European Tour booked for Cyprus trip as three new events announced

The European Tour is heading to Cyprus for the first time after three new events were added to the 2020 schedule.

The Cyprus Open will take place from October 29 to November 1 at the Aphrodite Hills Resort in Paphos, with the same venue then staging the Cyprus Classic a week later.

Spectators will not be present at either tournament, which have been added by the European Tour as they look to build out the season amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Before heading to Cyprus, however, the Scottish Championship will be played at Fairmont St Andrews from October 15-18, extending the second UK Swing to four events as it follows on from the Irish Open, the Scottish Open and the PGA Championship.

"We are pleased to be able to announce these three new tournaments as part of our 2020 International Schedule, which will continue to give valuable playing opportunities to our members," Ben Cowen, who is the European Tour’s Deputy Chief Operating Officer International, said.

“We are grateful to Aphrodite Hills Resort and ISM (International Sports Management, who are promoting both Cyprus events) for their support in staging two consecutive tournaments as part of our first trip to Cyprus, and we look forward to showcasing the country to our global television audience.

"Similarly, our thanks also go to Fairmont St Andrews, which has previously staged the Scottish Senior Open, for stepping up to now host the Scottish Championship, which extends our second UK Swing to four events.

"As the home of golf, Scotland obviously has many top-class golfing venues and we are delighted to be visiting another of those."

Meanwhile, the European Tour announced both the Turkish Airlines Open and the Nedbank Golf Challenge have been cancelled, while a venue is still to be confirmed for the Italian Open in late October.

Published 28 Aug 2020, 21:08 IST