The Return of the PGA TOUR
It seems like a long time since March when the Players Championship was abruptly abandoned after the first round was played when it became apparent how serious and extensive the COVID-19 pandemic had become. The reality is that it’s been just over two months and the PGA Tour has announced its plans to return to competition without fans in attendance beginning June 11-14 with the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial CC in Fort Worth.
Read on to learn about some of the key points of the Tour’s plans to bring competitive professional golf back into fans’ living rooms on a weekly basis.
On Wednesday, May 13, the PGA Tour provided players with a 37-page document outlining their plans for bringing them back to competition. It stated that social distancing is at the core of their plans to keep everyone safe. Other initiatives include isolating players and caddies in a single hotel and strongly encouraging the use of a shared charter jet between events.
Players and caddies will be tested for the virus before each tournament and will be encouraged to utilize hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes frequently during their competitive rounds, including when touching shared surfaces like flag sticks or bunker rakes.
Top players like Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, and Brendon Todd have indicated that they will play the first event and have stated they are ready to do whatever it takes to get back to competition. It is unclear at this point what the full field at Colonial will look like.
After Colonial, the schedule of events is as follows: June 15-21: RBC Heritage, Harbour Town Golf Links in South Carolina; June 22-28: Travelers Championship, TPC River Highlands in Connecticut; July 2-5: Rocket Mortgage Classic, Detroit Golf Club in Michigan; July 6-12: John Deere Classic, TPC Deere Run in Illinois. The John Deere is the first event where fans may be in attendance but the Tour has stated that this could change depending on the ever-evolving situation with the virus.
We hope you are staying safe and looking forward to enjoying some PGA Tour golf again as much as we are. In the meantime, don’t forget to tune in to NBC this Sunday for the TaylorMade Driving Relief charity skins match where the teams of Rory McIlroy & Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler & Matthew Wolff will face off on the highly-touted and rarely seen Seminole Golf Club in Florida.
As always, don’t forget to check in with Plugged In Golf after the conclusion of the tournament to read a recap of the action and get the lowdown on all the gear in the winner’s bag.
