Golf News: European Tour reinstates quarantined Italians amid coronavirus

Lorenzo Gagli and Edoardo Molinari win a last-minute reprieve to play in the Oman Open after a brief quarantine for fears of exposure to coronavirus as countryman Guido Migliozzi shoots 6-under 66 to grab the 1st-round lead

Reinstated: By the European Tour, via a quick reversal early Thursday, allowing Lorenzo Gagli and Edoardo Molinari to play in the Oman Open after the Italians were forced to withdraw from the tournament and be isolated briefly in Muscat, Oman, because of suspicion that they might have been exposed to coronavirus. In a statement, the tour referred to “exceptional circumstances” in reinstating the players to the field. They played in a twosome at Al Mouj Golf, expanding the field size to 146. Gagli stood 3 under and Molinari was 2 under through 17 holes when darkness halted play. Countryman Guido Migliozzi shot 6-under 66 to open a one-stroke lead. Migliozzi, 23, a two-time winner on the European Tour, played a bogey-free round. South Africa’s Brandon Stone, Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard and South Korea’s Taehee Lee shared second place at 67. Four former Ryder Cup players – England’s Ross Fisher and Andy Sullivan, France’s Victor Dubuisson and Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher – were among eight players tied at 68 (scores).

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