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TSN Senior Reporter

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A World Golf Championship being cancelled? The PGA Championship moving from one coast to the other just a short time before the opening tee shot? Or, worst of all, a Masters without any patrons?

While all far-fetched, those are all rumoured to be in the contingency plans being discussed by major golf organizations in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic.

However unless the situation becomes much worse, those possibilities will remain just that, contingency plans.

On Tuesday, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan made it clear that while the tour is keeping a keen eye on the spread of the virus and how it could affect its schedule, at the moment he does not intend to change or cancel any events. That includes the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, slated for Austin, Texas in two weeks. Last week, the massive South by Southwest festival in that city was cancelled.

“I would say that right now, that's one of the tournaments that's on the focus list, given its proximity to where we sit right here,” said Monahan at a press conference ahead of this week’s Players Championship. “We are planning on - we are fully planning on being in Austin, Texas, for the WGC Dell Match Play.”

That’s the plan today and it could very likely be the plan for two weeks from today. But Monahan described the situation as dynamic and constantly changing, and that might mean unusual practices for a PGA Tour event. Hence the extra planning if the coronavirus expands.

“There are various iterations or there are different ways of operating an event based on the circumstances in terms of fan involvement and how we operate the event,” he stated, “but we're still confident that we'd be able to operate the event.”

A tournament without fans was also rumoured to be among the possibilities being discussed for the Masters. According to one source it is merely a discussion point at this time for the Augusta National Golf Club, one of many courses of action that could go into play in a more severe situation. Right now, the patrons are expected to walk the hallowed grounds of the Georgia course. The roars will continue to be heard through the pines.

Another major championship was also in the rumour mill, with the PGA Championship reported to be asking for potential secondary sites for its May championship.

Right now, the PGA is set for Harding Park GC in San Francisco. That area has one of the larger number of infected people and so a possible change of venue was in the gossip mill with TPC Sawgrass and Valhalla GC named as possibilities.

Monahan said that while he’s had talks with PGA CEO Seth Waugh and Suzy Whaley, the organization’s president, it’s only to look at extreme situations.

“When you get in these extraordinary circumstances,” he said, “you have to make yourself available to your partners, and you have to really work as closely together as you ever have to help each other get through this.

“And so there is no plan at this point in time for the PGA Championship to be held here. It's going to be held at TPC Harding Park.”

While the leaders were moving ahead with their plans, the golfers were considering their options, too.

“There’s a lot of unknowns,” said Adam Hadwin. “I probably wouldn’t change a thing as of now. If there’s a tournament, I’ll go play.”

Cory Conners said he was doing a great deal of reading on the virus and was putting his trust in the tour.

“I think it’s important to be cautious but I’m sure the tour will make the right decision for us and all the fans,” he stated.

Other golf tours have taken more concrete steps, including the PGA Tour’s series in China, which will have a shortened season after the postponing its qualifying tournaments.

The European Tour cancelled three events with the latest being the Kenya Open, which was set to run this week. That decision came after the Kenyan government decided to prevent any international public gatherings in a bid to stop the spread of the virus.

"We understand and totally respect the decision made by the government of Kenya in these difficult times," stated Keith Pelley, the CEO of the European Tour, in a release "We are looking into the possibility of rescheduling the tournament at some point later in the season, but that remains simply a possibility right now - we have no definitive plans at this stage."

The LPGA Tour, which has a significant number of tournaments in Asia, cancelled stops in Thailand, Singapore and China. That resulted in a loss of $5.2 million in purse for the women’s circuit.

The LPGA Tour is set to resume play next week in Phoenix.