From Many, None: Report Says USGA Cancels Local And Sectional Qualifying; No Fans On Site If 2020 U.S. Open Is Played
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An unbylined Golfweek item, since deleted, offered a detailed report on the USGA cancelling local and sectional qualifying for the 2020 U.S. Open. The tournament was postponed to September 17-20, 2020 at Winged Foot Golf Club and would feature an all-exempt invitational field that the USGA is still working through along with many other details designed to play some form of a championship.
From the lengthy item (still posted at MSN’s golf page), which certainly did not appear to be an incomplete report, just perhaps an incorrectly timed release and delivering the not-surprising relating that large crowds will not happen:
Nor could the USGA’s championship team adequately function amid the pandemic. “The USGA is headquartered in New Jersey, the second most hard-hit state in the country with a higher mortality rate than the global average,” said Craig Annis, the chief brand officer. “Our ability to effectively put on all 14 championships with qualifiers when we can’t be physically together, can’t fly, and in some instances would need to quarantine for 14 days before being able to operate in some states, is severely limited.”
The new COVID-19 reality will be apparent even at the championships that are staged, especially at Winged Foot. The customary number of volunteers at a U.S. Open—between 5,500 and 6,000—will be cut to around 200. “Most of the volunteers at our qualifying and championships are of an age demographic that is at high risk,” Bodenhamer explained.
The targeted number of people permitted to be on-site each day at the Open will be around 2,000. With a typical complement of fans, that number would usually be around 40,000.
“We know with the U.S. Open it’s going to be significantly scaled back. We are trying to get our numbers as low as possible to get the necessary approvals to play,” Bodenhamer said. “Whatever we’re permitted to do by governments, we will build on that.”
The US Amateur and US Women’s Amateur remain scheduled.
**Subsequent reports say a decision has not been made on fans but at 2,000 people on site, any crowds would be relegated to tiny numbers after allotting for players, entourages, television, media, security and other essential personnel.
