PGTI postpones all tournaments post March 16 due to coronavirus pandemic

All tournaments of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) from March 16 have been postponed indefinitely due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The deadly disease has killed over 4000 and infected more than 1,00,000 globally.

"... keeping in mind the safety and good health of all PGTI professionals and the entire PGTI team, I regret to inform that all PGTI tournaments post 16th March 2020 are being postponed till such time the situation allows and the Government declares it safe," PGTI CEO, Uttam Singh Mundy said in a statement.

"However, we will continue to take advice from the relevant authorities while monitoring the situation closely before deciding on the rescheduled dates for the events in Gujarat, Pune, Noida & Chandigarh."

The Coronavirus outbreak, declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday, has wrecked havoc on the sporting calender across the world, putting even the Tokyo Olympics under threat.

In India, the shooting World Cup and the Indian Open golf tournament were postponed, while badminton's India Open will be played without any spectators.

Given the health hazard, the government on Wednesday suspended all visas, barring a few categories like diplomatic and employment, in an attempt to prevent the spread of coronavirus as cases across India rose to more than 70.

The Sports Ministry also issued an advisory on Thursday to all national federations to follow the Health Ministry's advisory and avoid large gatherings in sports events.