The fairways of Sedgefield Country Club will be empty in August—except for PGA Tour golfers, caddies and essential personnel. (Photo courtesy of Carolinas Golf Association)
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The fairways at Sedgefield Country will be empty when the 2020 Wyndham Championship opens play on Aug. 13.
It was a difficult call for the tournament and the PGA Tour, but it was the right one. With confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus reaching a record single-day high of 2,462 in North Carolina on Saturday, July 11, the health and safety of potential attendees has to be of paramount concern.
Accordingly, the 2020 Wyndham Championship will be played without spectators, the tournament and Wyndham Rewards, in collaboration with the PGA TOUR, announced Monday. The 81st annual Wyndham Championship is set for Aug. 13-16, 2020 at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.
The PGA TOUR returned to golf in mid-June by scheduling five fan-free events, the last of which was to have been last week’s Workday Charity Open in Columbus, Ohio. Corporate partners and limited spectators were set to return for the first time at this week’s Memorial Tournament, but last Monday, the TOUR and the Memorial Tournament announced it would be played without spectators.
With an extensive health and safety plan in place, the Wyndham Championship was prepared to host its corporate partners and a limited number of spectators, but the constantly evolving dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic made it necessary for the tournament to be played without fans.
“As we have said from the start, our No. 1 priority remains the health and safety of everyone in the communities where we are invited guests each week,” said PGA TOUR chief tournaments and competitions officer Andy Pazder. “We appreciate the cooperation of the Wyndham Championship, Wyndham Rewards, and – of course – the fans of central North Carolina for understanding why collectively we had to make this decision.
“We remain very excited to present the Wyndham Championship to a global audience, as it determines the outcome of the Wyndham Rewards Top 10 and sets the field for the FedExCup Playoffs.”
Tournament director Mark Brazil agreed with the decision.
“I’m sorry we have to go this route, but I think this plan is the right call,” Brazil said. “We are very excited to be able to have the tournament and showcase the Wyndham Championship and the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina to the rest of the world, but these are truly unprecedented times.
“This decision is appropriate for the health and safety of the players, caddies, volunteers and fans. I am incredibly proud of our tournament staff and volunteers and appreciate the way Wyndham Rewards, the PGA TOUR and state of North Carolina worked with us, but with constantly evolving COVID-19 numbers, playing without spectators is the responsible thing to do.”
While no spectators will be on site, the tournament, in conjunction with the PGA TOUR, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services and the Guilford County Division of Public Health, will be taking extensive COVID-19-related precautions such as mandatory wearing of masks, social distancing, extensive hand washing and extensive placement of hand-sanitizing stations where hand washing is not available to protect its volunteers, PGA TOUR players and caddies, as well as the essential personal required to conduct a PGA TOUR event.
A comprehensive screening and testing plan will be implemented, including a mandatory health questionnaire and temperature readings for everyone on site each day as well as COVID-19 testing for players, caddies and personnel working in specific areas.
In addition, the tournament will implement enhanced cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting practices in all areas of tournament operations. The PGA TOUR and the Wyndham Championship will only operate the event if it is deemed safe and responsible to do so by local and state agencies.
The PGA Tour has managed its reopening admirably, and though several pros and caddies have tested positive for the coronavirus—starting with Nick Watney at The RBC Heritage—the protocols for dealing with positive tests have been swift and effective.