Rescheduled PGA Professional Championship Cancelled Over Austin COVID-19 Surge, Travel Restrictions

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Unfortunate news for the top PGA of America professionals in the U.S. who have seen their annual championship rescheduled and now, cancelled.

Set for Austin in late July, with the top 20 going to the PGA Championship in San Francisco and the top 3 recently announced as U.S. Open exemptions, it’s both a shame and also an eye-opener for August’s championship given the mention of travel restrictions. The PGA Championship will retain the 20 spots for PGA pros by exempting 2019 PGA Player Of The Year standings.

The news was emailed to PGA members. Ron Mintz posted the sad news:

PGA Championship Gets the Green Light Without Fans

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Minus fans, the PGA of America confirms reports of plans to to move ahead with the PGA Championship in August. Undoubtedly this is a shame on so many levels, particularly with the organization returning to the west coast, on a true public course and where the galleries would have been such a big part of the week.

The details from their press release, including ticket refund information for those who planned on going.

For Immediate Release:

2020 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP TO BE PLAYED AT TPC HARDING PARK WITHOUT SPECTATORS

Brooks Koepka Goes for Rare Three-peat in 

First Men’s Major Championship of the Year  

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (June 22, 2020) 一 The City of San Francisco and the PGA of America today announced that the 2020 PGA Championship, in which two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka aims for a historic three-peat, will be contested without spectators on-site, August 3-9 at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. 

The decision to play golf’s first men’s major championship of 2020 without spectators was made in coordination with the state of California and city and county of San Francisco, with the health and well-being of all involved as the top priority.

“We are thrilled to welcome the PGA Championship to San Francisco,” said San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed. “We are able to safely take this step toward reopening because of the ongoing sacrifices of our citizens, the continued committed work of our healthcare workers and the early action we took to battle COVID-19.” 

The PGA of America will continue to monitor COVID-19 developments and work in concert with the state of California and San Francisco city and county public health authorities and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention through Championship Week.

“We are both inspired and honored to ‘play on,’” said PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh. “In doing so, we will spotlight not only the beauty of TPC Harding Park, but the fortitude of San Francisco and its remarkable people. We'd like to thank the state of California and the city and county of San Francisco for being terrific partners in helping us get to this place. While the local community cannot be with us physically on-site, we will certainly carry their spirit of resilience and unity with us as we stage our major championship, on their behalf, for all the world to see and enjoy.”

Many of golf’s greatest champions, from Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan, to Lee Trevino, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka, have had their names inscribed on the famed Wanamaker Trophy. 

“It has been gratifying for our PGA Professionals to play a meaningful role in helping people find healthy, outdoor recreation during the various phases of reopening golf,” noted PGA of America President Suzy Whaley. “It’s been encouraging to see our entire country and such a wide diversity of people embrace golf as a responsible, yet fun, activity to share with family and friends. We also look forward to returning to San Francisco and The Olympic Club for the PGA Championship in 2028 and the Ryder Cup in 2032, when we will again share this great game with the people of the Bay Area.”

In the coming days, those who purchased tickets directly from the PGA of America will be contacted to facilitate refunds. Updates will be posted at pgachampionship.com and on social media @PGAChampionship.

Those who purchased tickets from a secondary market platform other than pgachampionship.com should contact that site directly. The PGA of America will be unable to process refunds for those tickets. 

The 2020 PGA Championship – the first in the PGA of America’s landmark 11-year media rights agreement with CBS and ESPN – will feature CBS Sports, ESPN and ESPN+ combining to deliver an unprecedented amount of broadcast and digital coverage.

Globally, the PGA Championship will be broadcast in 164 countries and territories reaching more than a half-billion households.

“Welcoming the PGA Championship to San Francisco is the high point of a very unusual year. We are looking forward to sharing the beauty of TPC Harding Park and San Francisco with the players, the media and viewers all over the world,” said Joe D’Alessandro, president and CEO of the San Francisco Travel Association, the official destination marketing organization.

TPC Harding Park, which is managed by the City’s Recreation and Park Department, is the fourth municipal golf course to host the PGA Championship. 

Seven of the past 10 winners of the PGA Championship went on to become No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking, including Koepka, who won his second consecutive PGA Championship in May 2019 at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York. The two-time defending PGA Champion will use the season’s initial men’s major championship to bid for history, as he’ll seek to become the first player to win the same major three consecutive times since Australia’s Peter Thomson claimed three straight Open Championships from 1954-56.

The field also will once again include the top 20 PGA Club Professionals, who will qualify during the PGA Professional Championship to be played in late July at Omni Barton Creek Resort in Austin, Texas.

Prior to its postponement on March 17, the PGA Championship was originally scheduled for play May 14-17.

Ohio Governor Says Memorial Tournament Can Go Ahead With Lighter Crowds

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Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who has won widespread approval in his state for his strict COVID-19 measures, gave his blessing to the Memorial Tournament’s plans to bring fans back to golf.

From Bob Harig’s story about the July 16-19 event:

"In each one of these cases, they have come up with a plan that in many cases dramatically decrease the number of people and provide for sanitation,'' DeWine said. "In some cases, [they] provide for one-way traffic. They are quite elaborate plans.''

The tournament press release in response:

June 5, 2020 

THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT PRESENTED BY NATIONWIDE RECEIVES STATE SUPPORT TO ALLOW PATRON ATTENDANCE FOR 2020 EVENT

The Memorial presented by Nationwide would like to recognize the successful efforts led by Governor DeWine, Lt. Governor Husted and Dr. Amy Acton in the fight against the spread of COVID-19. The State of Ohio has been a leader in identifying the tremendous threat that began to appear in January and was one of the first to take drastic action to curb the spread and reduce deaths. Their implemented plan has produced encouraging results and allowed for the slow process of opening the State to business and gradually allowing Ohioans to return to a level of normalcy, including the ability to permit patrons at this year’s Memorial. With the support of the PGA TOUR, who the Tournament has worked jointly with throughout this process, the Memorial is looking forward to partnering with State, County and City leadership, along with the Memorial COVID -19 Task Force, to offer the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide as an example of how public gathering events can be developed and implemented with approved and accepted protocols in place. 

 The Memorial Tournament will issue a full release with more details over the coming week.

In other news regarding the first major championship of three scheduled for August, 2020, California officials signaled that more loosening of restrictions will be announced next week, including regarding audience-free sports events.

News was expected this week regarding plans for August’s PGA Championship at Harding Park.

Westwood: "Not worth it" To Travel To America For PGA, Other Tournaments

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As the PGA Tour gears up for a return, the likelihood of overseas players traveling to the United States appears increasingly unlikely. Tommy Fleetwood before and now Lee Westwood, talking to Todd Lewis on Golf Central, says it’s “not worth it” to travel to the U.S. with concerns about the pandemic, quarantining and other issues.

This increasingly looms as a huge issue for the three planned majors, which pride themselves on field strength and diversity of representation. Should the rest of the world not want to come here to play, will that factor into final decisions on whether to play the rescheduled PGA, U.S. Open and Masters.

The full interview:

California Governor Opens The Door To Possible Sports Events In June

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Looking highly unlikely just days ago, PGA of America officials must be pleased to see California Governor Gavin Newsom opening the door to a possible return of sports in California.

Fans are out for the foreseeable future and many other conditions must be met, but the early August PGA still has a shot at being played. However, major changes in rules for world travel would need to change if the PGA wants to play with a traditional international field.

Recently, Tommy Fleetwood said he would not be partaking in the PGA Tour’s June return due to rules on quaranting on both sides of the Atlantic.

The governor’s remarks:

Quail Hollow Lands 2025 PGA Championship On Top Of Next Year's Presidents Cup And Maybe Even This Year's PGA

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Don’t get me wrong. LOVE Charlotte. The people, the places, the food, the short rental car center walk.

But how Quail Hollow became America’s southeastern St Andrews, I have no clue.

The over-renovated, over-extended and over-glorified club is kind of everything that seems past its time, if it had a time: long, light on character, ugly and expensive blinding-white bunkers set on the outside of doglegs, bales of Bermudagrass rough, an elitist vibe and extreme overexposure.

With that said, the club finalized a second PGA Championship in 2025 today in case you were mapping out your summer five years from now. The club is scheduled to host next year’s Presidents Cup, probably has Wells Fargo’s on PGA Tour the 2022-24 calendars, and based on what I’m reading from Dave Shedloski of Golf World, this year’s PGA. That is, when it’s officially apparent California and other states are not an option.

The PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh acknowledged California’s “Phase 4” reopening of the state will not happen by August, all but killing Harding Park’s chances of hosting with or without fans.

You do not need a doctorate to see a possible replacement site is down to a pair of venues if the PGA Championship is played in 2020.

As for major-caliber layouts on the CBS schedule, once you eliminate California contenders Riviera Country Club and Torrey Pines, the leaders would be Muirfield Village Golf Club, in Dublin, Ohio, and Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte. It’s doubtful Muirfield Village, which has held a Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, would get the nod when it’s annual Memorial Tournament, hosted by Nicklaus, is rescheduled for July 16-19. Quail Hollow was the site of the 2017 PGA, won by Justin Thomas, and was just announced Thursday that it was being awarded the 2025 PGA Championship. The course wouldn’t require much extra effort to get into shape, because the Wells Fargo Championship that Quail Hollow was slated to host through May 3 was among the nine tournaments the PGA Tour was forced to cancel during the pandemic.

PGA "Talking About" Possible 2020 PGA Championship Venue Change

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With California looking unlikely to have a fan-filled sporting event and increasing doubts about one played with 156 players from around the world, the PGA of America’s Kerry Haigh acknowledged alternatives are under consideration for the postponed 2020 PGA.

From Rex Hoggard’s GolfChannel.com item:

Although California began lifting its stay-at-home restrictions last week, the state is still trailing other areas of the country in its return to something close to normal. Haigh acknowledged there is also a Plan B.

“We have been talking about [possibly changing venues],” Haigh said. “Ultimately, it’s going to depend on what the city, county and state allow us to do and not do. Safety of everyone is utmost in our mind.”

Would this be a bad time to remind the PGA of the suggestion to play their championship outside the United States in Olympic years to make the schedule more palatable and bring international prestige to the decidedly fourth major?

Australia can be beautiful in December as learned every year during the swing of events Down Under. It’s a thought…

Bittersweet Monday At Harding Park On What Would Have Been PGA Championship Week

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Will Gray talks to Harding Park GM Tom Smith on what would have been PGA Championship Monday for the San Francisco muni turned TPC.

Play has been robust at the course but thoughts are turning to a possible hosting in August.

Like with many PGA Tour events slated for later this year, there are still two distinct possibilities in terms of tournament operations: one that calls for the event to be played in front of at least some fans, and one that would include no fans at all. While Smith still holds out hope for fans to be able to experience a “traditional PGA Championship” in what would be the first PGA played on the West Coast since 1998, he admitted that course officials will be reacting to – and not making – the decision to allow fans.

“I think that’s really the unknown at this point,” Smith said. “We’re working scenarios right now for when it’s safe, when it’s responsible to do so, and of course under the guidance of the public health officials here, we will resume the build with whatever we are presented in terms of fan scenarios for August. Right now everything is in a holding pattern.”

The with-fans possibility appears all but dead and there is, sadly, a third-and-increasingly likely scenario: no PGA at all. Bay Area counties, which were the earliest in the country to order stay-at-home measures, are still “nowhere near” meeting reopening criteria as of Monday.

With Major League Baseball rolling out a proposed schedule keeping teams closer to home and playing without fans, Governor Gavin Newsom reiterated that much will need to happen even for the California teams to play in their stadiums.

From Jeff Passan’s ESPN.com story:

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said during a media conference Monday that he had spoken to the commissioner as well. "He said, 'We won't do anything that's not consistent with state guidelines,'" Newsom said. "We certainly look forward to Major League Baseball and all sports resuming, but again, the question is when. And that will be determined on the basis of public health and public safety and the spread of this virus."

In contrast to baseball, the PGA Championship would be attempting to bring players from all over the world 15 weeks from now.

Waugh: PGA Championship Prepared To Play Without Fans

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GolfDigest.com’s Daniel Rappaport sums up PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh’s comments to satellite radio.

In short, the PGA of America is confident they will play a “fairly normal” PGA at TPC Harding Park rescheduled for early August.

“If the safest and/or the only way to [hold the PGA] is to do it without fans, we’re fully prepared to do that,” Waugh said. “We believe that having it as a television event is worth doing regardless of whether there’s fans there or not.

“Obviously that’ll change the experience, but we think the world is starved for entertainment—particularly in sports—and we think golf has the unique ability to be first out among sports in that we’re played over a couple hundred acres.”

Oh no, the acreage thing again.

Anyway, Gavin Newsom, the Golden State’s Governor, spoke today and presented primary issues as part of a three-state effort to restart the west coast economy. He indicated that large gatherings will almost assuredly be unlikely this August:

Here is the clip of Waugh speaking to Sirius/XM’s Dave Marr:

PGA Championship Pencils In Early August Date Just As California Governor Suggests September Sports Unlikely

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The San Francisco Chronicle’s Ron Kroichick and Scott Ostler report that the PGA of America has settled on the first week of August for its postponed PGA Championship. For now.

This early August date may conflict with President Donald Trump’s projection of “August or September” for a return to fans watching live sports in person nationwide. His comment was made on a conference call of sports executives joined by the PGA Tour’s Jay Monahan and the LPGA Tour’s Mike Whan. (Their tours are currently scheduled to return in May or mid-June and June, respectively.)

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s responded to the president’s timeline by saying it was an optimistic goal for gatherings of large sports. From Helene Elliott’s LA Times column on when sports might return:

“I’m not anticipating that happening in this state,” he said, pointing to the return of COVID-19 in Asia after it was believed the worst was over. “We have to be careful not to overpromise. I’m not here to second-guess anybody, but I am here to say this: Our decision on that basis, at least here in the state of California, will be determined by the facts, will be determined by the health experts, will be determined by the capacity to meet this moment, bend the curve and have the appropriate community surveillance and testing to confidently determine whether or not that’s appropriate. ... That’s not something I anticipate happening in the next few months.”

The NFL’s chief medical officer also said over the weekend that widespread testing is essential to sports returning.

The Senior PGA Championship, set for May 21-24 in Michigan, was cancelled this week by the PGA of America.

And all of the schedule talk remains insignificant as the United States faces the fourth day in a row of over 1000 deaths caused by COVID-19, with an unprecedented week ahead. This from Elliott’s column seems an appropriate response to any scheduling concerns:

Dr. Alan Drummond of the Canadian Association of Emergency Room Physicians was blunt when asked by TSN.ca about the resumption of play in the NHL and other leagues. “Nobody gives [an expletive] right now. Better to turn hockey rinks into makeshift hospitals or morgues,” he said. “I love sports as much as anyone but this is really not the time.”

CDC Recommendation Could Doom The 2020 PGA Championship (In May)

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There are so many moving parts right now and in the grand scheme of world news, when or if major championships are to be played seems fairly trivial. That said, Sunday evening’s bulletin from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests organizers controlling events consisting of 50 or more to cancel or postpone.

The news would seems likely to end hopes of contesting mid-May’s 2020 PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park in its scheduled window, along with too many tournaments to count between now and then.

The 2020 Masters is already postponed. Dreams of a scheduled May playing before Augusta National Golf Club traditionally closes, now seem increasingly unlikely.

Jack Nicklaus said yesterday that he does not see the Masters being played this year.

From the CDC bulletin:

Large events and mass gatherings can contribute to the spread of COVID-19 in the United States via travelers who attend these events and introduce the virus to new communities. Examples of large events and mass gatherings include conferences, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events, weddings, and other types of assemblies. These events can be planned not only by organizations and communities but also by individuals.

Therefore, CDC, in accordance with its guidance for large events and mass gatherings, recommends that for the next 8 weeks, organizers (whether groups or individuals) cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States.

Events of any size should only be continued if they can be carried out with adherence to guidelines for protecting vulnerable populations, hand hygiene, and social distancing.  When feasible, organizers could modify events to be virtual.

This recommendation does not apply to the day to day operation of organizations such as schools, institutes of higher learning, or businesses. This recommendation is made in an attempt to reduce introduction of the virus into new communities and to slow the spread of infection in communities already affected by the virus.  This recommendation is not intended to supersede the advice of local public health officials.

Follow the PGA Championship official Twitter account for the latest updates on tournament status, presumably in the next few days.

Meanwhile, it’s not clear how this recommendation will impact the U.S. Open local qualifyings set for early May. Fields are larger than 50 players, but are also spread out over a course. Of greater concern may be the quarantine area in Westchester County near 2020 U.S. Open host Winged Foot.

This from Luke Kerr-Dineen about sums up the stunning state of golf’s major championship schedule:

***PGA of America’s update:

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Masters Postponement Poll: May, October Or...?

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Instead of wondering why people hoard toilet paper or what the fate of the world might look, let’s do what Joe Kernen did on Monday’s Squawk Box.

Let us pretend it’s two weeks ago.

For the sake of this exercise, we will act like the coronavirus spread slows, meaning today’s “postponed” Masters can go forward in 2020.

We will also pretend that the PGA of America is open to the idea of a date switch. If they’d like to ever dine on the veranda again, they will be. There would be the issue of CBS and ESPN making this work, as well as the possibility of a non-hurricane infused overseed of Augusta National for an October playing.

Even with limited virus testing, we know California has more cases than Georgia, therefore making the May PGA Championship at Harding Park likely more difficult to go through with versus a Masters in May with or without spectators, as Rory McIlroy suggested.

Oh, and pretend Augusta homeowners who rent out Masters week are willing to do so in May or October. So for the sake of argument, that everyone feels comfortable going ahead and making a date swap. (There are a handful of other Masters issues to consider, as Bob Harig presented here for ESPN.com.)

Would you prefer to see the Masters played in May, October or not at all?

2020 Masters: May or October or Not This Year?
 
pollcode.com free polls

Rory Questions America's "Casual" Coronavirus Response; PGA Of America Says No Discussions "At This Time" About PGA Move

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Derek Lawrenson on world No. 1 Rory McIlroy's concern that the United States is taking a less proactive response to the coronavirus causing cancellations of sporting events and concerts.

'It's obviously very worrying but the US seem to be very casual about it compared to the rest of the world,' said McIlroy.

The PGA Tour, meanwhile, has moved from task force to business unit in analyzing the virus, according to Commissioner Jay Monahan. I’m not sure what that means, but here’s what he said Tuesday at the Players regarding the WGC Dell Match Play in Austin two weeks.

I would tell you that it started out as a task force. It's now essentially a business unit, where we have two leaders, Tom Hospel, our medical director, and Alison Keller, our chief administrative officer, who have organized a large team to fully understand the coronavirus and its implications on all facets of our business. I think it goes without saying that the health, safety, well being of our players, our fans, our tournaments, everybody that's involved in our ecosystem is of utmost importance.

Meanwhile, yesterday’s report on discussions to secure a backup PGA Championship venue were inaccurate, a PGA of America statement says. At this time. From Brian Wacker’s GolfDigest.com report:

“Reports that the 2020 PGA Championship will be relocated from TPC Harding Park are inaccurate,” said a statement from the PGA of America released on Tuesday. “At this time, no such discussions have taken place. We continue to carefully monitor this rapidly evolving situation, in close coordination and communication with representatives from San Francisco. We will follow the guidance of state and city officials and public health authorities, keeping the safety and well-being of all involved as our highest priority.”

While they deemed yesterday’s report inaccurate, would anyone fault them for considering back up options?

PGA Of America Considering Backup Option For May's PGA?

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Nice scoop by Robert Lusetich on the possibility of the PGA of America considering its options for May’s PGA Championship in San Francisco. He reports the TPC Sawgrass as a possible backup should the coronavirus spread rule out a large sports event at TPC Harding Park.

It’s a logical move in this sense: the TPC Sawgrass will have infrastructure already in place and a golf course capable of hosting a major championship. The PGA Tour and PGA of America are strategic partners and should be able to work out the details.

Not so logical: given the cancellation of so many events and unpredictability of the coronavirus, a contingency venue may not be enough to save the event.