The Hong Kong Open, which was postponed last month amid violence from escalating anti-government protests, will go ahead in January but without sanctioning by the European Tour, organisers said on Friday.
The tournament, which had been scheduled to be played from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1, will now be held at Hong Kong Golf Club from Jan. 9-12.
Pro-democracy protests have been ongoing for six months after the proposal of a bill that would allow extraditions to China.
Despite the bill being withdrawn, protests continued amid calls for greater democratic freedom.
European Tour Chief Executive Keith Pelley said that they were unable to sanction the tournament due to a previous commitment to the South African Open.
“We are delighted to retain an integral role in staging one of Hong Kong’s best-loved sporting events and we very much look forward to returning next November when the 62nd Hong Kong Open will kick off our 2021 European Tour season,” Pelley said in a statement.
The event is being sanctioned by the Hong Kong Golf Association and the Asian Tour.
“The decision to proceed with the Hong Kong Open underlines our commitment to the ongoing development and promotion of the game in Hong Kong and the region,” Hong Kong Golf Association President Kenneth Lam said.
“We look forward to welcoming the international golf community back to Hong Kong in January and to showcasing the depth of homegrown talent competing in the tournament.”
Prior to postponement, Patrick Reed, Henrik Stenson and Francesco Molinari had been due to headline the 120-player tournament. The rescheduled tournament’s line up is due to be released in the coming weeks.
Both the Hong Kong Tennis Open and the Hong Kong Open squash championships were cancelled due to the protests.
Information from Reuters contributed to this report.