The virus is casting a shadow

THE elephant in the room for the PGA Tour is COVID-19.

Despite an apparent return to partial normality across parts of America, the pandemic remains a concern and continues to spread.

At the weekend Alabama, Florida and South Carolina all reported a record number of new cases for a third day in a row.

It’s hard not to reach the conclusion the easing of the lockdown and recent mass protests are feeding into a worrying trend.

It also bothers me that in such a fractious atmosphere, American broadcasters CBS are trying to sell golf as a vanilla-coloured panacea to all of society’s problems.

How can you laud the healing spirit of sport when the creaking inequalities of life and divisions in society continue to stare back at you?

Can we not just call it as it is like Paul Mcginley, above, did on Sky Sports. Ditch the saccharine asides, showcase golf and let us enjoy it.

The reality remains Harold Varner III is a fantastic golfer, but he will still wake up a black man in America today.

That’s a journey that has a longer way to travel.