HOW VALUABLE ARE UK MINI TOURS DURING THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK?

It's no secret that the Coronavirus has made us drastically alter our daily routines. While there are a great majority who have the good fortune of working from home and continue to earn money, there are those who do not have that luxury. Those who make their living based on their results (i.e. no contract or salary) are in a very uncertain situation at the moment. Professional golf and tennis are two sports that are most affected by the postponement of events. Sure, those at the top level are affected in the sense that they can't compete, but financial concerns for them ended a long time ago. Those with real concern are the golfers who ply their trade on golf's lower tiers.

Prior to the Coronavirus becoming a pandemic, those not at the top level still had an ideal early-season schedule: 3 Challenge Tour events in South Africa from late January to mid-February and then compete on the MENA Tour until late April. A few weeks off and then the Challenge Tour would resume in Prague, Czech Republic, in early May. If only they knew what sort of difficulties were on the horizon.

The 3 events in South Africa did take place as planned. Although the MENA Tour did stage the first 5 events without issue, the tour decided to postpone the remaining 6 events until September-December due to the various health and travel restrictions associated with the virus. As for the Challenge Tour, they cancelled the Prague event and will now start in Switzerland in late May at the earliest.

For most players, the significant schedule change has forced them to find places to play. Mini tours in the UK have been a godsend for many players, especially The Clutch Pro Tour. Offering by far the biggest prize funds of any mini tour in the UK, the tour recently held their first "Major" of the season on March 20th. The prize fund was £25,000 and Scott Gregory took home the winner's check of £10,000. Several European Tour and Challenge Tour members competed in this 18-hole event at The Shire London. Obviously, mini tours had no idea that they would be playing an enormous role in a golf pro's season due to the postponement/cancellation of many events.

The Jamega Tour is hosting their first event April 6-7 and I would expect this field to be incredibly strong with European Tour players taking part, as their season has been postponed until late May at the earliest. This event is still scheduled to take place at the time of writing this post.

Other tours such as the 2020 Pro Tour (open to men and women), 1836 Tour, and TP Tour provide additional opportunities for male and female players at this crucial time. As far as I'm aware, there are no women-only golf tours in the UK and, with the Ladies European Tour season at a standstill, it is imperative that British female golfers have the opportunity to keep their game sharp and earn some money along the way.

All this takes on more significance because the third tier PGA EuroPro Tour has cancelled its entire season, originally set to begin in May. This is a premier developmental tour in the UK, with the top-5 on the money list earning promotion to the Challenge Tour. Many young British golfers will be leaning on the mini tours to get them through 2020. There are many individuals who rise to the top when their backs are against the wall. Unfortunately, many professionals will not have the financial resources to continue past this season. What we have to remember is that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and our lives will return to a sense of normalcy in the (hopefully) not too distant future. In the meantime, let's stay isolated and prevent those who are vulnerable from being exposed to this deadly virus.