Jan 13 (Reuters) – The European Challenge Tour and Sunshine Tour on Wednesday postponed three co-sanctioned events scheduled to take place in South Africa next month due to safety concerns arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Challenge Tour’s South African swing will now begin in the week of April 22-25, with the tournament and its venue to be announced later.

The opening event will be followed by the Cape Town Open at Royal Cape Golf Club from April 29-May 2 and the Dimension Data Pro-Am at Fancourt Golf Estate from May 6-9.

“In light of the current worldwide increase in COVID-19 cases and after consultation with our own health experts… we believe it is the most responsible course of action to postpone these tournaments,” said Sunshine Tour Commissioner Thomas Abt.

“The safety of our members as well as our staff is our primary concern.”

(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Click For Restrictions – https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html