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Ticketholders for The Open in Sandwich have been advised what will happen if the event is cancelled - despite continued preparations for it to be staged.
Prospective attendees today received an email explaining they would be refunded if the prestigious 149th event is called off amid the coronavirus crisis.
It read: "We can confirm that if The 149th Open at Royal St George’s is cancelled, all fans who have purchased tickets directly via TheOpen.com or The R&A Ticket Office will be entitled to a full refund.
"In the event of other outcomes being confirmed, we will communicate with ticket holders as soon as information and processes are in place.
"We are unable to process individual requests for a refund at this stage so please bear with us while we are working around the clock and we will continue to keep ticket holders updated with further updates as soon as new information is available.
"Please also note that The Open’s ticketing team are currently working from home and not in the office so all enquiries should be directed to Tickets@TheOpen.com.
"If you do need to speak to someone over the phone, please leave your telephone number and a member of the team will endeavour to contact you in due course."
The R&A has already culled two of its international amateur events which were both due to take place next month.
But say its two professional events - The 149th Open at Royal St George’s and the AIG Women’s British Open at Royal Troon - remain under review.
Chief executive of The R&A, Martin Slumbers, said teams are examining a range of scenarios for staging the championships, with a focus on proceeding as planned, as well as considering other contingency options available.
He said: “Our absolute priority is to ensure the safety of players, fans, officials, staff and all involved in our championships and that will be at the forefront of our thinking as we monitor developments.
“We have some time before we start building the infrastructure at both venues and so we are keeping the scheduled dates in place for The Open and AIG Women’s British Open at this point.
"We recognise that this is a rapidly changing situation and we will keep everyone informed of any changes to our plans. These are difficult times but we are bearing in mind our responsibility for what’s right for golf and most importantly for society.”
