Next week’s Memorial Tournament, which was scheduled to be the first PGA TOUR event to allow spectators in attendance since the COVID-19 suspension, has reversed that decision.
Instead, there will be no fans at Muirfield Village, marking the sixth consecutive tournament without any general public on-site.
The tournament’s Wednesday pro-am will also be canceled.
“Given the broader challenges communities are facing due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we need to stay focused on the No. 1 priority for our Return to Golf — the health and safety of all involved,” PGA TOUR commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement. “While this was a difficult decision, it was one made collectively, and we are appreciative of the process undertaken to this point that will allow us to welcome on-site fans when the time is right.”
With the upcoming 3M Open and PGA Championship already declaring that spectators won’t be allowed, this now assures that at least eight PGA TOUR events will be contested without any ticket-holders.
Initially, the Memorial was going to include an attendance limited to 8,000 — a mere 20 percent capacity of the annual attendance — but recent developments have led to that decision being overturned.
Among those developments is likely a July 6 executive order mandate by the city of Dublin, Ohio (where Muirfield Village is located), which states that face coverings will be mandatory for those in public, but that doesn't include "individuals participating in sports activities so long as those activities are conducted in compliance with the Responsible RestartOhio guidelines issued by the Ohio Department of Health."
This week’s event, the first-ever Workday Charity Open, which is replacing the canceled John Deere Classic, will also take place at Muirfield Village, however it was never planned for spectators to be in attendance.
