Coronavirus fears oust 2 Italians, Molinari and Gagli, from Oman Open - Morning Read

Lorenzo Gagli and Edoardo Molinari have been isolated in Oman while awaiting test results, The Associated Press reports

Edoardo Molinari :: (© GOLFFILE / THOS CAFFREY / 2019 FILE)

UPDATE: Italian golfers Lorenzo Gagli and Edoardo Molinari have withdrawn from the European Tour’s Oman Open this week amid reports that they are being tested to determine whether they have coronavirus, The Associated Press reported Wednesday. The golfers reportedly have been isolated in Muscat, Oman, site of the tournament. “It’s an inexplicable decision,” Gagli told the Italian newspaper La Nazione. “Only us two have been excluded from the tournament, but I arrived in Muscat last Sunday and over the last few days I’ve worked out in the gym with dozens of other players. I ate with them and traveled by bus with them. If there was a risk of contagion, then they would have to isolate dozens of golfers and cancel the tournament.” A European Tour official, responding to an inquiry from the AP, confirmed that Gagli and Molinari have withdrawn from the Oman Open on “medical grounds,” declining to elaborate because of patient confidentiality. Gagli, 34, is from Florence. Molinari, 39, the older brother of former British Open champion Francesco Molinari, is a three-time winner on the European Tour and the 2005 U.S. Amateur champion who lives in Turin. As of late Wednesday, coronavirus has killed 2,771 and infected 81,406, most near the disease’s outbreak in Wuhan, China. Italy has confirmed 400 cases. There is no vaccine nor any known cure for the respiratory ailment, which features symptoms that mirror those of the flu. The disease also has begun to affect major professional golf tours, and the outbreak could affect the Summer Olympics.

Sign up to receive the Morning Read newsletter, along with Where To Golf Next and The Equipment Insider.