Coronavirus: PGA Tour issues PLAYERS update

As the world continues to try to deal with the rapidly-spreading influence of coronavirus, the PGA Tour issued a midnight missive to update its players and followers on its immediate plans.

Posted at 00.01 ET, it states that this week’s PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass will begin today as scheduled, with players in the field notified to “be prepared to play”.

In the statement, the tour said: “We will absolutely continue to review recommednations from the Centers for Disease Control, World Health Organization and local health administrations.

“This is obviously a very fluid situation that requires constant review, communication and transparency, and we are dedicated to all three aspects.”

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The tour has pledged to provide a further update by 12pm ET (4pm UK) today.

Brian Harman, Rory Sabbatini and Sepp Straka are set to get the tournament underway at 7.30am ET from the first tee, with Russell Henley, JJ Spaun and Denny McCarthy going off the tenth at the same time.

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So far, no PGA Tour events have been either postponed or cancelled by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Five European Tour events have fallen victim, the most recent of which – the Hero Indian Open and Czech Masters – were announced yesterday.

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Multiple other tours have been impacted by the disease.

Meanwhile, the most recent information from the Masters Tournament Committee is that next month’s event at Augusta National will be going ahead. There is, however, a suggestion that it could be played behind closed doors.

Earlier today, the organisers of the 2020 Scottish Golf Show in Glasgow confirmed that the three-day event set to take place in Glasgow later this month has been postponed until 2021.