Media Center at The Players Championship (photo by Pete McDaniel)
Freelance Writer
(March 12, 2020) Ponte Vedra Beach, Fl. – First the NBA; then the NCAA; now the PGA Tour. The coronavirus is wreaking havoc on sporting event schedules across the spectrum.
On Thursday during the first round of The Players Championship, Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan announced that fans will not be allowed to attend events for at least the next three-and-a-half weeks, beginning with Friday’s round.
“Let me preface my remarks by reinforcing that the health and safety of our players, employees, partners, volunteers, fans and everybody associated with the PGA Tour is our top priority,’’ Monahan said. “I’ve spoken to President Trump this morning, and I spoke to (Fla.) Governor Ron DeSantis a few hours ago as well…To the White House and the Governor’s office have been supportive of the precautionary measures we have taken to this point.
“With that as pretext, at this point and time, PGA Tour events—across all Tours—will currently proceed as scheduled, but will do so without fans. This policy starts with The Players Championship tomorrow and continues through the Valero Texas Open.’’
The announcement came as fans were streaming into the TPC’s Stadium Course awash with bright sunshine and warm temperatures. Players took advantage of soft conditions and a near-windless day with a number of low scores during the early going, including Cameron Champ, who carded eight birdies en route to a four-under-par 68, five shots behind leader Hideki Matsuyama.
Champ’s fine round included several near-misses, a four-putt double bogey at the par-3 eighth hole and another double bogey at the intimidating par-4 18th hole. Meanwhile, Matsuyama had eight birdies and an eagle with a lone bogey at the par-5 16th hole.
The lion share of fans were anxiously anticipating the 1:51 tee time of the marquee pairing of World No. 1 Rory McIlroy, No. 2 Jon Rahm and No. 3 Brooks Koepka.
PGA TOUR / THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD
Date: Mar 12–15, 2020
Course: Players Stadium Course
Purse: $15,000,000
PGA TOUR Statement by Commissioner Jay Monahan
March 12, 2020
Let me preface my remarks by reinforcing that the health and safety of our players, employees, partners, volunteers, fans and everybody associated with the PGA TOUR is our top priority.
I’ve spoken to President Trump this morning, and I spoke to Governor Ron DeSantis a few hours ago as well. Our team is in constant communication with local health authorities in each market in which our tournaments are played, and we are tracking and monitoring the health information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization in addition to the travel advisories provided by the U.S. State Department. Both the White House and the Governor’s office have been and are supportive of the precautionary measures we have taken to this point.
It goes without saying that this is an incredibly fluid and dynamic situation. We have been and are committed to being responsible, thoughtful and transparent with our decision process.
With that as pretext, at this point in time, 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, our fans and constituents to plan, prepare and respond as events develop.
Further, the recently announced travel advisories and potential logistical issues associated with players and staff traveling internationally limit our ability to successfully stage the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship. Therefore, we are going to postpone that event and will provide details in the coming weeks on a reschedule as this situation develops.
We will continue THE PLAYERS with essential personnel only, and we will be in direct conversations with those groups (vendors, broadcasters, media, player support groups, essential volunteers) to provide instructions.
This is a difficult situation, one with consequences that impact our players, fans and the communities in which we play. As I said earlier this week, we’ve had a team in place that has been carefully monitoring and assessing the situation and its implications for several weeks. We’ve weighed all the options, and I appreciate the input and collaboration across the TOUR, our industry, our partners and our members that got us to this point. We’ll continue with that collaboration, and I want to thank our fans for supporting the PGA TOUR.
