From Many, None: Report Says USGA Cancels Local And Sectional Qualifying; No Fans On Site If 2020 U.S. Open Is Played

An unbylined Golfweek item, since deleted, offered a detailed report on the USGA cancelling local and sectional qualifying for the 2020 U.S. Open. The tournament was postponed to September 17-20, 2020 at Winged Foot Golf Club and would feature an all-exempt invitational field that the USGA is still working through along with many other details designed to play some form of a championship.

From the lengthy item (still posted at MSN’s golf page), which certainly did not appear to be an incomplete report, just perhaps an incorrectly timed release and delivering the not-surprising relating that large crowds will not happen:

Nor could the USGA’s championship team adequately function amid the pandemic. “The USGA is headquartered in New Jersey, the second most hard-hit state in the country with a higher mortality rate than the global average,” said Craig Annis, the chief brand officer. “Our ability to effectively put on all 14 championships with qualifiers when we can’t be physically together, can’t fly, and in some instances would need to quarantine for 14 days before being able to operate in some states, is severely limited.”

The new COVID-19 reality will be apparent even at the championships that are staged, especially at Winged Foot. The customary number of volunteers at a U.S. Open—between 5,500 and 6,000—will be cut to around 200. “Most of the volunteers at our qualifying and championships are of an age demographic that is at high risk,” Bodenhamer explained.

The targeted number of people permitted to be on-site each day at the Open will be around 2,000. With a typical complement of fans, that number would usually be around 40,000.

“We know with the U.S. Open it’s going to be significantly scaled back. We are trying to get our numbers as low as possible to get the necessary approvals to play,” Bodenhamer said. “Whatever we’re permitted to do by governments, we will build on that.”

The US Amateur and US Women’s Amateur remain scheduled.

**Subsequent reports say a decision has not been made on fans but at 2,000 people on site, any crowds would be relegated to tiny numbers after allotting for players, entourages, television, media, security and other essential personnel.

NY Post: U.S. Open Next Major To Postpone, Will Remain At Winged Foot If Played

Mark Cannizzaro with the NY Post exclusive on the USGA informing Winged Foot Golf Club it will delay June’s planned U.S. Open at the renowned course. Thanks to reader Kevin for passing along.

Cannizzaro adds this from an unnamed source:

“[We] remain hopeful about late in the summer, [maybe] early September,’’ the source said regarding the U.S. Open, adding that the club is “optimistic’’ the tournament will take place at Winged Foot.

Fingers crossed things improve in the region where one of the early COVID-19 cases has led to a total lockdown not far from Winged Foot with, reportedly, positive results thanks to the quarantining, reports CNN’s Eric Levenson.

If the U.S. Open is to be played at Winged Foot in late summer or early fall it will feature way less build-out than would be planned with a summer date. And frankly, given the damage to the neighboring East course and uncertain state of affairs for the corporate world, the fluid situation warranting a downsized Open seems just fine should the event happen.

CDC Recommendation Could Doom The 2020 PGA Championship (In May)

There are so many moving parts right now and in the grand scheme of world news, when or if major championships are to be played seems fairly trivial. That said, Sunday evening’s bulletin from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests organizers controlling events consisting of 50 or more to cancel or postpone.

The news would seems likely to end hopes of contesting mid-May’s 2020 PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park in its scheduled window, along with too many tournaments to count between now and then.

The 2020 Masters is already postponed. Dreams of a scheduled May playing before Augusta National Golf Club traditionally closes, now seem increasingly unlikely.

Jack Nicklaus said yesterday that he does not see the Masters being played this year.

From the CDC bulletin:

Large events and mass gatherings can contribute to the spread of COVID-19 in the United States via travelers who attend these events and introduce the virus to new communities. Examples of large events and mass gatherings include conferences, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events, weddings, and other types of assemblies. These events can be planned not only by organizations and communities but also by individuals.

Therefore, CDC, in accordance with its guidance for large events and mass gatherings, recommends that for the next 8 weeks, organizers (whether groups or individuals) cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States.

Events of any size should only be continued if they can be carried out with adherence to guidelines for protecting vulnerable populations, hand hygiene, and social distancing.  When feasible, organizers could modify events to be virtual.

This recommendation does not apply to the day to day operation of organizations such as schools, institutes of higher learning, or businesses. This recommendation is made in an attempt to reduce introduction of the virus into new communities and to slow the spread of infection in communities already affected by the virus.  This recommendation is not intended to supersede the advice of local public health officials.

Follow the PGA Championship official Twitter account for the latest updates on tournament status, presumably in the next few days.

Meanwhile, it’s not clear how this recommendation will impact the U.S. Open local qualifyings set for early May. Fields are larger than 50 players, but are also spread out over a course. Of greater concern may be the quarantine area in Westchester County near 2020 U.S. Open host Winged Foot.

This from Luke Kerr-Dineen about sums up the stunning state of golf’s major championship schedule:

Golf's 2020 major season update...

🟢Masters: Postponed Indefinitely

🌉PGA: CDC recommends cancellation

🇺🇲US Open: Venue currently surrounded by a one-mile containment zone

🇬🇧British Open: US-UK travel ban in effect, country within 'epicenter' of the virus

— LKD (@LukeKerrDineen) March 16, 2020

***PGA of America’s update:

From Many, Plenty Of 2020 U.S. Open Tickets Still Available Including The Corona Beer Garden

Good news for those hoping to walk the grounds of Winged Foot in 2020: U.S. Open tickets are still available, reports Mike Dougherty of the Westchester County Journal News.

Saturday’s third round is sold out, but tickets remain for all other days for the re-brand-platformed national championship.

Dougherty writes:

A sell-out is expected, according to the USGA.

The number of tickets for the 2020 U.S. Open will be capped at 25,000 per day. It’s a reduction from the maximum of 30,000 tickets sold each day of the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

“We’ve surveyed our fans over the last eight or so years and some of the feedback we’ve gotten indicates that it was a little too crowded, so we took that to heart,” said Charlie Howe, who is the USGA’s championship manager for the 120th U.S. Open.

If you were hoping to attend Saturday, the only option is the Corona Beer Garden—not to worry 38%, it won’t infect you—at $225.

The lack of a sellout isn’t big news after Shinnecock’s so-so sales ended various sell-out streaks and the overall saturation of the New York market with significant USGA, PGA Tour and PGA of America events. But with more limited quantities this time around and USGA’s need to generate revenue from the U.S. Open to offset money-losing events, the situation warrants monitoring.