In what month and year did World War II start, cancelling the planned 1940 Open?

World War II started in September 1939, forcing the cancellation of the planned 1940 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

Royal Birkdale had been selected in early 1939 to host the 1940 Open. However, Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, and Britain and France declared war on Germany on 3 September. The rapidly expanding conflict made staging an international golf championship impossible, so the event was cancelled.

The Open Championship did not resume until 1946, when Royal Birkdale instead hosted the Amateur Championship. Its first Open Championship eventually took place in 1954, won by Australian Peter Thomson. The cancellation is therefore part of the club’s unusual prewar history rather than a result of course conditions or scheduling changes.

A common mix-up is confusing the start of the war with Britain’s declaration of war. Both occurred in September 1939, so the month-and-year answer remains the same regardless of which milestone is used.