UK back in the swing of things

Keith Pelley and staff have done an amazing job in restoring the European Tour with the UK Swing.

It’s brilliant they have put these six events on, considering only the British Masters was on the list. To add five more is phenomenal.

To get us going, they wanted to have everyone in the one place for a certain amount of time.

Dr Andrew Murray has been in contact with the health secretary and they are trying like mad to get a relaxation of the 14-day quarantine period, as they have done in Formula One.

We fall under the banner of elite athletes, so our players will be able to come in from different countries without needing to quarantine.

That should ensure strong fields and it’s great for us to get going that way. We are all going into a bubble, staying in the same hotels with a stringent testing process in place.

That’s the only way we were going to be getting back to playing.

By the time these first six events are over we will be into phases four and five, so perhaps we could have some fan interaction.

We will be watching closely what happens in America first, because they are going ahead pretty soon, but no crowds is the norm for the foreseeable.

I am just trying to get ready for July 23 for when I start back at the British Masters, but I’m not planning to play all six events of the European Tour’s new UK Swing.

I will play the first two, have a week off when the English Championship is held and then play the next three.

I don’t know what the guidelines will be yet, though. I have a committee meeting later this week to discuss things, because there are so many ins and outs to be added yet.

We have some guidelines, like staying in the same hotel, but I don’t know how it’s going to work if you are coming home and going back.

I’ve planned out a rough schedule, but I don’t think I could have three or four months off

“The beauty is the European Tour is not forcing us to play”

and then play six events in a row. The beauty is the European Tour is not forcing us to play anything this year.

I have been a wee bit rusty, with the transition from hitting off a mat into a net, to hitting off grass again. It will take a wee while for the specialist shots to come back.

I’m having to get used to not raking the bunkers, not touching the flag or shaking hands.

It’s different, but we knew that was going to happen. What we had before is not here – there is a new normal now.

It’s the only way we can get out on the course.

GREAT CAREER: Sergio Garcia has been in the world’s top 50 for most of the past 20 years