Memphis’ premier golf tournament is still on and, for now, fans will be able to watch the world’s best golfers in person at TPC Southwind
The World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational will take place July 30-Aug. 2, the PGA Tour announced Thursday. It will now be scheduled a week before the PGA Championship’s rescheduled date.
“We’re moving forward that we will have a tournament with fans,” WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational executive director Darrell Smith told the Memphis Commercial-Appeal.
The tournament was moved back four weeks from its original date of July 2-5 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement, the Tour said it will “continually review available COVID-19-related protocols that could be implemented at PGA Tour events to ensure the health and well-being for all involved.”
Smith added that while he remains optimistic this year’s tournament will proceed in a similar fashion to last year, he will adjust to whatever guidelines are set by local and national health organizations.
“The key point is we are going to not do anything that’s not safe for our players, our sponsors, our volunteers and the community of Memphis,” Smith said. “We will be 100 percent aligned with local health department officials, CDC and World Health Organization as we move forward in the planning. We want to be responsible and thoughtful and transparent with all the different constituents as we move forward with the planning of the event.”
Tickets remain on sale at the tournament website. Smith acknowledged the tournament would be willing to work with customers who already purchased tickets but can’t make it now due to the date change.
“It’s extremely exciting for us to know that while none of us know exactly what’s going to happen, this provides us four additional weeks of planning, four additional weeks of time,” Smith said, “and it puts us in the best position to put on a tournament that the city of Memphis and the entire surrounding area deserves.”
Evan Barnes is a staffer for the Memphis Commercial-Appeal, part of the USA Today Network. You can follow Evan Barnes on Twitter (@Evan_B) or by email at evan.barnes@commercialappeal.com