The 43rd Ryder Cup has been postponed until 2021, and will be played between September 24 and September 26.The tournament was set to take place between September 25-27 this year at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, USA.The decision to postpone the tournament was made by the PGA of America, the European Tour and the PGA tour alongside the state of Wisconsin and Sheboygan County.The health and well-being of everyone involved was a priority in making the decision to reschedule the Ryder Cup, based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Seth Waugh, the PGA of America CEO, said: “It became clear that as of today, our medical experts and the public authorities in Wisconsin could not give us certainty that conducting an event responsibly with thousands of spectators in September would be possible. Given that uncertainty, we knew rescheduling was the right call.“As disappointing as this is, our mandate to do all we can to safeguard public health is what matters most. The spectators who support both the U.S. and European sides are what make the Ryder Cup such a unique and compelling event and playing without them was not a realistic option."The Presidents Cup has also been postponed and will now take place in September 2022 at Quail Hollow.

The Ryder Cup was last postponed in 2001 because of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Before then, the Ryder Cup was held on odd-numbered years - something that will return as a result of this postponement.

The 44th Ryder Cup in Italy will now be contested in 2023.

The European Ryder Cup director, Guy Kinnings, said: "The Ryder Cup is rightly celebrated as one of the world's greatest sporting occasions, made special and totally unique in our sport by the fervent atmosphere created by the passionate spectators of both sides.

"While that point is significant, it is not as important as the health of the spectators which, in these difficult times, is always the main consideration. We considered all options including playing with a limited attendance but all our stakeholders agreed this would dilute the magic of this great occasion.

"We therefore stand beside our partners at the PGA of America in the decision to postpone the Ryder Cup for a year and join with them in extending our thanks to the PGA Tour for their willingness to help by moving the date of the Presidents Cup.

"We also thank NBC, Sky Sports and our many broadcast partners around the globe, in addition to the worldwide partners of this great event, whose support and commitment are second to none."

Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka were amongst the players calling for the tournament to be postponed, with Koepka saying: "The Ryder Cup is a true sporting event. It's different than any other golf tournament we play. If we can have fans, that's perfect, and if we can't, it just seems kind of like an exhibition, which it kind of already is. I just don't want to play it without fans."

The United States has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, with 3.05 million confirmed cases and 113,000 deaths. It would, therefore, be irresponsible for players and spectators to travel to Wisconsin from around the world to watch the tournament.

To keep the atmosphere alive and ensure players and spectators are kept safe, this decision must be seen as a wise one.