On Tuesday evening, Golfweek obtained a copy of a presentation outlining how the PGA Tour planned to restart professional golf in the United States. On Wednesday morning, that presentation was shared with a select group of media members on a teleconference.
The Tour’s restart plan addresses all aspects of an event, from agents and Tour players’ families not being allowed on-site to the modification of practice facilities to hand sanitizer being available throughout the grounds. Players can take chartered flights from one event to the next and would be encouraged to stay at hotels that are partnering with the PGA Tour.
On the conference call, PGA Tour officials also outlined several other details and gave further clarification about how they hope to bring the game back in the era of COVID-19. Here are seven key takeaways from that call.
1. Optics are important
The PGA Tour recognizes that being one of the first major sports to restart will bring an increased number of eyes and scrutiny in how tournaments are run. Players, caddies and officials have received a resource guide that explains how things will be different. Along with testing, social distancing will be crucial and expected, even between a player and his caddie. For example, players will be expected to take their ball out of the hole, and caddies are expected to clean rakes and flagsticks after they touch them. No one is going to high-five or shake hands during or after the round.
“It will come down to, on the field of play, relying on players and caddies to have that social distancing requirement in the forefront of their minds,” said Andy Pazder, the PGA Tour’s chief tournament and competitions officer. “We will have constant reminders. We’re confident that they understand the significant responsibility they carry in making our return very successful.”
2. Local labs can quicken testing
Upon arrival, golfers, caddies and many tournament officials will have to complete a questionnaire, thermal test and RT PCR Nasal Swab or Saliva test. In most cases, results from the swab test take 24 to 48 hours, but the Tour plans to use local labs that have the capacity to quicken the process of getting results. The hope is that results can be determined within a matter of hours, but the PGA Tour has made it clear it will not take over local resources that are urgently needed in order to test golfers. The PGA Tour anticipates needing to test about 400 people at each event.
3. Positive tests will not be disclosed
If a player tests positive for COVID-19, he will not be allowed to compete and will be forced to self-isolate for at least 10 days. The PGA Tour does not release the medical information of the players, so if a player tests positive, the Tour will not make a formal announcement about it. Players, however, are free to confirm or announce they have tested positive.
4. Fewer people will be in common areas
To maintain social distancing, the number of players allowed in the locker room, dining areas and scoring areas will be greatly reduced. As a guideline, the Tour is implementing a square footage allowance of 36 square feet per player in common areas. That equates to 27 people in a 1,000 square-foot space.
5. Help for overseas players is coming
Approximately 25 PGA Tour players are currently outside the United States, and during Wednesday’s call, the Tour explained that it is working with the federal government to help get those players who want to compete back in the country.
“We are optimistic that we will be able to facilitate their return prior to our return to competition,” said Andy Levinson, the PGA Tour’s senior vice president of tournament administration.
6. Players should stay inside the bubble off the course, too
While the PGA Tour is not mandating that players take the chartered flights between event locations or stay in the Tour’s designated hotels, it wants players to have a “Safer at Home” mentality when they leave the course. Using ride-sharing services like Uber or Lyft is forbidden and golfers are being told to avoid crowds. If a player feels safer and more comfortable at a different hotel or on a different plane, that’s fine, but the Tour is trying to create havens that go above and beyond to ensure player safety.
7. Fans may not be back for a while
We already knew that spectators will not be allowed at the Charles Schawb Challenge, the RBC Heritage, Travelers Championship or the Rocket Mortgage Classic. However, the Tour made it clear that there is no line in the sand or certain date when fans will be back.
“We are not wedded to any specific date,” Pazder said. “Obviously it is going to be dependent on local, state and federal regulations that will largely dictate when we are able to resume having some number of fans. I would absolutely anticipate that whenever that occurs, it would initially be on a limited basis to ease ourselves back into having spectators on site.”
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