Phoenix Open reduces crowd to fewer than 5,000 fans per day

Todd Kelly of Golfweek noted as recently as last Friday that Waste Management Phoenix Open chairman Scott Jenkins was committed to welcoming fans to TPC Scottsdale for the 2021 tournament scheduled to take place from Feb. 4-7 despite concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

On Wednesday, Jenkins officially capped the attendance. 

"We remain hopeful we can host an extremely limited number of socially distanced fans at 'The People’s Open,' and in light of the current COVID climate, we have decided to further reduce our attendance to fewer than 5,000 fans each day," Jenkins said in a statement shared by Josh Frigerio of ABC15 Arizona.

The statement added that guests are required to wear masks on the course and also undergo temperature checks before they're permitted on the grounds.

According to Frigerio, between 600,000 and 700,000 spectators typically attend the weeklong festivities that include the competition. Per Josh Weinfuss of ESPN, Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar and Jon Rahm are some of the big names who have already committed to playing in the Phoenix Open. 

This news comes one day after Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley announced that the 2021 Masters Tournament will allow "a limited number of patrons, provided it can be done safely" for the event held from April 5-11.