PGA Tour returns next week with testing

For the world’s best golfers the sport officially comes back next week at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Wort, Texas. It will be a stacked field as many the PGA Tour’s biggest stars are anxious to get back to work.

With golf courses jammed across North America and beginner’s golf clubs reportedly flying off shelves, the PGA Tour can expect plenty of interest as it becomes the first major North American sport to return to action following the COVID-19 shutdown. The PGA Tour’s stoppage began March 13, when the Players Championship was cancelled following the first round of play.

Being the first sports league to return comes with plenty of responsibility. Other sports leagues will certainly be paying close attention as the PGA Tour tries to hop across America in a travelling bubble.

It’s expected that roughly 1,100 people will need to be onsite at each scaled-down tournament, even without fans in attendance, with 400 or so being tested every week and questioned every day for symptoms. There will be chartered jets available for players and bubble hotels that the tour is recommending players stay at.

Luckily, tour bags are big enough to fit a container of sanitizing wipes because, according to a memo sent to players, caddies are expected to wipe down rakes and flagsticks after they touch them and wipe down their player’s bag frequently. As for the players, social distancing is a must and they are being advised to sanitize their hands after every hole.

If our local golf clubs are any indicator, you can expect to see some players following the guidelines better than others.

Despite the thorough testing protocol onsite, there is no mandatory at-home test players have to take before travelling to Texas next week. The tour is urging players to get tested, and even sending two saliva test kits to each player should they want them, but the first tour mandated test will occur once players arrive at the Charles Schwab Challenge.