Tag: PGA of America

PGA Championship next on clock after San Francisco ‘shelter in place’ order

May’s PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park may be in jeopardy after parts of San Francisco were ordered to “shelter in place” on Monday.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan canceled the Players Championship last week and other tournaments through the Valero Texas Open, originally scheduled for April 2-5. With a near lockdown in place for the Bay Area, a decision on the PGA Championship could come next.

With the 2020 PGA Championship scheduled for May 14-17 at TPC Harding park in San Francisco, the PGA of America is on the clock. The situation became even more uncertain Monday afternoon when a “shelter in place” order was announced for six Bay Area counties, directing residents to say inside and away from others for three weeks.

California has been a hot spot for the virus, especially the San Francisco area. According to numbers in the San Francisco Chronicle at the time of this article, there are 511 coronavirus cases in the state, with 272 in the Bay Area.

No decision has been made concerning the upcoming 2020 PGA Championship, the PGA of America said in a statement Monday. Its leadership remains in close coordination and communication with representatives from San Francisco and the state of California, evaluating plans on an ongoing basis with the health and well-being of all involved as the highest priority.

The first major championship of the season, the Masters, was scheduled for April 9-12. Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley announced Friday it would be postponed until a later date, presumably late fall.

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Amid coronavirus pandemic, golf’s majors are still on but don’t expect high fives

The coronavirus has not yet caused the cancellation of any PGA Tour event, even as a health order goes into effect in a major host city.

The coronavirus is increasingly impacting sporting events around the world, and with good reason. As the World Health Organization officially categorized the COVID-19 virus as a pandemic on March 11, concerns about the continued spread of the virus revolve around situations where crowds of people come together.

Like at professional sports competitions.

After giving his State of the PGA Tour address on Tuesday, Commissioner Jay Monahan was peppered with questions about precautions and cancellations. So far, no PGA Tour events have been canceled (or crowds limited) because of the virus.

Most pressing for the golf community, perhaps, is the PGA Championship. The season’s second major is scheduled to take place May 14-17 at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. On Wednesday, however, San Francisco mayor London Breed announced that the county is issuing a public health order that would prevent groups of 1,000 or more people from assembling in one space. It’s an order explicitly designed to limit the spread of the virus.

According to the L.A. Times, there are 157 confirmed virus cases in California and the number is expected to grow well beyond that in the coming days.

While acknowledging that the moratorium on large gatherings is disruptive, Breed expressed the importance on cutting down on opportunities for the virus to spread.

“For the general public, reducing the opportunity for exposure to the virus is the top priority, and by canceling events, we are improving the odds,” Dr. Grant Colfax, Director of Health for San Francisco, said in a statement.

The PGA of America, however, issued a statement on Tuesday addressing reports that the PGA Championship could potentially be moved from Harding Park, saying that wasn’t accurate. In spite of the San Francisco health order, the PGA reiterated its points a day later.

“At this time, no such discussions have taken place,” the statement read. “We continue to carefully monitor this rapidly evolving situation, in close coordination and communication with representatives from San Francisco. We will follow the guidance of state and city officials and public health authorities, keeping the safety and well-being of all involved as our highest priority.”

Monahan echoed that on Tuesday in Ponte Vedra Beach, addressing a theory that the PGA might move to TPC Sawgrass, home of the PGA Tour’s headquarters.

“There is no plan at this point in time for the PGA Championship to be held here,” he told media. “It’s going to be held at TPC Harding Park. But I would just pledge to you, as we’ve pledged to everybody else, that in all of our tournaments week to week that we’ve got to — we’ve really got to listen and respond to the real information that we’re receiving on the ground.”

The Players Championship will go on as planned this week and while Augusta National Golf Club issued a statement last week that officials were working with health organizations to monitor the virus, so far the Masters (plus the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals) remain on the calendar with no restrictions.

Many sporting events around the world – and now the country – are being postponed or outright canceled. This week, that has included an additional stop on the European Tour plus a women’s college golf tournament that was to be played in Mexico.

PGA Tour players are beginning to take notice of the potential threat, too.

Jon Rahm referenced his 85-year-old grandmother as well as family members who have respiratory diseases and might be at greater risk. That includes his wife Kelley who has asthma. He called it his duty to do everything he could to protect himself from contracting the virus.

“So this week, I love to fist pump and high five the kids, but it might be the one week where we don’t do it,” he said. “I love also to sign autographs, I might restrain from that a little bit, too. Not from being selfish reasons, I just feel like it might be the best thing for everybody.”

Rickie Fowler, often a fan favorite, was thinking the same thing about player-fan interaction. Even before the coronavirus outbreak, Fowler noticed that in his first years on Tour, high fives and fist bumps often led to illness.

“I’m more doing a wave or a thumbs up,” he said. “You just don’t know. I was already doing this before the coronavirus came up. I’m sure a lot of guys will be keeping their distance not because we’re trying to stay away from fans.

“Post-round it is a lot easier for me to control and sign and go into the locker room and wash my hands. Signing isn’t going to go away.”

Some sporting events have simply tried to eliminate the fan presence so contests can go on. It would certainly bring a different feel to the Tour.

When asked how surreal it would it be to play without any fans, Fowler said, “I’ve heard that was thrown around as a rare potential. It would go back to junior golf, amateur golf, some college golf days when it was only your family and friends out there. It would be a very different feel.”

Adam Schupak contributed reporting.

As PGA Championship approaches, San Francisco enters heightened state of virus preparation

Months before the PGA Championship, San Francisco’s mayor has issued an emergency declaration to prepare the city for a potential outbreak.

The San Francisco area is circled heavily on the PGA Tour calendar as being this year’s PGA Championship host city. The year’s second major will be played May 14-17 at TPC Harding Park. The city also made news this week in connection with the coronavirus. Mayor London Breed on Tuesday issued an emergency declaration to prepare the city for a potential virus outbreak. No cases of the virus have been confirmed in San Francisco.

According to a USA Today story, Breed’s declaration was made in the name of preparation.

“Although there are still zero confirmed cases in San Francisco residents, the global picture is changing rapidly, and we need to step up preparedness,” Breed said. “We see the virus spreading in new parts of the world every day, and we are taking the necessary steps to protect San Franciscans from harm.”

The declaration raises awareness, mobilizes city resources, accelerates emergency planning and coordinates agencies across the city, Breed said in the USA Today story. She said it also allows for future reimbursement by the state and federal governments.

Related: Coronavirus explained

Across the country in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, where the first round of the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic got underway on Thursday morning, the PGA of America indicated it was already watching the situation in San Francisco. The organization issued the following statement:

“We are carefully monitoring the situation as it relates to the 2020 PGA Championship in San Francisco. We will follow the guidance of public health authorities and take the necessary steps to ensure the safety and well-being of all involved.”

Coronavirus news entered the golf sphere in a big way this week with Wednesday reports of two Italian players being isolated at the European Tour’s Oman Open as a precaution. Originally, they withdrew from the event.

By Thursday morning, the European Tour had clarified that coronavirus tests for Lorenzo Gagli, one of the men in question, had come back negative. He and Edoardo Molinari, his roommate for the week in Oman, were reinstated in the field.

“This is a difficult global situation, one during which we will continue to follow all guidance given to us on preventive measures, and all decisions will continue to be made in the interests of overall public health,” said Keith Pelley, CEO of the European Tour.

According to the USA Today story, the global death toll hit 2,801 on Wednesday night.

Heightened awareness of the virus on the West Coast may stem from an infected person in California – confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday – that would represent the first U.S. person to contract the virus despite not visiting a foreign country recently or coming in contact with an infected patient.

USA Today reported that it brings the number of coronavirus cases detected in the U.S. to 15, with 12 of them related to travel and two to direct contact with a patient.

“At this time, the patient’s exposure is unknown,” the CDC said in a statement. “It’s possible this could be an instance of community spread of COVID-19, which would be the first time this has happened in the United States. Community spread means spread of an illness for which the source of infection is unknown. It’s also possible, however, that the patient may have been exposed to a returned traveler who was infected.”

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NBA All-Star Paul Millsap uniquely positioned to be first PGA WORKS ambassador

Paul Millsap, a four-time NBA All-Star and power forward for the Denver Nuggets, has become the next great crossover star in the golf world.

Paul Millsap, a four-time NBA All-Star and a power forward for the Denver Nuggets, has become the next great crossover star in the golf world, but in a way unlike other professional athletes before him. Millsap, 34, has been named the first-ever PGA WORKS Ambassador.

PGA WORKS is the flagship platform within the Inclusion pillar of PGA REACH, the 501(c)(3) charitable foundation of the PGA of America. The PGA WORKS mission is to diversify the golf industry’s workforce through initiatives like fellowships, scholarships, career exploration events and the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship.

It’s a mission not unlike the one Millsap has undertaken through CORE4, an Atlanta-based Prep School Academy and elite basketball skills training facility he co-founded with his three brothers. CORE4, which opened the doors to its facility in 2018, operates on a mantra of four C’s: character, community, commitment and competition.

The program cultivates young men’s basketball skills but also puts an emphasis on life skills, from nutrition to financial literacy to career development. The goal of CORE4 is not just to develop the next generation’s star players, but also agents, skill development experts and strength and conditioning coaches.

Backed by Millsap’s passion for the game – he calls himself an avid golfer though humbly describes his game as still inconsistent – this approach will extend to the golf industry, as CORE4 will launch a golf academy that is designed to promote access to golf careers in the industry and pathways to PGA Membership.

Millsap, who played collegiately for Louisiana Tech and played for both the Utah Jazz and Atlanta Hawks before joining the Denver Nuggets in 2017, branched into golf about five years ago. He plays as often as he can in the offseason and is captivated by the game. He plays to a 13 handicap and calls his mid-irons the current strength of his game.

Crossing over from basketball to golf will be new territory for Millsap, but he’s uniquely positioned to do it.

“Through life, there’s key components and there’s always fundamentals to basketball, there’s fundamentals to golf, there’s fundamentals to life in general,” Millsap said. “All of them kind of go hand in hand, but when I picked up golf and dug a little bit deeper into what golf was about – patience and the strategy – those types of elements and components that go into that, it translates to basketball and to life.”

Denver Nuggets forward Paul Millsap (4) moves the ball against Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma (0). (Photo: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)

Eligible participants in the CORE4 Golf Academy will also be able to participate in PGA WORKS programs nationally. In addition, Millsap and CORE4 will fund a PGA WORKS Fellowship in the Georgia PGA Section. The PGA WORKS Fellowship is a 12-month paid entry-level position, based at a PGA Section office funded by PGA REACH. The Fellowship presents an experience that is a reflection of what a potential career in the golf industry can offer.

“PGA WORKS is positively impacting the composition of the golf industry’s workforce,” said PGA of America Chief People Officer Sandy Cross. “As we move our mission forward, it is very powerful for us to align with professional athletes like Paul Millsap, and his organization CORE4, who are equally committed to connecting talented individuals from diverse backgrounds with career opportunities in the golf industry.”

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PGA of America has plan to revive West Palm Beach’s closed city course

PGA of America is proposing to reopen West Palm Beach’s closed city course as a nonprofit community resource that promotes golf education.

WEST PALM BEACH – PGA of America is proposing to reopen West Palm Beach’s closed city course as a nonprofit community resource that promotes golf education, leagues and diversity programs and serves as a public course devoted to “pure golf” without sacrificing any of its 196 acres to housing.

With the city’s latest effort to nail down a redevelopment deal ending unsuccessfully, PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh, a longtime Palm Beach County resident, has urged West Palm Beach leaders to let the organization restore the course, run programs there and still have it affordable for city residents, he said in an interview Monday night.

“The city has to make a fundamental choice,” he said. “Do we want this to be about real estate and finances or about golf? … We just want it to be golf, not another development.”

The city has been trying for almost two years to find a company to bring the course back to life. The course, a focal point for recreation in the South End, cost the city millions to refurbish in 2009 but the greens and clubhouse fell into disrepair.

By 2015, Mayor Jeri Muoio had the clubhouse demolished, asserting it was too moldy to repair. By September 2018 the city closed the course, to save on maintenance costs while starting a selection process for a developer. There were consultants and requests for proposals but none of the proposals took root.

Most called for housing to be constructed around or within the course. The most recent proposal, by Texas golf instructor Mike McGetrick did not. Rather than rely upon construction profits, McGetrick proposed to run the course though a nonprofit foundation, but failed to come up with financing before the city’s deadline expired last November.

PGA of America’s Waugh offered to work with McGetrick but came aboard too late for the deadline, which the city refused to extend. But with that selection process ended, Waugh approached James and individual commissioners about having PGA of America step in, with unnamed investors, with McGetrick aboard.

PGA of America, whose goal is to grow interest and participation in the game, has been based for more than 50 years in Palm Beach Gardens. It has been housed in a two-building complex adjacent to PGA National Resort since 1981. It has plans to move its headquarters in late 2021 or early 2022 to Frisco, Texas.

The organization owns a number of golf properties including a 54-hole resort called PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie along with the PGA Center for Golf Learning and Performance in Port St. Lucie.

At a mayor-commission work session Monday, James acknowledged the offer but said other companies also would be invited to submit proposals and have staff reach out beyond the South End to see what residents citywide would like to see at the course.

South End residents have long expressed a preference for sacrificing as little of the course as possible to development, and doing so without selling any public land.

Former City Commissioner Shanon Materio, now president of the South End Neighborhood Association, said Wednesday the city should acknowledge that the site was given to the city on the grounds it remain a golf course.

“For over five years, the golf course has remained in disrepair while the prior and current city administrations failed to complete the most basic of reviews by issuing a legal opinion regarding the question, can anything other than a golf course even be allowed on the property,” she said.

“The land was given to the city for a single purpose, a municipal golf course. Not for housing, not for hotels, and not even as a city asset.”