FORT WORTH, Texas – Asked how surreal life will be on the PGA Tour in the era of COVID-19, Justin Thomas spoke for the group: “I would say 2020 is beyond a bizarre year so far,” he shrugged and said with an edge of fatigue in his voice.
This week’s Charles Schwab Challenge is being positioned as a revival, a chance to embrace something that many hope will be normal-adjacent. And while players and caddies happily settled into a reimagined routine on Tuesday at Colonial, the gravity of the moment was ever present.
Golf isn’t the first major sport to venture out from quarantine – NASCAR has been racing for weeks and even the NBA has a back-to-work plan – but there is an unmistakable sense that the world is watching.
Over the last few weeks, the Tour has leaned into the notion that golf has a responsibility to get this right and set an example for how sports can move forward from a pandemic that halted play for 91 days.
“Every player out here, every person as a part of this organization should [feel a responsibility],” said Harold Varner III, before being distracted by this reporter’s appearance via teleconference. “I’m not saying I’m the best at it, it’s just how … do you have to have on that [PPE] mask as you talk to me? I didn’t know that.”
That player interviews are now conducted over video links, and the “bubble” the Tour has created around events, which excludes everyone except the players, caddies and a select few officials, doesn’t scratch the surface of how transformed the Tour has become.
For those who made the journey to Fort Worth, life post-hiatus began taking dramatic turns last week when the Tour began blanketing the traveling circus with testing requirements. From daily health questionnaires to COVID-19 tests, it was immediately evident that everything had changed.
“The main thing is, I told myself for two weeks I was going to stay as safe as possible. I won’t lie to you, I was kind of nervous waiting for the results of both [COVID-19 tests],” Ryan Palmer said. “I didn’t know if I have it or not. You can’t really tell. Those were some interesting moments waiting for those results.”
Clark: Taking at-home COVID-19 test is ‘right thing to do’
On Tuesday at Colonial, much looked the same. The tree-lined Perry Maxwell design, the statue of Ben Hogan towering over the 18th fairway, even the ubiquitous hot Texas wind was just the way the Tour left it last year when Kevin Na won. But the differences soon became obvious.
Before they even arrived at Colonial players and caddies were diverted to an off-site testing location, the nearby Dickies Arena, for a PCR nasal swab test.
“The needle up my nose is the craziest thing. Yeah, that was nuts,” Varner said, before adding, “I tested negative for COVID, so that’s a positive. I found that out while I was sitting here.”
On Colonial’s sprawling practice tee, which is ideal for social distancing, players engaged in an awkward standoff with equipment representatives, who are not included within the testing “bubble” and are required to interact with players only through a quarantine portal. For those accustomed to the ease of interaction, it was off-putting to the extreme. It’s also the cost of doing business in 2020.
Given the choice of playing Tour events with strict social distancing and testing guidelines vs. not playing at all, there is universal agreement – let us play.
If Tuesday’s practice rounds were any indication, there will be mistakes along the way. Social media is sure to unpack every forgetful high-five or random conversation that doesn’t include 6 feet of daylight between the participants.
The PGA Tour plans to observe a minute of silence, beginning with Thursday’s opening round at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
Along with a healthy amount of anticipation, there was a palpable sense of the untraveled road at Colonial. There are sure to be plenty of first-tee encounters without the traditional handshake and odd moments when the right thing to do isn’t the familiar thing to do.
“What’ll be weird is when you stand on the tee boxes trying to separate yourself a bit from your competitors,” Jordan Spieth said. “Just normally when you’re on the tee box everyone is crunched up in the same area, so I think it’ll be a little bit unusual just trying to actually focus on social distancing on the tee because the rest of the hole it should be pretty easy.”
Some the lengths to which the Tour has gone this week to avoid even the appearance of indifference is excessive, but there really isn’t any other way. One positive coronavirus test would be uncomfortable; five would be a problem. A dozen – or more – positive tests would be catastrophic for the Tour and probably for sports.
Three months of exhaustive planning and hoping are on the line this week and there are no guarantees of a second chance anytime soon.
“I think we need this week to go off without a glitch. I mean, we need to make sure this week is great, not only for the world of sports but our Tour,” Palmer said. “If we come off this week and the fans get a great show and no [coronavirus] cases, I think it’s going to be a huge success for the Tour, for our fans, for the sporting world. We need live golf. America needs it. We need live sports.”
As a business, golf needs to get back to work. As a nation, we need live sports – but not at any costs. The margin of error has never been so thin, which is particularly concerning given the uncertainties of the coronavirus. If not a trailblazer, golf certainly finds itself on the pointy end of the pandemic spear and Colonial is where all the planning and preparation is put to the test.
For all the wrong reasons, the Charles Schwab Challenge is one of the game’s most significant tournaments. It’s an opportunity for golf to prove that sports can safely start again, and, as everyone on property is well aware, it’s a very real responsibility to get this right.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
