Ally McDonald of the United States in action during the ISPS Handa Vic Open in Geelong, Australia, February 7, 2020. /VCG Photo
The LPGA Tour, the elite women's professional golf circuit, said on Monday it had cancelled tournaments in Thailand and Singapore later this month due to the coronavirus outbreak.
More than 40,000 people have been infected by the virus on the Chinese mainland, with more than 1,000 deaths, and the outbreak has had a major impact on the sports calendar in Asia.
The Honda LPGA Thailand event in Pattaya scheduled for February 20-23 and the February 27-March 1 HSBC Women's World Championship in Singapore have both been canceled.
So-yeon Ryu of South Korea in action during the ISPS Handa Vic Open in Geelong, Australia, February 9, 2020. /VCG Photo
The LPGA said in a statement it was disappointed to cancel the events but looked forward to returning to Asia soon.
"It is always a difficult decision to cancel events and the LPGA greatly appreciates the understanding and all the efforts made by our title sponsors as well as IMG to host incredible events for our players," it said.
"The health and safety of our players, fans and everyone working on the event is always our highest priority."
Last month it also canceled the Blue Bay tournament in south China's Hainan Province, which was due to take place from March 5-8.
With tournaments in Australia unaffected, the tour will complete the Women's Australian Open at the Royal Adelaide Golf Club this week before resuming in North America from mid-March.
It is scheduled to return to Asia in October for tournaments in China, China's Taiwan and Japan.