PGA Tour Commissioner Says Golfers Won't Be Required to Take COVID-19 Vaccine

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said Thursday he doesn't believe a COVID-19 vaccine will be required for golfers, caddies, tournament officials or spectators at the Tour's events in 2021 and beyond.

"I think vaccination is a choice, and I would apply the same logic and the same amount of care to that subject as we have to every other subject, and that is to try and do our best to educate our members on vaccination and the pros and cons associated with it," Monahan told reporters. "But ultimately it's an individual decision."

Although vaccinations have begun around the United States in hopes of quelling the coronavirus pandemic, which brought the Tour and much of the sports world to a months-long halt in March, it's not clear when the vaccine will be readily available.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a "phased allocation" plan that will see healthcare workers on the frontline fighting the pandemic and senior citizens in long-term care facilities who are most at risk of serious complications receive the vaccine first.

Other groups, including essential workers, those with high-risk medical conditions and other senior citizens age 65 and older, are next in line to receive the vaccine before it could become more generally available to the public.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday the league has no plans to jump the line in order for its players and coaches to receive the vaccine before the playoffs or Super Bowl.

"We are not planning on any of our personnel being vaccinated in advance of the Super Bowl," Goodell said. "That's obviously being done at higher levels and given priority to obviously healthcare workers, first responders and those that are in the riskiest state. We don't fall into those categories, so we don't anticipate that and we're not planning for that."

Along with the uncertainty about availability, Monahan said he didn't believe his powers as commissioner included being able to mandate a personal health decision like taking a vaccine.

"I don't look at it that way,'' Monahan told reporters. "As exciting as it is, I think there's still an awful lot that we need to learn and we need to know. But I would say at this point we're not going to be in a position where we're mandating vaccination, and that's the way we're looking at it at this point in time."

He added the PGA Tour still plans to "safely" reintroduce fan attendance at more events next year after only a select few events allowed spectators after play resumed in June.

The Tour's first event of 2021, the Sentry Tournament of Champions, is scheduled to begin Jan. 7 at the Plantation Course at Kapalua in Hawaii.