We know the Memorial Tournament in July will be the first time PGA Tour fans are welcome back inside the gates.
From July 16-19, Jack Nicklaus' Muirfield Village Golf Club will host 120 of the best players in the world in the second half of back-to-back PGA Tour events at the Dublin, Ohio club. Governor Mike DeWine has approved a plan to allow some fans to watch the golf in person, but how many fans will be allowed to attend the Memorial?
According to the Columbus Dispatch, no more than 8,000 fans will be allowed to attend the Memorial at any given time. That cap represents approximately 20 percent of the normal fan capacity at Muirfield Village. It's unclear if the tournament will simply admit that 8,000 figure daily or if they'll monitor entry and exit numbers to admit more fans as others leave.
The tournament will not have any kind of bleacher-style seating, though there will be areas designated areas where fans can congregate to a degree and sit on the turf. Fans will be required to wear face coverings or masks while in attendance, with some exceptions for medical conditions. At the entry gate, fans will have their temperatures checked.
Memorial organizers have already said they issue badges which be equipped with an RFID tag that can track fan movement to see where fans are congregating, potentially against recommendations and restrictions.
The Memorial will likely prove a key test of dozens of protocols that will be enacted in an effort to ensure the safety of attending fans. It will give PGA Tour officials a good idea of the amount of fan density that might work at other tournament sites, which will range in total acreage and space available for fans. The Tour should learn more about how food and beverage sales will work, as well tournament merchandising.