International players and caddies on the PGA Tour will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to participate in the United States ©Getty Images

International players and caddies on the Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tour will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to enter the United States and participate in competition.

The Tour alerted its membership of the Center for Disease Control's new policy on its informational "Green Sheet" that is distributed to players and caddies each week.

The updated regulations also require non-US nationals to receive a negative coronavirus test within three days of traveling to the country.

Unvaccinated Americans will still be able to enter the country but must also provide a negative test within three days of travel.

"The policy allows for very limited exemptions," the Tour memo read.

"Please note that the PGA Tour is not considered exempt from this policy."

According to a Tour spokesperson, 83 percent of the Tour’s players, caddies and essential staff are fully vaccinated.

Charlie Beljan was not allowed to play at the Bermuda Championship as he is unvaccinated ©Getty Images
Charlie Beljan was not allowed to play at the Bermuda Championship as he is unvaccinated ©Getty Images

The recent Bermuda Championship was played with a "short field" consisting of 126 players instead of the normal 132, with at least one player declining to make the trip because of the island’s vaccination requirement.

"Today I was forced to withdraw from @PGATOUR event in Bermuda because I didn't take the jab," wrote American Charlie Beljan, who joined the PGA Tour in 2012, on Twitter.

"This is not the Tour's policy but it is Bermuda's.

"The Tour has done an amazing job through this hoax.

"F*** Bermuda and all you nazis pushing this agenda."

The tweet was hastily deleted after he was inundated with criticism for his stance.