PGA tour player Watney tests positive.
Watney is first player on PGA Tour to test positive for coronavirus
The hope for a return of professional sports in North America took a hit on Friday as three teams from MLB — including the Giants — and one from the NHL closed their spring training facilities.
Moreover, five-time PGA Tour winner Nick Watney tested positive Friday for the coronavirus, the first player with a confirmed infection since golf resumed its schedule last week.
Watney withdrew immediately from the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina, and must self-isolate for at least 10 days under the PGA Tour’s protocols.
• The Giants shut their Scottsdale, Arizona, facility after one person who had been to the site and one family member exhibited symptoms Thursday, according to published reports. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told The Athletic the individual and a family member have exhibited symptoms of the virus, and are awaiting test results. Twenty other individuals who have been using the facility were subsequently tested for the virus and are also awaiting results. It is unclear if the visitor was a player, staff member or someone else.
• The Philadelphia Phillies shut down its Clearwater, Florida, site after five players and three members of the Major League Baseball team’s staff tested positive.
“All facilities in Clearwater have been closed indefinitely to all players, coaches and staff and will remain closed until medical authorities are confident that the virus is under control and our facilities are disinfected,” Phillies managing partner John Middleton said.
• The Toronto Blue Jays shut down their Dunedin, Florida, training center after “a player presented symptoms consistent with those of the virus.”
“The Blue Jays are following protocols put in place for this scenario, including guidelines from MLB and the club’s medical team,” a club spokesperson said.
The Florida Department of Health said in a report Friday that Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties — on either side of Tampa Bay — had both reached a one-day high for new cases. There were 372 new cases in Hillsborough County, where Tampa is, and 266 in Pinellas County.
• The NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning closed its arena after three players and some staff members were confirmed to be infected.
• According to a report in the Toronto Sun, Maple Leafs All-Star center Auston Matthews has tested positive for COVID-19.
Citing two “NHL sources outside Toronto,” the Sun reported that Matthews, 22, is self-quarantining at his home in Arizona and hopes to be healthy enough and eligible to travel to Toronto in time for the opening of Leafs camp on July 10.
• Clemson said 23 football players have tested positive for coronavirus since returning to campus this month. Clemson announced the results Friday. It did not identify the athletes.
In all, school spokesman Jeff Kallin said 28 people were found with COVID-19 since testing began for athletes and other personnel on June 8.
The uptick at Clemson mirrors one in the state of South Carolina, which reported a single-day high of 1,081 people testing positive on Friday.
Watney played the opening round with Vaughn Taylor and Luke List.
“I was a little shocked, to be honest,” Taylor said. “Heart started racing, got a little nervous. Just hope Nick is doing well and we get through this.”
Watney missed the cut last week in the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas. He traveled on his own to South Carolina, and his coronavirus test upon arrival at Harbour Town was negative.
Taylor, who at 6 under after 36 holes was inside the cut line, said he had no close contact with Watney on Thursday, and he washed his hands immediately after the round.
“Nick never coughed or sneezed, so I feel comfortable,” he said.
Before arriving to the course for his second round, he reported symptoms consistent with COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Watney was tested again, and the result came back positive.
The tour had no positive tests of the 487 administered at Colonial, and none among the 98 players tested before taking the charter to Hilton Head or the 369 tests for those arriving on their own.
Players, caddies and essential personnel have mandatory tests.
“For the health and well-being of all associated with the tournament those within the community, the tour has begun implementing its response plan in consultation with medical experts, including working with those who may have had close contact with Nick,” the tour said in a statement.
The tour said it would not comment further. It is scheduled to play next week in Cromwell, Connecticut, where the Travelers Championship is testing everyone — including volunteers and media — who will be on property.
That was a decision by the tournament. The PGA Tour has tried to create a bubble of its key people at tournaments, designating player hotels as an option and urging everyone in the bubble to avoid outside contact. Some players have been renting houses. There is no regulation if they choose to eat out.
Hilton Head has been particularly busy this week, with local restaurants packed with people who typically come to this quiet island on the Atlantic coast for vacation.
Under the tour’s guidelines for a positive test, Watney is to self-isolate for at least 10 days provided he has no subsequent symptoms or two negative test results 24 hours apart or more.
The tour will provide a stipend to pay for the costs of his self-isolation.
Watney has five victories, most recently in 2012 at Bethpage Black in the FedEx Cup playoff opener. He has struggled to regain his top form since missing 10 months in 2016 because of back surgery.
Simpson takes lead at RBC Heritage
Webb Simpson spent two days at Harbour Town watching bulked-up Bryson DeChambeau swing out of his shoes and realized his own brand of golf works just fine.
They traded birdies in the RBC Heritage until Simpson got the last word with a 6-footer on his final hole for a 6-under 65 and a one-shot lead over DeChambeau (64) and Corey Conners (63).
DeChambeau made six birdies on his final nine holes, missing a 5-footer onNo.9.
Simpson was at 12-under 130, and scoring remained bunched. Thunderstorms rolled through the island late in the afternoon and halted play. Matt Fitzpatrick was at 10 under, finishing when play was restarted.
Rory McIlroy made sure he was still in the game. He ran off three birdies in a four-hole stretch around the turn and finished with a 66 to make the cut with one shot to spare, though he remained seven shots behind.
Ryan Palmer had a 67 and was two behind Simpson. Dustin Johnson, coming off a missed cut at Colonial, had a 66 and was in the group four shots behind.