Augusta National Says 2020 Masters 'Proceeding as Scheduled' in Coronavirus Memo

Augusta National Golf Club is planning for the Masters to tee off as scheduled on April 9 amid the coronavirus outbreak. 

Club chairman Fred Ridley wrote in a memo that tournament officials are "not only monitoring the situation closely, but also consulting with relevant experts" (h/t GolfChannel.com's Nick Menta):

Ridley's comments largely echoed a statement issued by the PGA Tour on Monday:

"After reviewing the relevant positions from the Centers of Disease Control and the World Health Organization, there are no planned schedule changes beyond what has already been decided with PGA TOUR Series-China (a delay to the start of the season). However, we are establishing additional protocols to promote the health and safety of all participants and fans at our tournaments, and we will regularly review our schedule in light of revised CDC and WHO reports and make any updates as necessary."

Both MLB and NBA haven't taken direct steps in reaction to the spread of the coronavirus but have kept tabs on the situation should COVID-19 disrupt their seasons.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported MLB sent a memo to teams with guidelines on how to potentially avoid the spread of the virus but hadn't yet formulated any plans to postpone or cancel games. 

According to Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe of ESPN, the NBA took a similar approach—recommending players avoid autographing items and using fist-bumps with fans—and has already discussed how it could alter the buildup to the 2020 draft in June in order to curtail the risk presented by the coronavirus.

Across the world, sports organizations have amended their schedules or ordered events to happen behind closed doors as a reaction to the outbreak. According to CNN, over 92,000 caes and 3,200 deaths have been confirmed in connection to COVID-19.