THE BRITISH Masters golf tournament will take place at Close House this year without spectators, according to reports.
The European Tour, which encompasses the British tournament, will relaunch in late July with restrictions in place to ensure the safe return of professional golf.
Close House, at Heddon-on-the-Wall, was chosen to host the event last year after a successful tournament at the course in 2017, which attracted nearly 70,000 fans.
It is believed the tournament will be played on July 22 to July 25, instead of the originally planned July 30 to August 2, and will be played for close to the original prize fund of £2m.
The event will be played behind closed doors, but broadcast by Sky Sports.
Close House was favoured to host the tournament by the European Tour due to the on-site hotel. The intention is to create a closed bubble for tournament players, caddies and officials to stay on site and isolate once they have passed the 14-day quarantine to enter the country before the start of the series.
Lee Westwood, who is attached to the Heddon-on-the-Wall club as its touring professional, is due to host the event, just as he did back in 2017.
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