The US Open has followed the PGA Championship and will now be a “no spectator’ event. So 2020 will have two ‘fan-less’ Majors and one, The Open, has been cancelled. The Masters, scheduled for November has made no announcement, except for re-scheduled dates November 12-15.
The US Open was originally scheduled for June 18-21 before getting postponed to September 17th to 20th at Winged Foot on New York’s Long Island.
USGA CEO Mike Davis released a statement about confirming a ‘no spectator’ decision:
“Following months of consultation and scenario planning with local and state health officials, we have jointly decided that hosting the U.S. Open without spectators will provide the best opportunity to conduct the championship safely for all involved. We will miss the excitement of the fans and what their presence brings to the championship. We look forward to welcoming them again to future U.S. Opens.”
USGA senior managing director of championships John Bodenhamer added:
“This will not be a typical U.S. Open in several respects. Would it have been easier to simply cancel or even move the 2020 championship rather than play it in what has been the epicenter of the virus in our country? Possibly. But all of us at the USGA know how much the U.S. Open matters, and we weren’t willing to give up on playing it at Winged Foot Golf Club so easily. We are very proud to give our competitors and champions a platform to chase their dreams. Their perseverance motivates us, in a year when such tenacity means so much.”
Four-time Major winner, Rory McIlroy was asked ahead of WGC – FedEx St Jude Invitational whether he would be fine with fans in attendance. He said, “When would I feel comfortable when there’s fans back on the golf course? I think I guess when there’s less of a chance of people getting sick, I guess. And whether that’s — you know, they discover more with the virus or there’s different treatments, whether that’s a vaccine or other treatments,” he said.
“So, I don’t know. Again, like being out here, I feel pretty safe. We get tested multiple times a week, and inside the bubble I think we’re pretty much not — obviously you can limit your exposure as much as you can.
“But yeah, it’s hard. I don’t know, I don’t know. Whether it’s a vaccination or whether it’s something happens where there’s a breakthrough and we know a little bit more about what’s going on with the virus, but I probably can’t give you a definitive answer about when I would be comfortable with crowds again.”
