PGA Tour institutes no-autograph policy at Players Championship

March 12, 2020

After a wild Wednesday that saw the NBA suspend its season, many golf fans wondered what would happen to this week’s Players Championship on the PGA Tour. The Tour issued a press release saying it would proceed as normal, although there was some new signage up on Thursday. In short, no autographs for fans this week.

This is new, at The Players: pic.twitter.com/L2SqwHheLK

— Ryan Lavner (@RyanLavnerGC) March 12, 2020

This comes on the heels of a major shakeup in the sports world at the hands of the coronavirus pandemic. The NCAA announced it will play both the men’s and women’s post-season tournaments without fans. A few hours later, Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert was diagnosed with the coronavirus, prompting a swift suspension of the season from the NBA. That’s not to mention the other various school closures and high-profile cases, such as Tom Hanks.

“The PGA Tour is aware of rapidly changing developments regarding COVID-19,” the Tour said in its statement, which came early Thursday morning Eastern Time. “With the information currently available, the Players Championship will continue as scheduled although we will absolutely continue to review recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control, World Health Organization and local health administrations.”

Earlier in the week, the NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS announced they were discontinuing media access to locker rooms. In golf, the European Tour and LPGA Tour have postponed and cancelled various events.

The PGA Tour plans to provide an additional update at 12 p.m. ET. today.

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