"PGA Tour easing back into allowing fans, but don’t expect packed fairways"

With this week’s Bermuda event featuring around 500 spectators and next week’s Houston Open selling 2000 tickets a day, it’s unclear if this is an aberration or the beginning of fan attendance.

GolfDigest.com’s Brian Wacker reports on the safety protocols planned in Bermuda and the view of some that it’s not worth having spectators back just yet.

Scott Stallings, who is in the field this week in Bermuda and will play in Houston next week, believes it’s too soon to have fans in attendance. Privately, others also expressed similar concerns.

“It’s not worth the risk with only three events left in the U.S.,” Stallings said. “We’ve made it this far without issue, why rush back?”

A not unreasonable point though at 500 spaced well outdoors, let’s hope there are no issues both of the viral sort or on the optics front.

John Lombardo of Sports Business Daily reports on the unlikelihood of crowds in Hawaii and California, where virus numbers are down and restrictions are toughest. Some galleries are possible at the Waste Management Open (but likely without the usual 16th hole arena build-out).

Florida is the most likely stretch where large galleries are a possibility.

Tour executives said they are looking at the March 2021 Florida swing as the time when more fans may be allowed at events, since Florida has been less restrictive on gatherings during the pandemic. The Florida stops in March include the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Players Championship and the Honda Classic.

“As we look to January, it is a case-by-case basis,” Dennis said. “As we look to Florida, we have time and that allows us to focus on what we would do. We know that in Florida there is an opportunity to have spectators and it is evaluating how we do that in a thoughtful way. Certainly, in Florida and well into the spring in Texas, we see an opportunity to build out a model and reintroduce things.”