(Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, golf journalist) ○…”And the gallery?”
As new COVID-19 cases continue to rise on the PGA Tour, the decision to allow spectators at the Memorial Tournament ($9.3 million total prize money) has sparked controversy. The tournament, which opens on the 17th of next month at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio (par 72), marks the first time the PGA Tour has allowed gallery attendance since play resumed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, attendance is limited to just 8,000 people per day, or only 20% of maximum capacity.
Temperature checks and mandatory mask wearing are basic requirements upon entry. The usual way of following favorite players around the course is also prohibited. Instead, designated viewing areas of fixed size are set up at each hole for spectators to watch the competition. The problem lies in the recent sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in the United States. On the 25th alone, 36,800 new cases were reported. The PGA Tour is also on alert after two players, Nick Watney and Cameron Champ (both from the United States), and two caddies tested positive.
World number 4 Brooks Koepka (USA) withdrew from the Travelers Championship held on the 26th at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut due to the positive test of his caddy Ricky Elliott. This happened straight after a training session with Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland). McDowell and Webb Simpson (USA), winners of the RBC Heritage last week, were also affected. According to an urgent online survey conducted by Yahoo Sports, 62% of golf fans said they were opposed to allowing spectators.
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