WGC may see crowds
Fedex St. Jude Invitational ‘cautiously optimistic’ fans will be able to attend
When the PGA Tour comes to Memphis in less than two months, it’s going to look different.
This much Darrell Smith, the executive director of the World Golf Championships-fedex St. Jude Invitational, already knows.
But how different?
That part he can’t tell you yet, not with the coronavirus pandemic still complicating how the event proceeds. Will there be a tournament?
Almost certainly, just not on the date originally planned. Instead of Fourth of July weekend, this year’s event was pushed back to July 30-Aug. 2, when the 2020 Summer Olympics were supposed to occur.
Will there be a tournament with fans on the grounds at TPC Southwind?
“I’m cautiously optimistic,” Smith said. “We’ve been hopeful from the very beginning that we would be able to have some sense of gallery here on site at TPC Southwind.”
It’s why tournament officials were thankful for the extra time provided by the new date of this year’s event. But they’re aware this year won’t be able to attract the record crowds who flocked to the Memphis area’s first WGC event last year to watch Brooks Koepka, Rory Mcilroy and every top golfer in the world besides Tiger Woods and Rickie Fowler.
“We understand the tournament is going to look different because there are protocols in place in our community that will require that,” Smith said.
“Adherence to social distancing and everything everyone is doing in their normal daily life will have to be implemented on site.”
As of today, with the city of Memphis still in Phase 2 of its “Back to Business” plan, festivals, parades, races and similar public/community events – which the WGC-FEDEX St. Jude Invitational would fall under – still are prohibited. Only after Memphis moves into Phase 3 of its reopening could events with 50 or more people perhaps be allowed if supported by the characteristics of the space and social distancing.
City and county officials indicated earlier this week that they’ve targeted Monday to move into Phase 3 if the COVID-19 data locally continued trending well. However, cases and positivity rates are on the rise in Shelby County. But with seven weeks between now and the start of the WGC-FEDEX St. Jude Invitational, a delay in moving to Phase 3 wouldn’t necessarily mean no fans at TPC Southwind.
So Smith is watching what’s happening this week closely, now that the PGA Tour has resumed play at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, after more than 90 days off. He’s encouraged that last week The Memorial in Dublin, Ohio, received approval from Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine to hold its tournament July 16-19 with limited fans in attendance.
How the next five weeks of the PGA Tour’s revised schedule goes without fans will influence how tournament directors like Smith proceed. Same goes for next month in Ohio when some fans will be allowed.
“We’ll submit a plan to the city and to the Shelby County Health Department that will take their Back to Business framework that has been released now for several months and it will adhere to that framework,” Smith said. “We are going to be 100% compliant with the city and the Shelby County Health Department on any type of event that we do produce, and we’ll go through that process. We do think that the event and being able to play the event here at TPC Southwind also gives us a great opportunity to showcase to the millions across the globe that the city of Memphis is doing things in the right way and they’re reopening their economy.”
So what might a WGC Fedex St. Jude Invitational with limited fans look like?
At The Memorial next month, the venue will be at only about 20% capacity, according to ESPN. The fans who do get in, meanwhile, will be required to go through temperature screenings and wear masks. All grandstands and bleachers will be removed, and shuttle transportation to the course has been canceled.
Smith said the plan submitted to the city by the WGC-FEDEX St. Jude Invitational will include social distancing adherence throughout the TPC Southwind property, including on the course, structures around the course, the clubhouse and player areas.
Players and caddies must pass weekly COVID-19 tests in order to compete in tournaments as part of the PGA Tour’s revamped health and safety protocols. As of Thursday morning’s first round at the Charles Schwab Classic, no positive tests for PGA Tour players or caddies were reported.
Each group at the WGC-FEDEX St. Jude Invitational would include three golfers, three caddies and a scorer. Everyone would be using their own equipment.
The way golf is played means it’s “positioned as best as it can be in adherence of social distancing,” Smith said.
So he doesn’t know right now whether fans will be allowed at this year’s tournament and he doesn’t know how many will be there if they are allowed. But he does know there are 200 acres of land at TPC Southwind.
That is no different than before. That gives him more hope than anything else.
You can reach Commercial Appeal columnist Mark Giannotto via email at mgiannotto@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter: @mgiannotto