NEW YORK (AFP) - The US Golf Association is cancelling local and sectional qualifying for the US Open, which remains scheduled for Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, New York, in September.

The major championship was originally set for June 18-21 at Winged Foot, and postponed as part of the major revision of the international golf calendar in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

While the tournament remains on course for September 17-20, the USGA said that the usual local and sectional qualifying, originally set to feature competition across the United States as well as in Canada, Japan and England, would not take place.

"As you can imagine, this was an incredible difficult decision, as qualifying is a cornerstone of USGA championships," said John Bodenhamer, senior managing director of Championships for the USGA.

The governing body said the fields for the US Open and the US Women's Open would be filled entirely through exemptions, with information regarding expanded exemption categories to be made available in the coming weeks.