Return to Tournament Action

The PGA Tour’s return to action on June 11 at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Forth Worth, Texas, went off as smoothly as could be hoped. Every player and caddie was tested for the COVID-19 coronavirus and all came out negative. The following week at the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, player Nick Watney tested positive and had to withdraw before the second round. The players he played with, Bud Cauley and Luke List, then tested negative.

However, several other players have tested positive since then, along with a few caddies. As a result, the Tour has updated its policies. Players and caddies, along with instructors and tournament staff, are now no longer permitted on the tournament site until a negative test for the virus is returned prior to the beginning of the week. Players who take the tour-chartered plane to the next flight will be tested both before and after the flight.

At this point, it would have to be said that the Tour’s policies are much more stringent than what the players would face at home, and as a result, is likely reducing the spread of the virus among its players and other personnel. As commissioner Jay Monahan noted, no system is perfect but so far, it is working as designed.