BETHESDA, Md. -- The PGA Tour announced Saturday that the Greenbrier Classic scheduled for next month has been canceled because of flooding in West Virginia.
The tournament had been scheduled for July 7-10 at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, which was inundated with floodwaters after heavy storms rolled into the state Thursday. Tour officials say the Old White TPC, the host course, suffered extensive damage and "is beyond reasonable repair to conduct the tournament."
PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said officials were heartbroken by the devastation in West Virginia.
"Canceling the Greenbrier Classic is certainly the most prudent course of action as our foremost concern is the well-being of those who are having to live through this tragic situation," Finchem said.
Greenbrier County was the site of 15 of the 23 deaths attributed to the flooding.
This is the first time a PGA Tour event has been washed out since the Viking Classic in Madison, Miss., in 2009. Unplayable conditions also led to the cancellation of the 1996 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
The Greenbrier was supposed to be the final chance to qualify for the British Open at Royal Troon on July 14-17, with one spot available to the highest finisher who was not already eligible. Andy Pazder, the tour's chief of operations, said the Royal & Ancient Golf Club, which runs the British Open, was deciding what to do with that spot.
One possibility is to award it to the Barracuda Championship, to be played next week opposite the World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Invitational.
Sports on 06/26/2016