SEOUL: South Korea’s biggest golf tournament was moved to Las Vegas because of coronavirus restrictions on Tuesday, as the rest of the US PGA Tour’s $30 million ‘Asian swing’ also looked in doubt. The CJ Cup, originally due to take place on Jeju island from October 15-18, will now be played at Las Vegas’s Shadow Creek course on the same dates, the PGA Tour and sponsors CJ Group said in a joint statement. South Korea ––- which had brought its outbreak largely under control, but is now tackling several clusters of infections ––- has imposed strict limits on travel, with all arrivals required to spend two weeks in quarantine. Separately, the PGA Tour said it was in talks over the fate of Japan’s Zozo Championship and the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, which are scheduled to be held in consecutive weeks after the CJ Cup. With combined purses of $29.75 million, the PGA Tour’s three-stop swing has been the highlight of Asia’s golf calendar in recent seasons. The $10.25 million Shanghai tournament has been under a cloud since Chinese authorities banned most international sports events this year, to guard against coronavirus outbreaks. All three tournaments attract top-quality players. The Zozo Championship was won last year by Tiger Woods, who equalled Sam Snead’s record of 82 PGA Tour victories.
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