There will be no college golf at the Atlantic Coast Conference this fall.
© Provided by Golf Channel
The conference’s board of directors announced Wednesday that while football and other autumn sports will be allowed to compete starting in the week of September 7, men’s and women’s golf have been among the canceled sports for autumn.
“Today’s decision was made after months of careful planning by many people during the conference,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. “The board’s decision presents a path, if the public health orientation permits, to move ahead with the competition. Our institutions are committed to taking the necessary steps to facilitate return safely and responsibly. We recognize that you may need to be agile and make changes in the future. We will be as prepared as possible in case of need. “
Golf joins men’s, women’s tennis, rowing, men’s and women’s lacrosse, softball and baseball for the demolition of the autumn part of its season. Those sports – all the multi-season sports that hold their leagues in the spring – will be allowed to practice this fall and individuals can compete without attachment with their teams.
In the meantime, field hockey, men’s and women’s football and volleyball will begin conference hours only or shortly after September 10th. The first Saturday of ACC football will be September 12th.
The ACC’s decision comes after several conferences have already provided updates on autumn sports. The Ivy League was the first conference to cancel all autumn sports, to which six others added: Atlantic 10, Colonial, MAAC, MEAC, Patriot League and SWAC. The MEAC’s mandate, however, did not apply to golf, as Augusta manager Jack O’Keefe told GolfChannel.com earlier this week that the jaguars were moving forward with their fall schedule.
Other conferences, including the Missouri Valley, had delayed the start of autumn track and field until mid-September.
Florida state coach Trey Jones said he hopes the ACC will not set a precedent for the other Power 5 conferences, many of which are expected to announce their plans to drop by Friday.
“I understand the sensitivities and the utmost importance is all the safety of our players,” Jones said Wednesday. “Hopefully, this is something that all other conferences can understand and conferences that can find a way to play can play.”
Before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of last season in mid-March, there were six male ACC teams ranked in the top 25 of Golfstat, including no. 5 Wake Forest and n. 7 Georgia Tech. On the women’s side, number 1 Wake Forest led two other ACC teams in the top 25.
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