With San Francisco-area PGA Championship two months away, city bans large gatherings

In the city’s latest effort to control the spread of COVID-19, San Francisco has issued a Public Health Order banning large gatherings of more than 1,000 people, further putting May’s PGA Championship in jeopardy.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced the decision on Wednesday via press release, which comes in the wake of the city’s public health recommendations from a few days earlier.

“We know that this order is disruptive, but it is an important step to support public health,” Breed said. “We’re following the recommendations of public health officials to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community. This order mirrors actions being take by other local governments and is informed by the Center of Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.”

Breed said she’d spoken with venue and event organizers regarding the need to protect public health, adding that he’s spoken to the Golden State Warriors and that the team was in support of the effort. ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski later tweeted: “The Golden State Warriors are planning to play foreseeable home games without fans in observance of the San Francisco Health Office’s order prohibiting group of events of 1K or more from assembling, source tells ESPN.”

The release made no mention of the PGA Championship, the second major of the season, which is being held at San Francisco’s Harding Park May 14-17. The PGA of America has not immediately responded to GOLF.com’s latest request for comment about the future of the event or the possibility it could proceed without fans in attendance.

On Tuesday at the Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan addressed the state of the PGA Championship and the rumor that it could change venues.

“They are fully planning on proceeding with the PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco,” he said, although adding, “but when you get in these extraordinary circumstances, you have to make yourself available to your partners, and you have to really work as closely together as you ever have to help each other get through this.”

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