The Players Championship in Florida has been cancelled because of the spread of the coronavirus, with the next few events on the Tour also pulled.
The event at TPC Sawgrass started yesterday as normal with organisers planning to play the last three rounds without spectators.
But with a number of high-profile sports suspending all activity in the United States, the PGA Tour has now decided to follow the trend and call off the self-titled "fifth major", as well as the next three weeks of events.
There will now be no PGA Tour events until the Masters at Augusta in April, with a statement this morning confirming the news.
"It is with regret that we are announcing the cancellation of THE PLAYERS Championship.
It is with regret that we are announcing the cancellation of THE PLAYERS Championship and all events through the Valero Texas Open. https://t.co/r01TeB83yK
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 13, 2020
"We have also decided to cancel all PGA TOUR events – across all of our Tours – in the coming weeks, through the Valero Texas Open.
"We have pledged from the start to be responsible, thoughtful and transparent with our decision process. We did everything possible to create a safe environment for our players in order to continue the event throughout the weekend, and we were endeavoring to give our fans a much-needed respite from the current climate. But at this point – and as the situation continues to rapidly change – the right thing to do for our players and our fans is to pause.
"We will be prepared to answer additional questions on Friday at 8 a.m."
Rory McIlroy had been looking to become the first player to defend the Players' title, with the Down man beating Jim Furyk by a shot to win the title last year.
Graeme McDowell had started well on day one, with a four-under-par round to sit inside the top ten. McIlroy birdied the final three holes to save a level-par 72 in his opening round.
The Valspar Championship, the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play and the Valero Texas Open are all now cancelled, with The Masters due to get underway on Thursday, April 9th.
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