The GUI has cancelled the Flogas Irish Amateur Open and the four provincial championships and pieced together a limited Bridgestone Order of Merit series with a 54-hole strokeplay AIG Irish Close at Rosapenna to finalise the season in October.

The Union is also finalising a paper on its suite of All-Ireland and Provincial Inter-Club competitions, which will be circulated to clubs for their consideration and feedback early next week.

The ILGU, meanwhile, is also consulting with clubs to assess the appetite for interclub competition and hopes to issue an update on its schedule soon.

Events will only proceed following rigorous risk management and consultation with the latest public health advice.

Following the announcement of the Republic of Ireland’s Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business and Northern Ireland’s Plan for a Phased, Strategic Approach to Recovery, the Union has updated its Championship schedule for 2020. 

The Flogas Irish Amateur Open Championship has been cancelled due to the uncertainty around international travel and related disease control challenges.

The ‘big-four’ provincial championships – the North, South, East and West of Ireland – have also been cancelled after detailed consideration of any and all options for rescheduling. The Interprovincial Championship and the Underage Interprovincials have also been cancelled.

A limited series of Bridgestone Order of Merit events have been rescheduled, with the Munster Stroke Play, Mullingar Scratch Trophy and Connacht Stroke Play all being rescheduled for August and September, following which the AIG Irish Amateur Close Championship will be the season-ender at Rosapenna from 9-11 October. 

Th GUI hopes to publish the terms of competion for all events next week, however, it appears that the AIG Irish Close will be llimted to 90 players over 54 holes of strokeplay.

The GUI and Provincial Branches have sought to provide as much of a balance of age categories as possible in scheduling and rescheduling other championships throughout August, September and October. 

Caddies will be prohibited in all events, and the format and terms of competition may be altered.

Championship entrants will be contacted directly regarding the status of each championship they have entered, and in the event they have entered a championship that is now cancelled they will receive a refund as soon as possible.

All entries for Championships which have either been rescheduled or for which the dates are being retained will continue to stand. Entrants who do not wish to participate may withdraw up to the closing date for entries and receive a full refund. 

All closing dates have been revised to two weeks prior to the start of the championship, so as to ensure continual review of public health measures. Draws will continue to be published seven days beforehand. 

The priority at all times – in all of these cases - will be the safety and wellbeing of all involved – participants, volunteers, spectators and staff. Events will only proceed following rigorous risk management and consultation with the latest public health advice from the relevant state authorities and the World Health Organisation.

The Union is also currently finalising a paper on its suite of All-Ireland and Provincial Inter-Club competitions, which will be circulated to clubs for their consideration and feedback early next week.

REVISED SCHEDULE OF GUI NATIONAL AND PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR 2020

The following revised schedule has been drawn up following detailed consideration of the Republic of Ireland’s Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business and Northern Ireland’s Plan for a Phased, Strategic Approach to Recovery.

• Caddies will now be prohibited in all events.

• The closing dates for entry in all championships will be 14 days prior to the commencement. The draw will be published seven days beforehand.

• All events will state an estimated field size based on the return-to-play protocols agreed by the GUI, ILGU, Golf Ireland and the respective Governments and state departments/agencies of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Nonetheless, the field sizes will be subject to change should public health restrictions so require.

• The Championship Committee for each event may require to significantly alter the Terms of Competition at short notice to preclude at-risk groups from participation, or cancel the event at similar short notice, subject to public health restrictions which are subject to change on an ongoing basis. Options open to organising committees will include changing formats and curtailing the number of rounds and days a championship is to be conducted over. We will work at all times to ensure the maximum level of notice of any such changes. 

• A full risk management plan will be put in place for the staging of all events in line with public health advice. This may require the publication of supplementary Terms of Competition. The safety of participants, volunteers and staff will be paramount in our planning at all times. 

List of revised fixtures (as of Monday 11th May 2020)

The following is the revised list of fixtures for 2020. This includes all events confirmed on a rescheduled date or in their original date if still feasible. Please note this list is subject to continual review and any changes will be advised as soon as possible.

July

14th July — Ulster Under-18 Close Championship (Royal Portrush Valley Links)

20th July  — Ulster Under-16/Under-14 Close Championship (Knock)

27th July  — Irish Boys Inter-Club Leinster Qualifiers (Kilkenny & Millicent)

30th July  — Irish Boys Inter-Club Leinster Qualifiers (Malahide & Woodbrook)

30th July  — Connacht Junior Close Championship Qualifiers (Ballinasloe & Ballina)

August

4th Aug — Connacht Under-16 Inter-Club Championship (Ballinrobe)

5th Aug — Munster Under-15 & Under-17 Close Championship (TBC)

10th Aug — Ulster Under-14 Boys Championship (Donaghadee)

12th Aug — Munster Under-16 Boys Championship (Roscrea)

12th-13th Aug Ulster Seniors Championship (Slieve Russell)

13th Aug — Connacht Junior Close Championships Finals (Tuam)

14th Aug — Ulster Under-16 Boys Championship (Carnalea)

15th-16th Aug Mullingar Scratch Trophy (Mullingar)

17th Aug — Irish Boys Inter-Club Ulster Section (Ballycastle & Dungannon)

19th-21st Aug Irish Under-16 Boys Championship (Lurgan)

24th-25th August Ulster Under-18 Boys Championship (Warrenpoint)

26th Aug — Irish Boys Inter-Club Munster Qualifiers (Cobh)

27th Aug — Leinster Under-16 Boys Championship (Beaverstown)

28th Aug — Irish Boys Inter-Club Munster Qualifiers (Newcastle West)

28th Aug — Irish Boys Inter-Club Connacht Qualifiers (Boyle & Gort)

29th Aug — Irish Boys Inter-Club Munster Qualifiers (Ennis & Carrick-on-Suir)

Aug TBC — Leinster Under-14 Boys Championship (TBC)

September

2nd-3rd Sept — Connacht Under-18 Boys Championship (Loughrea)

5th-6th Sept — Munster Stroke Play Championship (Cork)

12th Sept — Connacht Under-16 Boys Championship (Roscommon)

14th-15th Sept — Munster Under-18 Boys Championship (TBC)

19th-20th Sept — Connacht Stroke Play Championship (Portumna)

Sept TBC — Munster Seniors Championship (TBC)

October

3rd-4th Oct — Irish Mid-Amateur Championship (Nenagh)

6th Oct — GUI All-Ireland Gold Medals Grand Final (The K Club)

6th-7th Oct — Leinster Seniors Championship (New Forest)

9th-11th Oct — AIG Irish Amateur Close Championship (Rosapenna – Sandy Hills)

20th-21st Oct — Connacht Seniors Championship (TBC)

20th-22nd Oct — Irish Intervarsity Championship (Portsalon)

27th Oct — Connacht Under-14 Boys Championship (Strandhill)

28th-30th Oct — Leinster Under-18 Boys Championship (Glasson)

The Union is also working on plans to reschedule the Irish Seniors Close Championship, the Irish Boys Amateur Open Championship and the Irish Under-14 Boys Amateur Open Championship, but in the case of the latter two events they will be conducted as Close Championships (Irish entrants only) in 2020. All Irish entries for these will therefore stand, and overseas entries will be granted a refund as soon as possible. Details will be available on these as soon as possible.

The Irish Colleges Match Play Final Series, and the Irish Schools Junior and Senior Championship competitions – all of which had progressed significantly prior to the restrictions being introduced – are still under review and the intention remains to conclude these if possible. Further details will be made available shortly.

List of Cancellations (as of Monday 11th May 2020)

The following events have been cancelled. Where it applies, entrants will have their fees refunded as soon as possible, if not already actioned.

22 March — Ulster Regional Series 2 of 3 (Ballyliffin)

7 April — Connacht Boys Alliance No 3 (Ballyhaunis)

8 Apr – 14 Apr  West of Ireland Amateur Open Qualifier & Championship (Co Sligo)

10 Apr — Ulster Winter Series 2 of 3 (Edenmore)

19 Apr — Ulster Regional Series 3 of 3 (Slieve Russell)

26 Apr — Ulster Winter Series 3 of 3 (Galgorm Castle)

30 Apr — Connacht U15 Schools Development (Castlebar)

20 May – 22 May Irish Seniors Amateur Open Championship (Castlewarden)

23 May — Leinster Mid–Amateur Open Championship (Balbriggan)

25 May – 26 May Ulster Stroke Play Open Championship (Galgorm Castle)

30 May – 1 Jun   East of Ireland Amateur Open Championship (Co Louth) 

11 June — Ulster Schools Junior Championship (Tandragee)

20 June — Munster Mid–Amateur Open Championship (Nenagh) 

26 June — Munster U14 Boys Championship (Cahir Park)

1 July —  Munster U13 Close Qualifier (Adare Manor)

4 July —  Ulster Mid–Amateur Open Championship (Rosapenna)

6 July —  Leinster U16 Close Championship (Ashbourne)

13 July —  Munster U13 Close Qualifier (Macroom)

13 Jul – 17 Jul    North of Ireland Amateur Open Championship (Royal Portrush)  

19 July —  Ulster Scratch Foursomes Championship (Malone)

21-23 July — Underage Interprovincial Championships (Mullingar)

22 Jul – 26 Jul    South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship (Lahinch Old Course)

13 Aug – 16 Aug Flogas Irish Amateur Open Championship (Galway)

28 Aug – 30 Aug Men’s Interprovincial Championship (Ballykisteen)

12 Sept —    Connacht Mid-Amateur Championship (Roscommon)