The 2020 Players Championship has been canceled amid concern surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, the PGA Tour announced on Thursday evening following the conclusion of Round 1. Additionally, all PGA Tour events through now and the Masters have been canceled. The Masters itself, which was set to begin on Thursday, April 9, has been postponed indefinitely.

"It is with regret that we are announcing the cancellation of The Players Championship. We have also decided to cancel all PGA Tour events â across all of our Tours â in the coming weeks, through the Valero Texas Open," the PGA Tour said in a statement.

"We have pledged from the start to be responsible, thoughtful and transparent with our decision process. We did everything possible to create a safe environment for our players in order to continue the event throughout the weekend, and we were endeavoring to give our fans a much-needed respite from the current climate. But at this point -- and as the situation continues to rapidly change -- the right thing to do for our players and our fans is to pause."

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The PGA Tour's decision to halt play at the premier event on its calendar follows the suspension of the NBA, NHL and MLS seasons as well as the cancellation of the NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments because of coronavirus.

The previous plan was to proceed at The Players Championship over the final three days without fans in attendance, but that was shelved in favor of a plan to keep everyone -- including players, caddies, families and volunteers -- away from TPC Sawgrass for the final three days.

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Additionally, the Valspar Championship, WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play and Texas Open are also canceled as well. With the Masters postponed to a later date, American golf will not resume until late April at the earliest.