Bermuda Championship to allow limited number of fans to attend

The Bermuda Championship will allow a limited number of fans next month, setting up the second-year tournament to become the first PGA Tour event to include fans since the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

The PGA Tour and Bermuda government jointly announced that a limited but unspecified number of fans will be allowed at Port Royal GC for the Oct. 29-Nov. 1 tournament. According to a Royal Gazette report, daily allowance will be determined by the island’s existing protocols on public gatherings and attendance will be open to both Bermuda residents and visitors.

Bermuda has one of the highest per-capita COVID-19 test rates in the Americas and has been lauded by international travel organizations for its updated health and safety protocols. As of Sept. 28, the Bermudian government had conducted 63,640 tests with only 181 identified positive cases and nine deaths attributed to the virus.

“Being the first PGA Tour event to welcome spectators on-site is a milestone the Bermuda Championship is proud to have achieved,” said tournament director Sean Sovacool.

The tournament will mark the first time that fans have been alongside the ropes in a general admission capacity at a PGA Tour event since the opening round of The Players on March 12. Limited spectators were on-site earlier this month at a PGA Tour Champions event in South Dakota, while the Tour began re-introducing pro-ams at last week’s event in the Dominican Republic.

Brendon Todd captured the inaugural edition in Bermuda last year for his first win since 2014. With the event not opposite another Tour stop because of the cancellation of the WGC-HSBC Champions, this year’s winner will receive an invite to the 2021 Masters in addition to spots in the Sentry Tournament of Champions, The Players and PGA Championship next year.