Tag: coronavirus pga tour

Memorial Tournament can have fans, but will they come?

How will Memorial organizers deal with dozens of safety protocols that will test how badly fans want to show up to watch golf in person?

Muirfield Village is about to find out if its bunkers are made of quicksand.

The private golf club in Dublin got the go-ahead Friday to allow a limited number of fans to attend the Memorial Tournament on July 16-19, becoming the first PGA Tour event to be played with spectators since the coronavirus pandemic shut down most American sports, in mid-March.

A maximum of about 8,000 spectators will be permitted on the 18-hole course at any one time, according to a draft prepared by tournament organizers.

Getting clearance from the state of Ohio was essential, but also the easy part. Next up: navigating dozens of safety protocols that will test how badly fans want to show up to watch professional golf in person, and how long they remain on site.

Wearing masks for hours on end in potential 90-degree heat? Mandatory temperature readings before entering the course? Social distancing on the hillside around the 18th green? We are about to find out how well that works, as the Memorial becomes a guinea pig for golf and many outdoor sporting events.

Tournament director Dan Sullivan welcomes the opportunity to show how his event can provide leadership in becoming the first tour event with spectators since the first round of the Players Championship on March 12.

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“The Memorial is looking forward to … (becoming) an example of how public gathering events can be developed and implemented with approved and accepted protocols in place,” the tournament said in a release Friday, hours after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced a lifting of restrictions on specific large-group events, including the Memorial.

Sullivan said on Saturday that the tournament would begin announcing ticket plans in the next two weeks.

DeWine’s latest phasing out of restraints related to the COVID-19 pandemic takes effect in two weeks and also includes casinos, racinos, amusement parks, water parks and outdoor theaters, once they submit an activation plan. The overall ban on 11 or more remains in place, absent state approval.

A week before the Memorial, on July 9-12, Muirfield Village will host a new, one-time-only PGA Tour event that will be held without fans. The tour has not revealed the name of that tournament, but it will be sponsored by the software company Workday.

The new event will allow Memorial organizers to “test run” safety practices on tour players and members of the competition committee, including daily temperature checks and COVID-19 testing upon arrival and once during the week. Golfers at both events have the option of competing with or without masks.

Getting a head start on implementing safety measures on players, volunteers and staff is a big deal, but the bigger deal comes when fans show up for the Memorial.

The Memorial’s action plan, which undoubtedly will be massaged once Sullivan sees how the tour handles safety protocols at the five tournaments preceding the Memorial — all to be played without spectators — is impressive in its attention to detail. Its draft includes:

• Daily attendance reduced by one-half to one-third of normal. The Memorial typically does not release crowd figures, but the 8,000 estimate represents about 20% of maximum capacity.

• Each hole will include designated sitting or standing corrals, through which a predetermined number of spectators will be permitted. Each corral will be marked with a maximum number of fans and will be monitored.

• Nonsurgical masks will be required upon entry for all attendees, with exempted exceptions recognized. Temperature readings will be conducted at all entrances and to all those on the property through handheld units and thermal temperature readers.

• There will be no on-site bleachers.

• Players will be advised to not interact with fans.

• All general public shuttle transport will be eliminated.

• Media will be limited to 25% of typical attendance, and there will be a 50% reduction in CBS and the Golf Channel’s on-site crew.

It remains to be seen how placing restrictions on spectators will impact both interest in attending and attitude toward what transpires on the course. No one knows for certain, but Memorial organizers believe they will be as prepared as possible.

Rob Oller is a columnist for the Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA Today Network. Email him at roller@dispatch.com and follow him on Twitter: @rollerCD

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PGA Tour’s new world: What if you miss the cut? Kevin Kisner answers

Kisner said he expects players who miss the cut will stick around until after the tournament for the PGA Tour shuttle to the next event.

The bubble is being established — a multi-layered entry point for PGA Tour players, caddies, and others to enter into the Charles Schwab Invitational in June and subsequent events.

The Tour has also created a new system, using a charter plane to shuttle players and caddies from one tournament to the next.

But what happens to those who miss the cut and are done playing on Friday?

Kevin Kisner, who’s a co-chair of the Player Advisory Council, said there are no specific rules, but he expects players will be strongly encouraged to stick around until the shuttle leaves.

“Everybody’s advised us to social distance and that’s the number one goal in all of this is follow the CDC guidelines, and we should all be able to social distance,” Kisner said on the Golf Channel to host Todd Lewis. “So if you miss a cut, I would expect that either you’re going home or you’re going to wait for that charter on Monday and stay in the same town.”

Kisner, who plans on attending the opening event in Fort Worth, Texas, from June 8-14, said he expects concessions to be made for those who miss the cut.

“I’m sure you’ll be able to have access to continue to practice at the host site through the weekend,” Kisner said. “Guys miss cuts all the time and now with the coronavirus, everybody wants to know make sure how we handle it but guys are used to being able to handle that. I think they’ll stick around and stay until Monday.”

Kisner admitted he was a little uncomfortable at first with the thought of coming back as early as the Tour proposed. He says officials have put the players at ease, however, and he’s now eager to return.

“We’re all excited to return to golf. We’re excited to hopefully be the leaders of sports and doing it the healthiest and safest way,” Kisner said. “I thought as early as we started talking — about June — I thought it was aggressive.  As things have chilled out a little bit or flattened the curve, I think we have a pretty good timeframe on when we can return to work.

“The first take we did as player directors, with the new protocols, was a little bit tough to swallow at first, but as we work through it and we had a lot of experts in the field come in and help advise us, you know I felt more and more comfortable and finally we got to a place that we could present it to the guys on the PGA tour that all unanimously voted yes to get back to work.”

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Coronavirus: Pro golfers cleared to return to the U.S. by government edict

Foreign golfers on the PGA Tour and LPGA will be allowed to enter into the U.S. to compete. Now it is up to them to decide if they want to.

The United States eased the pathway for international golfers to return to the PGA Tour and LPGA.

The Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad F. Wolf on Friday signed an order that permits certain foreign professional athletes who compete in sporting events, along with their essential staff and dependents, to enter the U.S. The international athletes will be exempt from entry restrictions that were established for non-U.S. residents as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Professional sporting events provide much needed economic benefits, but equally important, they provide community pride and national unity,” Wolf said. “In today’s environment, Americans need their sports. It’s time to reopen the economy and it’s time we get our professional athletes back to work.”

The Department of Homeland Security’s announcement included both the PGA Tour and LPGA among the eight sports league whose athletes were eligible for the exemption.

The countries and regions affected by the exemption include the United Kingdom, Ireland, Europe, China and Iran. Francesco Molinari (Italy), Adam Scott (Australia) and Englishmen Tommy Fleetwood, Lee Westwood and Eddie Pepperell were among the foreign players who publicly stated that they would skip tournaments or delay their return because of the restrictions and concerns for their health. The PGA Tour recently estimated that 25 players were living outside of the U.S. While the exemption makes efforts to return easier, they still face a 14-day quarantine upon arrival.

The PGA Tour is scheduled to return to action at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Ft. Worth, Texas on June 11 and the LPGA on July 23 at the Marathon Classic in Sylvania, Ohio.

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