The PGA Tour’s QBE Shootout and LPGA Tour’s CME Group Tour Championship will both be played at Tiburón Golf Club from Dec. 9-20.
And they will be played without fans due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Tournament management Wasserman announced the decision Friday.
“Due to COVID-19, this year’s QBE Shootout and CME Group Tour Championship will be played without spectators in attendance,” said Rob Hartman, Vice President, Golf & Events & Tournament Director, of the QBE Shootout, in a statement. “This was not an easy decision for either event, but the health and safety of the Naples community, PGA Tour and LPGA players, caddies, sponsors, fans, and volunteers is our No. 1 priority.”
Professional golf events played since tours restarted during the summer have not had fans in attendance, with a few exceptions.
The Shootout, which features 12 two-person teams playing three different formats, will be Dec. 9-13, with tournament rounds Dec. 11-13. Rory Sabbatini and Kevin Tway are the defending champions. Friday’s first round will be entirely on the Golf Channel, with Saturday’s and Sunday’s rounds split between Golf Channel and NBC.
The Shootout’s Live Fest, the concert that featured Darius Rucker and Lady A in its first year in 2019, was canceled during the summer. It had been scheduled for Dec. 12.
Sei Young Kim, who just won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, is the defending champion for the CME Group Tour Championship, which is Dec. 17-20. The first three rounds will be entirely on the Golf Channel, with the final round on NBC.
Thursday, Tiburón also was announced as the host course for the PGA Tour Champions’ Chubb Classic, which is Feb. 8-14. That tournament will be played on the club’s Black Course. The other two professional events are on the Gold Course. Both were designed by Greg Norman, the founder and host of the QBE Shootout.
