Coronavirus: Golf's 2020 Masters tournament suspended

One of golf's biggest championships, the 2020 Masters tournament, has been suspended until further notice as a result of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic which broke out in the Hubei province of Wuhan, China.

Coronavirus cases all over the world have risen to about 125,000 as of Friday afternoon with close to 5,000 deaths.

Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, made the announcement on Friday.

Ridley said in a statement:

"Ultimately, the health and well-being of everyone associated with these events and the citizens of the Augusta community led us to this decision. We hope this postponement puts us in the best position to safely host the Masters Tournament and our amateur events at some later date."

Major sporting events across the globe including the NBA, football leagues such as the Premier League, Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie, Uefa Champions League and Europa League, have been postponed.

Other sporting events such as Formula One, The National Hockey League - NHL, US' Major League Soccer (MLS), Major League Baseball (MLB), World Cup Qualifiers, etc, have also been suspended.