Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
More than a moment’s silence as golf tees off with tribute to Floyd
ON the day that golf led America’s major sports out of the lockdown, it seemed entirely appropriate that the joint frontrunner at the Charles Schwab Challenge on the opening day (Thursday) should be a man called Rose.
On the day the game paid its own tribute to the slain George Floyd, how fitting that standing alongside Justin Rose on the leader board is the eloquent Harold Varner, one of only four black players on the PGA Tour.
A round heavy with symbolism, therefore, and its own quiet magic as the sport came up with a notable return following an absence stretching back 91 days.
In the midst of the general welcome back, one in particular needed extending to England’s Rose, who went missing long before the pandemic. Here was one man who’s clearly used the lay-off to press the reset button, as he opened with a startling, bogey-free score of 63.
Matching him was Varner, who gained many new admirers with his reconciliatory thoughts in the build-up on the racial tinderbox currently engulfing America. Here, the 29 year old from Ohio played like a man with an added purpose, as he showed he can make headlines with his deeds as well as his words.
“I think we’ve seen in recent weeks how precious life is, and for sure I feel like I am out here playing for something more than just myself,” he said, following his seven under par round.
The sound of silence predominated at the stately Colonial Country Club, from the absence of spectators to the tribute to Floyd, as players put down their clubs, stowed their yardage books and stopped for a minute.
It was 8.46am when the sombre curtain fell on the mute proceedings. Play came to a halt for the man whose brutal death in police hands has caused all right-thinking people the world over to pause and reflect.
“We want to amplify the voices and efforts under way to end systemic issues of racial and social injustice impacting our country,” said PGA Tour commissioner, Jay Monahan.
The lack of a crowd must have caused some players’ minds to wander, but it didn’t detract from the television viewing experience. Maybe come Sunday and the final round, but this felt like the first day at most tour events, when galleries are usually sparse.