PGA Tour will play golf tournaments as planned but with no fans due to coronavirus

The PGA Tour will continue without fans in attendance because of concerns about the spread of coronavirus, Commissioner Jay Monahan announced.

The policy will be enacted Friday for The Players Championship already underway in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, officials said.

“It goes without saying that this is an incredibly fluid and dynamic situation,” Monahan said in a news release. “We have been and are committed to being responsible, thoughtful and transparent with our decision process.”

The policy will be in place through the Valero Texas Open, which is March 30-April 5 in San Antonio.

The tournaments also include the Valspar Open from March 19-22 in Tampa and the Dell Technologies Match Play from March 25-29 in Austin.

The Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in the Dominican Republic is postponed because of travel advisories. The tournament was scheduled for the end of March.

“This is a difficult situation, one with consequences that impact our players, fans and the communities in which we play,” Monahan said in the news release.

The NBA already has suspended its season and conference college basketball tournaments across the country already have canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 9:46 AM with the headline "PGA Tour will play golf tournaments as planned but with no fans due to coronavirus."