Golf

In the first major tournament since the pandemic stalled the sports world, the title went to a magnetic 23-year-old who turned pro just last year. More

The U.S. Women’s Amateur championship concluded on Sunday, but the search by nonprofessionals for competitive women’s golf events has been onerous since the college season was canceled last spring. More

Collin Morikawa, a 23-year-old playing in his second major, shot a five-under-par 65 to join the chase ahead of Sunday’s final round. More

Many sports have returned to play without fans. Golf is deciding a major championship without them. For players used to feeding off the crowd’s energy and reactions, it’s just not the same. More

On Friday, Woods struggled with a new longer putter on the way to a hard-earned two-over-par 72. He finished eight strokes behind the P.G.A. Championship leader Haotong Li. More

Crews worked to play up the course’s cypress trees, bunkers and proximity to Lake Merced even as local duffers tramped on what “may be the most unpretentious site ever to host a major.” More

This week’s P.G.A. Championship site is named for Warren G. Harding. The course’s reputation has fared better than his did. More

The outlook for fans attending a major men’s golf championship this year grew bleaker on Wednesday when officials for the 2020 United States Open announced the event in Westchester County, N.Y., would be conducted without spectators.Next week’s P.G.A. Championship, in San Francisco, the first golf major championship this year, had already barred fans from attending. That leaves the Masters, in November, in Augusta, Ga., as the only men’s major yet to prohibit spectators.Leaders at the Augusta National Golf Club, which runs the Masters, have not publicly commented on their decision-making regarding fans. In April, this year’s British Open, scheduled for July, was canceled.The PGA Tour scrapped plans to have spectators at an Ohio tournament this month and has said it will not host fans at its remaining events this season. On the L.P.G.A. Tour, which is resuming this week after a lengthy layoff caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the first five events will be absent of fans. The men’s and women’s tours have not made final decisions about admitting spectators for tournaments late in the year, which is actually the beginning of next season. The European Tour has also returned to competition, albeit without spectators. The Women’s British Open, which will be the first women’s major this year, will be held without fans in Scotland from Aug. 20 to 23.The United States Golf Association, which conducts the U.S. Open, made its announcement on Wednesday in conjunction with Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York.“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,” Mike Davis, the U.S.G.A. chief executive, said in a statement. “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.”Cuomo said, “While the tournament will look different this year with no fans and enhanced safety protocols, this event is a welcome sight for sports fans across the country and will help restore a sense of normalcy as we build back better than before.”The U.S. Open was originally scheduled for mid-June, but was pushed back to Sept. 17 to 20 in April. The U.S.G.A. considered moving the championship to a course outside the Northeast, although the preference was to keep the tournament at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y., a traditional choice. It last hosted the event in 2006.But even as the U.S.G.A. canceled the vast system of qualifying tournaments for the U.S. Open, the organization remained hopeful it could have at least a limited number of fans at Winged Foot during the championship.“We are thankful to all of the local and state officials as well as the members and staff at Winged Foot Golf Club who worked so hard to try to help us accomplish our goal of hosting fans this year,” Davis said, adding, “While we are disappointed, we know it was the right decision to make for the community and for the players.”The Ryder Cup, the biennial international competition which was to be held in Wisconsin in late September, has also been rescheduled for 2021. The U.S. Women’s Open was likewise postponed until Dec. 10 to 13 in Houston, as were two other women’s majors: The ANA Inspiration, usually the first women’s major of the year, will now be played in Rancho Mirage, Calif., from Sept. 10 to 13; and the Women’s P.G.A. Championship was rescheduled for Oct. 8 to 11 in Newtown Square, Pa. More