New COVID-19 variant wreaking havoc on DP World Tour’s South African swing

The newly rebranded DP World Tour is starting its inception with a major bump in the road, as a new COVID-19 variant has forced alterations to the tour’s next two events. 

After a slew of British and Irish players withdrew Friday from the Joburg Open after the U.K. government placed a ban on flights from South Africa, the DP World Tour released a joint statement with the Sunshine Tour announcing that the current tournament will go on as planned, but the next two will not. 

The South African Open Championship, set to be played next week at the Gary Player Country Club will still go on as scheduled, but it will be played solely as a Sunshine Tour event. 

The Alfred Dunhill Championship, which was set to be played the week after The South African Open has been canceled because of the “adverse effect the travel restrictions will have on the field.”