The Masters could be staged behind closed doors after PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan announced that the remaining three days of this week’s Players’ Championship at Sawgrass and all tournaments in the near future on the circuit will be played without spectators due to the spread of the coronavirus.
While The Masters is run by Augusta National, it is expected that officials there will follow the PGA Tour’s policy as the global game comes to terms with the pandemic.
"I have been in frequent discussion with Augusta and I'll leave them to share their thinking." Monahan said. A decision from Augusta National is expected next week.
The PGA Tour’s new closed-door policy will run through to the conclusion of the Valero Texas Open which ends on April 5, the week before The Masters
“This is a difficult situation, one with consequences that impact our players, fans and the communities in which we play,” Monahan said.
'We will continue The Players with essential personnel only, and we will be in direct conversations with those groups (vendors, broadcasters, media, player support groups, essential volunteers) to provide instructions.”
Meanwhile, The R&A will continue to monitor developments ahead of The Open Championship, which is set to be held at Royal St George’s in July.
A statement read: “We are proceeding with our plans for The 149th Open at Royal St George’s . Like all sports, we are continuing to monitor the situation during the current coronavirus outbreak and will be carefully following the advice issued to us from the UK Government, relevant health authorities and our medical consultants.”
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