Golf Association of Philadelphia postpones Philadelphia Open, citing New Jersey’s quarantine directive

The Open championship had been scheduled to start Monday but GAP officials were concerned about whether players from Delaware would be able to compete after New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy added that state to his quarantine order.

Matt Mattare, of Jersey City, on his way to winning the Philadelphia Open in 2017.Read moreCLEM MURRAY / Staff Photographer

by Joe Juliano

Published July 11, 2020, 4:31 p.m. ET

Two days before the start of the 2020 Philadelphia Open in Galloway, N.J., the Golf Association of Philadelphia announced that the championship had been postponed as a result of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s quarantine advisory involving 19 states, including neighboring Delaware.

Under Murphy’s directive, individuals traveling to New Jersey from the designated states that have been affected by significant community spread of COVID-19 must quarantine for a 14-day period from the time of last contact within the state. Delaware had been added to the list last Tuesday.

In a statement, GAP said the order makes it “impossible to fairly assemble a field for the event at the current time.”

“There are any number of potential competitors whose travel, especially to Delaware, has raised questions as to whether they can participate in the event,” GAP said. “Consequently, we have chosen to postpone this event rather than exclude any number of players, many of whom might have a legitimate claim for exemption from the quarantine order.”

The Open, a 36-hole event that has been staged for 115 years, had been scheduled for Monday and Tuesday at Galloway National Golf Club. GAP said it intends to find a new date for the championship with a full field.