The officials cancelled the Web.com Tour Championship golf tournament as the deadly Hurricane Matthew churning toward the Bahamas on track to the Florida coast. The tournament was schedule to tee off Thursday in Jacksonville, Florida.

Web.com Tour president Bill Calfee said in a statement, that, "It is unfortunate that we've had to cancel our season-ending event."

"However, our first priority is the safety of our players, fans, volunteers and staff. With Hurricane Matthew on the horizon, it is critical that we make sure everyone involved with the Web.com Tour Championship has ample time to evacuate the Northeast Florida area and return home."

The tournament was to have been the culmination of a four-event playoff series on the developmental tour through which rising talents can secure playing privileges on the US PGA Tour for the 2016-17 season.

The 25 US PGA Tour cards which would have been awarded at the end of the event will now be awarded based on players' earnings through the first three playoff tournaments.

Hurricane Matthew left at least nine people dead in the Caribbean, with Haiti postponing a presidential election that was scheduled for Sunday.

Matthew hit both Haiti and Cuba as a Category Four hurricane but has since been downgraded to a three on a scale of five.

Also Read: Hurricane Matthew shifts closer to Florida

Nandini