Several major sports leagues in the United States have suspended their seasons in the wake of Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert’s positive test for coronavirus, which led the NBA to halt its regular season on Wednesday night.
The PGA Tour eventually announced its contingency plan on Thursday – but the organization opted to have scheduled play continue as normal with fans in attendance during the first round of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass. The decision led one player in the field to voluntarily withdraw from the tournament and sound off on the PGA Tour’s policy on Twitter.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan announced in a statement that tournaments in the United States will continue as scheduled, but spectators will not be allowed on the grounds as of Friday.
“PGA Tour events – across all Tours – will currently proceed as scheduled, but will do so without fans. This policy starts at THE PLAYERS Championship tomorrow (Friday) and continues through the Valero Texas Open. It’s important to note, that could change, but for the time being, this decision allows the PGA TOUR, or fans and constituents to plan, prepare and respond as events develop.”
C.T. Pan, the No. 97 player in the world, was scheduled to tee off at TPC Sawgrass on Thursday afternoon, but revealed that he left the course and will not participate.
😣😣😣 https://t.co/1XKtYzpeYT
— C.T. Pan (@ctpangolf) March 12, 2020
We already left hours ago. Not going to play😣
— C.T. Pan (@ctpangolf) March 12, 2020
https://twitter.com/ctpangolf/status/1238140911718203392
Read more about The Players Championship on Golfweek.
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