11 states, 12 weeks and golf rolls on amid a pandemic
PGA Tour Commissioner JayMonahanhassavednearly a dozen ribbons, an unusual set of keepsakes that are as much about caution as celebration.
At the end of every tournament he attends — all but one — Monahan clips off the vinyl cloth band on his left wrist that was required for him to be part of the bubble during golf’s return fromthe coronaviruspandemic-caused shutdown.
The wristband represents another week in the books and another tournament on the horizon.
Twelvetournaments.Travel to 11 states across three time zones.
No stoppage.
There were 139 tests for the coronavirus last week at theBMWChampionship, all negative.
Thatwasthefourthstraight tournamentwithoutapositive test, thelastonecomingAug. 1 atLakeTahoewhenBranden Grace got the wrong result at the wrong time, knocking him out of the PGA Championship the following week.
Since the return tocompetition at Colonial theweek of June8, 1,042playersandcaddieshave been tested at tournaments, for a total of 3,591 tests. Therewere seven positive tests for players, three for caddies. Thatdoesn’t include results from the PGA Tour Champions (four events) or the Korn Ferry Tour (12 events).
NickTaylorwasamongthe last to return, having gone home to Canada to be with his wife and newborn. He recallssomeanxietywhenhe showedupatMuirfieldVillage in Ohio. As he headed home, he was surprised by the low number of cases.
“I was in our bubble back inCanada, wherewehadvery few cases,” he said. “I knew I was going to be gone for at least sixweeks. I felt itwould be hard to have a big spread sincewe’re outside somuch, whichisalowrisk.Thecharter (plane) has helped a lot. But our bubble, people are coming in and out everyweek. ... What was the mostwe had in a week? Two or three?”
Thatwas in the thirdweek back, at the TravelersChampionship inConnecticut, and that’swhenitlookedasthough this grand planwas about to collapse.
Cameron Champ tested positive, along with two caddiesthatledtothreeplayers— including BrooksKoepkaand GraemeMcDowell— to withdraw. Webb Simpson withdrewwhen a familymember tested positive. By the end of the week, two more players had tested positive.
“The snowball is getting a little bigger,” McDowell said as he began the drive home fromConnecticut to Florida. But amid strong feelings that golf was about to stop again, McDowell raised another important question.
What happens if golf shut downforoneor twomonths? Then what?
“Youcomebackandwhat’s changed?” he said. “Wehave to get through to the other side of this.”
East Lake is not the end of the road by anymeans. Two majors were rescheduled, with theU.S. OpenatWinged Foot in two weeks and the Masters in November (the British Open was canceled). Still to come is another trip to California, ones to Mississippi and Texas, two in Las Vegas and another just north of Los Angeles.
“The first week with no positive tests you’re thinking, ‘Thiswill be cake.’ And then testspoppedupandthemob wantseverythingshutdown,” Joel Dahmen said. “A couple of protocols were switched up and that helped. If you’re testedweekly, youdotheright things, we’re going to be OK. We’ve proven that. I thought there would be a couple of cases a week. We’re traveling. There’s a lot of holes in our bubble. But everyone is doing a good job.
“I’m impressedwemadeit this long and this safe.”
Next up is the Tour Championship, where the FedEx Cup bonus pool is just over $45.6 million for the 30 players, with $15 million going to the winner. Monahan will be there to present the trophy before he cuts another ribbon off his wrist.
Andthenit’sontoCalifornia for the start of a newseason.