One of the premier events on the San Diego sports calendar is scheduled to take place in 2021 but with a different look and sound from what we're accustomed to.
The sounds of golf fans will be absent at Torrey Pines, after an announcement Monday that spectators will not be allowed at next year's Farmers Insurance Open.
The event will take place Jan. 28-31.
It is a decision that falls in line with how the majority of tour events have been conducted during the pandemic. Only two tournaments have welcomed a limited number of fans: the Bermuda Championship and Houston Open.
“We recognize that COVID-19 requires dramatic modifications to the operations of our annual event,” tournament CEO Marty Gorsich said. “We have been working closely with the PGA Tour as well as the county and city of San Diego in our planning. The safety and well being of everyone affiliated with the Farmers Insurance Open and our community remains our top priority. While we will certainly miss the energy our fans bring to Torrey, we remain focused on delivering a PGA Tour competition that showcases the best players in the game set against the backdrop of one of the most-storied courses in the world."
The Farmers Insurance Open is the first of two events that will bring the world's top golfers to Torrey Pines next year, with the U.S. Open returning to town in June. In 2008, the course welcomed 295,000 fans. The major tournament is operated by the USGA, which opted not to allow fans at its September stop at Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, N.Y.
No decision has been made about the 2021 U.S. Open.
