The Queen: Play to resume at BMW PGA Championship on Saturday

By Sports Desk September 09, 2022

Play will resume at the BMW PGA Championship on Saturday after a day's pause following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Event organisers halted play late on Thursday and all day Friday following news of Her Majesty's passing at the age of 96.

However, the DP World Tour has confirmed play will resume at Wentworth on Saturday, with the tournament to be contested over 54 holes rather than 72.

"The decision to restart on Saturday has been taken in accordance with Official National Mourning guidance and in consultation with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)," the DP World Tour's statement read.

"The Wentworth event will give players, caddies, staff, volunteers and spectators the opportunity to come together across the weekend, not only to express their condolences but also to celebrate the extraordinary life of Her Majesty.

"The second round of the BMW PGA Championship will resume at 6.40am on Saturday morning and all original second round tee times will remain the same. 

"Those players who are yet to complete their first round will do so from 7.30am onwards from the place on the golf course where they stopped on Thursday afternoon.

"Across the weekend at Wentworth, black ribbons will be made available for people to wear and flags will continue to fly at half-mast."

"In addition, there will be a two-minute silence at 9.50am on Saturday morning across the venue to commemorate the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, with the proclamation of King Charles III being shown on the television screens in the Championship Village from 10am."

Tommy Fleetwood, Andy Sullivan and Viktor Hovland held a joint-lead with an eight-under par 64 when play came to a stop on Thursday.

England's third Test against South Africa at The Oval will also resume on Saturday, while the Super League clash between Huddersfield Giants and Salford Red Devils will go ahead as planned.

Friday's meeting between Catalans Dragons and Leeds Rhinos had already been given the green light to take place as it is being held in Perpignan in the south of France.

However, all Premier League and English Football League fixtures this weekend have been called off, as has Saturday's undisputed middleweight championship bout between Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall.

The fight at the O2 Arena in London has been provisionally postponed until October 15.

Related items

  • Bravo joins Afghanistan as bowling consultant for T20 World Cup Bravo joins Afghanistan as bowling consultant for T20 World Cup

    The Afghanistan Cricket Board has appointed former West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo as their bowling consultant for the 2024 T20 World Cup, to be held in the Caribbean and the USA from June 1-29.

    Afghanistan have already arrived in St Kitts and Nevis and are expected to begin a ten-day preparatory camp, during which Bravo will join the team.

    Bravo, part of the two-time T20 World Cup-winning West Indies side, retired from international cricket after the 2021 T20 World Cup but continues to play in T20 leagues around the world.

    Earlier this year, he featured for eventual champions MI Emirates in the IL T20. He is currently the leading wicket-taker in T20 cricket with 625 wickets in 573 games.

    Bravo is also the bowling coach of five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings, a position he took over after retiring from the IPL in December 2022.

    Afghanistan play their first warm-up game against Oman on May 29 followed by the second one on May 31 against Scotland.

    At the World Cup, Afghanistan are placed in Group C alongside West Indies, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Uganda. They start their campaign against Uganda on June 5 in Providence.

  • Women's CPL games to feature alongside Windies, SA T20I series in August Women's CPL games to feature alongside Windies, SA T20I series in August

    For the first time, a women's franchise game will be played alongside a men's international, as Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced the fixtures of this year's Women's Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) to be held in Trinidad and Tobago, in August.

    Three WCPL matches will be a part of double-headers along with West Indies men's T20 international series against South Africa.

    Johnny Grave, CEO of Cricket West Indies, described the move as an exciting new concept for the second edition of the WCPL, which is scheduled for August 21 to 29.

    "Women's cricket continues to be a strategic priority for Cricket West Indies, and this is another exciting new concept for WCPL 2024," Grave said.

    "We are certain that there will be huge interest from people in Trinidad in these double headers, as fans will be able to watch world class international Men's cricket, followed by the best female cricketers in the region competing alongside some of the best overseas players in the world,” he added.

    All the WCPL games will take place at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, with the double-headers scheduled for August 23, 25 and 27.

    Pete Russell, CEO of the Caribbean Premier League, also expressed excitement at the move.

    "We are very excited to be able to work with Cricket West Indies to have the WCPL take place at the same time as these Men's T20 Internationals. It is another example of how the two organisations are working in harmony to provide the best outcome for fans, players and cricket in the region. We look forward to another successful WCPL as the tournament continues to grow year on year,” Russell reasoned.

    The Hayley Matthews-led Barbados Royals clinched the previous edition of the WCPL, where a total of seven matches were held, including the final, among three teams.

    South Africa are scheduled to tour the Caribbean for two Tests in Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana from August 7. This will be followed by the three-match T20I series at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy from August 23 ahead of the CPL.

    The two teams will also play a four-day warm-up game ahead of the Test series in Tarouba.

  • Ronaldo headlines Portugal squad for Euro 2024 Ronaldo headlines Portugal squad for Euro 2024

    Cristiano Ronaldo will lead Portugal into his 11th major international tournament after being named in Roberto Martinez's 26-man squad for Euro 2024.

    Ronaldo opted against retiring from international football after Portugal suffered a surprise exit at the hands of Morocco at the 2022 World Cup, remaining an integral part of the Selecao setup under Martinez. 

    His 14 European Championship goals are an all-time tournament record, putting him five clear of Michel Platini, and he will look to widen that gap in Germany this year.

    Portugal, who won all 10 of their qualifiers while scoring 36 goals, will open their Group F campaign against the Czech Republic before facing Turkey and Georgia. 

    There are few surprises in Martinez's squad overall, with Manchester City's Matheus Nunes and fellow midfielder Renato Sanches among the most notable absentees.

    Bayern Munich's Raphael Guerreiro is absent after missing the end of the Bundesliga campaign through injury, but Wolves winger Pedro Neto is included despite only returning from a hamstring issue on the final day of the Premier League season.

    He is one of 10 players from England's top flight to receive the call-up, with Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes and City star Bernardo Silva among the biggest names to make the cut. 

    Unlike England boss Gareth Southgate, Martinez opted against naming an expanded squad and cutting it down to 26 closer to the tournament, so his final party will take on Finland, Croatia and the Republic of Ireland in warm-up friendlies next month. 

    Full 26-man squad: Diogo Costa (Porto), Jose Sa (Wolves), Rui Patricio (Roma), Antonio Silva (Benfica), Danilo Pereira (Paris Saint-Germain), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting CP), Joao Cancelo (Barcelona), Nelson Semedo (Wolves), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain), Pepe (Porto), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Joao Neves (Benfica), Joao Palhinha (Fulham), Otavio Monteiro (Al-Nassr), Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr), Diogo Jota (Liverpool), Francisco Conceicao (Porto), Goncalo Ramos (Paris Saint-Germain), Joao Felix (Barcelona), Pedro Neto (Wolves), Rafael Leao (Milan).

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.