The World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship won’t be played in Mexico City in late February due to COVID-19 concerns, Golfweek has learned.
Instead, the tournament will kick off the Florida Swing of the PGA Tour season a week earlier than anticipated at its temporary home, The Concession Golf Club, in Bradenton, Florida, according to multiple sources. A source also confirmed that the tournament will have a different name this year.
The PGA Tour confirmed the move on Friday and also stated that it’s a one-year relocation from Mexico City. The tour reports that it’s working to secure a title sponsor for the 2021 event.
The decision to move the event should come as no surprise as the United States and Mexico are currently temporarily restricting all non-essential travel across its borders, and advising no travel between the two countries.
The WGC-Mexico has been contested at Club de Golf Chapultepec in Naucalpan, Mexico, just west of Mexico City, since 2017. It previously was hosted at Trump Doral near Miami until Cadillac’s sponsorship expired and a replacement sponsor couldn’t be found. Grupo Salinas, which includes TV Azteca and retailer Grupo Elektra, stepped in and moved the tournament south of the border. Last year, Patrick Reed claimed his eighth victory on the PGA Tour and second WGC title.
The state of Florida has served as the site of the NBA’s playoff “bubble,” allowed limited fans to NFL and college bowl games, and the PGA Tour already had announced that the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens plans to have limited spectators later this year.
The Concession opened in 2006 and was co-designed by Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin and named in honor of the 1969 Ryder Cup, where Nicklaus conceded a short putt to Jacklin. Concession ranks No. 9 in Golfweek’s Best state-by-state private list. The course previously hosted the men’s and women’s NCAA Championship in 2015.