Los Angeles (AFP)
American golf boss Seth Waugh said he plans to host the next Ryder Cup this year in the United States with no spectators on the course due to the coronavirus epidemic.
The Ryder Cup is a golf competition organized between the best American players and the best Europeans every two years, played alternately in the United States and Europe.
One of the most followed sporting events in the world, it is difficult to imagine without spectators, recognized Mr. Waugh on the microphone of the radio WFAN of New York. But the event could still be organized with "virtual fans," he said.
The 2020 Ryder Cup is scheduled to take place at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin from September 25-27.
Crowds of enthusiastic supporters from both camps are an integral part of this unique competition in the world of golf, an individual sport that lends itself little to the gathering of supporters defending the colors of a team.
"Frankly, we still have to determine if we can organize it with or without fans ... the fans are the Ryder Cup, to some extent," said Mr. Waugh, head of the United States Professional Golf Association United (PGA).
The captain of the European Ryder Cup team, Irishman Padraig Harrington, said that it was better to cancel the competition than to sell it out.
"No one wants to see the Ryder Cup played without the spectators around," he said.
The last edition of the Ryder Cup was held in 2018 on the national golf course near Paris. Europe had defeated the United States.
© 2020 AFP