WASHINGTON, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The Houston Golf Open is moving forward a week to make way for the newly rescheduled Masters tournament, which will now be played between Nov. 12-15, the event organizers said on Monday.
The Houston event, run since last year by the Houston Astros, will be held between Nov. 5-8.
"Augusta National and the PGA Tour requested that we move our dates so that the Masters can be played at the most optimal time in the fall for that event, and we were happy to accommodate," Astros Golf Foundation president Giles Kibbe said in a statement. "This is a win-win for both tournaments."
"The Masters has their rescheduled dates, and the change places our tournament as the premier tournament to once again be played the week prior. We anticipate having one of the strongest fields that the Houston Open has ever seen."
The schedule shift puts the Houston Open back in its familiar place ahead of the Masters, albeit in a different time of year.
From 2007-18, the Houston Open was the last PGA Tour event before the Masters, the year's first major event which is traditionally held in April. The Houston Open first moved to the fall last year.
"That being said, we emphasize that this is all incumbent upon the direction of the CDC and local health officials. We understand that our number one priority continues to be the health and safety of all," Kibbe added.
In a joint statement on Monday, golf organizations announced a revamped schedule that calls for play to resume in mid-June, with the PGA Championship set for Aug. 6-9 and the U.S. Open set for Sept. 17-20. The British Open, the oldest golf event in the world, was canceled for the first time since 1945. Enditem
