Report: US PGA to go ahead without fans

The US PGA Championship will be going ahead as TPC Harding Park in San Francisco in August – but it will do so behind closed doors.

According to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, the first men’s major of this coronavirus-impacted year has been given approval by public health officials in San Francisco but on the condition that fans aren’t allowed to attend.

The championship had originally been scheduled to take place at Harding Park in May but was rescheduled for August 6-9 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The same report claims that up until last month PGA officials were looking into staging the tournament at an alternative venue in the event that live sporting events in California were called off as a result of the outbreak.

It is said that fans who had bought tickets for the tournament – on-sale as recently as Monday – will be offered refunds.

Professional golf made a return to action last week with the Charles Schwab Challenge, the first PGA Tour event in three months. 

It, too, was played without spectators, as will be the next three events on the schedule. 

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It is anticipated that next month’s rescheduled Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village will be the first tournament that fans can attend but with the number capped at around 8,000 per day – roughly 20% of the typical capacity. 

The US PGA will be the first of three men’s majors this season, with the US Open and Masters to follow in September and November respectively. This year’s edition of the Open Championship was cancelled in April.

World No.4 Brooks Koepka is looking to win the US PGA for the third year in a row.