PGA of America confirms 2020 PGA Championship will be played without fans

Golf’s first major in 2020 will also be golf’s first major without fans. The PGA of America announced Monday that the PGA Championship, which is currently scheduled for August 6-9 at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, will be played without spectators in attendance.

The final decision was made in concert between the PGA of America and officials from the state of California and the city of San Francisco.

“We are thrilled to welcome the PGA Championship to San Francisco,” San Francisco mayor London Breed said in a statement to media Monday. “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.” 

Despite falling two weeks after fans are expected to return to the PGA Tour at the Memorial Tournament, the PGA of America’s announcement is hardly a surprise. California’s dense population and strict Covid-19 lockdowns led many to speculate that the decision to play without fans was imminent.

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Rather than restricting crowd sizes and adopting a laundry list of safety protocols for fans to follow (as the Memorial has already announced will be the case), officials opted to prohibit spectators from walking through the gates at all.

“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,” PGA of America chief executive Seth Waugh said. “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.”

Fans who purchased tickets through the PGA of America will be contacted in the coming days by tournament officials to execute refunds, while those who purchased through the secondary market are encouraged to contact ticket brokers directly.