PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The PGA Tour announced on Twitter Thursday night that it is canceling THE PLAYERS Championship due to coronavirus concerns.
"We have pledged from the start to be responsible, thoughtful and transparent with our decision process," the PGA Tour said in a statement. "We did everything possible to create a safe environment for our players in order to continue the event throughout the weekend, and we were endeavoring to give our fans a much-needed respite from the current climate. But at this point – and as the situation continues to rapidly change – the right thing to do for our players and our fans is to pause."
The PGA Tour also announced it has canceled all tour events in the coming weeks, through the Valero Texas Open.
This news comes just hours after PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan said the organization decided to keep fans out for the final three days at TPC Sawgrass.
The decision was reportedly made after consulting with both President Trump and Governor Ron DeSantis. The tour has also been in constant contact with Augusta and says that they will keep the public updated regarding The Masters.
"We’ve weighed all the options, and I appreciate the input and collaboration across the TOUR, our industry, our partners and our members that got us to this point," says Monahan. "We’ll continue with that collaboration, and I want to thank our fans for supporting the PGA TOUR."
Additional questions are expected to be answered during a news conference Friday at 8 a.m.
The PGA says fans looking for refunds will be able to get more information from The Player's website shortly. You can find a link to that here.
PGA TOUR Statement by Commissioner Jay Monahan:
"I’ve spoken to President Trump this morning, and I spoke to Governor Ron DeSantis a few hours ago as well. Our team is in constant communication with local health authorities in each market in which our tournaments are played, and we are tracking and monitoring the health information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization in addition to the travel advisories provided by the U.S. State Department. Both the White House and the Governor’s office have been and are supportive of the precautionary measures we have taken to this point.
It goes without saying that this is an incredibly fluid and dynamic situation. We have been and are committed to being responsible, thoughtful and transparent with our decision process.
With that as pretext, at this point in time, PGA TOUR events – across all Tours – will currently proceed as scheduled, but will do so without fans. This policy starts at THE PLAYERS Championship tomorrow (Friday) and continues through the Valero Texas Open. It’s important to note, that could change, but for the time being, this decision allows the PGA TOUR, our fans and constituents to plan, prepare and respond as events develop.
Further, the recently announced travel advisories and potential logistical issues associated with players and staff traveling internationally limit our ability to successfully stage the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship. Therefore, we are going to postpone that event and will provide details in the coming weeks on a reschedule as this situation develops.
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.
This is a difficult situation, one with consequences that impact our players, fans and the communities in which we play. As I said earlier this week, we’ve had a team in place that has been carefully monitoring and assessing the situation and its implications for several weeks. We’ve weighed all the options, and I appreciate the input and collaboration across the TOUR, our industry, our partners and our members that got us to this point. We’ll continue with that collaboration, and I want to thank our fans for supporting the PGA TOUR."
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