the Challenge Tour to the main tour, with all of the 2020 European Tour card holders maintaining their status for 2021.