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US PGA Championship to be played behind closed doors


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The first major of 2020 - the US PGA Championship - has been forced behind closed doors. 

TPC Harding Park in San Francisco is due to host the tournament as part of a revised PGA Tour schedule from August 6-9.

The PGA Championship was originally supposed to be played in May but was postponed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Competitive golf resumed in the United States at the weekend with the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial, Fort Worth.

Along with the first four tournaments on the revised schedule, it was played out with no spectators present.

San Francisco public health officials have approved plans to host the PGA Championship, but it must do so behind closed doors because of continued fears regarding the pandemic.

An official confirmation from the PGA of America is due to come on Tuesday.

PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh said last month, "If the safest way, and/or the only way to do it is without fans, we’re fully prepared to do that.

"We believe that having it as a television event is worth doing regardless of whether there’s fans there or not.

"Obviously, that’ll change the experience, but we think the world is starved for some entertainment, and particularly in sports."

As recently as last month, PGA of America officials had been discussing the possibility of moving the major from Harding Park, which only re-opened last week.

There were no positive coronavirus tests during the week at Colonial.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan says they'd be only too happy to share their methods with other sporting bodies, "I've heard from some of my peers, and I think as I mentioned as we go forward, we will share everything that we've learned and how we're applying our protocols, and I would imagine some of those calls will happen over the next several days."


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