Driving onto this island heaven in Lowcountry ahead of the RBC Heritage was a jolt to your quarantine senses.
Restaurants were teeming inside and out, bicyclists were swarming dedicated paths and side streets, hotels were running at or near capacity judging from the overflow parking lots, and Mom-and-Pop shops were bustling.
Upon further exploration, one came to see the famed Harbour Town Lighthouse casting a shadow over a populous marina and the numerous beaches packed beach towel to beach towel.
Social distancing? A dismissed exercise. Masks? About a ratio of 1 to 10 against.
It’s as if the coronavirus never reached these shores.
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Joel Dahmen said it was “wild out there,” and that was before the weekend crowds arrived. Justin Thomas said “they’re seeming to not take it very seriously. It’s an absolute zoo around here. There’s people everywhere.”
The congested landscape – it was more crowded than the top of the leaderboard as the players teed up another rousing tournament – was an eye-opener for players and all the others inside the “bubble” of safety the PGA Tour developed in consultation with infectious disease experts to reduce the risk of COVID-19.
Then Nick Watney tested positive for the virus on Friday and alarm bells went off.
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After waking that day and having a few symptoms consistent with the virus, Watney, who ventured outside his rental home only to go to the course and once to the grocery store (and he was wearing a mask), met a physician and took another COVID-19 test.
Awaiting the result, he went to the course to get ready for his 12:21 p.m. tee time, as is allowed. Shortly into his warmup, however, he got word of his positive test. He and his caddie left the course and began to self-isolate.
But Watney, who is feeling better, had come into close contact with 11 people and the PGA Tour tested each of them – including his two playing partners from the first round. All 11 tested negative on an initial test and awaiting results on a secondary test.
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Still, many players questioned why Watney was allowed on the course to await his test result despite having symptoms. As the Tour goes forward – it next heads to Connecticut for the Travelers Championship, the safety plan could be amended, which is what Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said would be the case if need be.
Other subtle changes will definitely be made. While players weren’t naïve to think they’d escape the virus when play resumed, seeing the bustling island and hearing about the first positive test since the Tour returned got their attention. And got them hoping next week’s landscape won’t be the same.
“It definitely got me thinking about kind of everything that I’ve done this week,” Webb Simpson said. “I’ve tried to be really careful, but I could probably be more careful. I hadn’t really gone out to dinner. I’ve gotten takeout every night. But in terms of even wearing the mask, any time I’m out of my comfort zone away from the golf course, I think it’s smart.
“And really, the six-foot rule I’ve been good about, but I probably could be better. So it definitely got me thinking.”
Added Ryan Palmer: “Everything you do, you’ve got to pay attention.”
This week, takeout and delivery were the top 2 choices for most of the players when dinner rolled around. A few players had their own chefs. Many cooked up their dishes themselves. Expect that approach to continue.
“We need to be more careful,” said Vaughn Taylor, who played with Watney in the first round. “I felt like coming in the last week everyone was super careful, and then we got here, and the vibe on the island is a little more relaxed. I feel like we might have gotten a little more relaxed too, complacent with being careful.
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“Everyone has kind of ratcheted it up a little bit. Not hanging out with too many people, hanging with too many guys, stay out of restaurants and bars and those things. I think, if we do that, we should be safe. We’ve all got to keep that in the back of our mind and just be smart.
“It would be nice if we just had the ability to get tested whenever we like. Some guys want to get tested more. Some guys are comfortable with the way it is. I think it’s still a learning curve. I feel good that the Tour is going to get everything worked out.”
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