PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan would not commit to a timeline on bringing spectators back to courses, but PGA Tour Policy Board Player Dir Kevin Kisner said that he "could see some movement around the first of the year," according to Bob Harig of ESPN.com. Kisner said, "We will transition to spectators as soon as we feel like we have a good plan that the players are comfortable with. We need the fans back. Without the fans, the tournaments aren't the same, the revenues aren't the same. We need them back." He continued, "I think the start of the new year, we'll probably transition into trying something. ... I think we'll start with a very limited number and transition from there.." Harig noted the PGA Tour Champions next week "will allow a limited number of spectators" at the Sanford International in Sioux Falls, S.D., which will mark the "first time that any of the tour's circuits will allow spectators on site the since the March shutdown." The "hope is to have about 5,000 people per day" (ESPN.com, 9/3).
GRADUAL PROCESS: Kisner said that he "wouldn’t expect a program that would require 'rapid' COVID-19 testing of every fan, but he does envision protocols that would allow for social distancing away from players." He said, “As we've seen throughout this whole process, each week we've adapted to the new guidelines and the new ways of the Tour, and we just ease into each thing and hopefully return to normal as soon as possible" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 9/3).
