No Fans Means Operational Changes, Financial Hits For PGA Tour Events
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2020-04-28
By REX HOGGARD, Golf Channel
Michael Tothe has spent the better part of every workday devising creative and innovative ways to get fans to flock to Colonial and watch golf. That job is now fundamentally changed.
“You work on building an event that fans come to. Your on-site activities, your events inside the event, those are things you focus on,” Tothe said. “Now the focus is providing a safe environment when the guys come back to Ft. Worth [Texas].”
In simplest terms it’s a sea change for Tothe, the Charles Schwab Challenge tournament director. A more nuanced examination reveals a complex and entirely new set of challenges — financial and operational — as the game prepares for professional golf without fans.