PGA Tour Goes Dark
Covid-19 has paralyzed life as we know it and that includes the world of professional golf. The Masters has been postponed until what is rumored to be October while the PGA Championship, slated for May 11-17, has been postponed as well with a summertime date being bandied about.
However, many other tournaments have been outright canceled, such as the RBC Heritage, Zurich Classic, Wells Fargo Championship, AT&T Byron Nelson, as well as the “fifth major”, the Players Championship.
It’s an arduous schedule for professional golfers and getting a sudden reprieve may cure the aches and pains of what ails many of them. Rory McIlroy sits atop the leaderboard and will remain there by default until golf returns. At the moment there are no odds on any of the suspended events but SportsbookReview is the site to turn to for all the latest, breaking news on golf and sports around the world.
The 30-year-old superstar has called for all players on the tour to be tested, “For us to keep playing on Tour, all players and people that are involved need to get tested. Everyone knows you can have it with no symptoms and pass it to someone that’s more susceptible to getting very ill. It’s a scary time, and I think that the PGA Tour have made a step in the right direction and I think we just have to play it by ear and take it day by day. You look at the trends and you look at everything that’s happening across the rest of the world, it’s in its infancy here in the United States, and yeah, it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”
Tiger Woods’ TGR Foundation, in partnership with Discovery Education, announced it is providing educational classes and programs via its digital platform with the mission statement being to, “help parents-turned-educators and education professionals alike keep students engaged until schools are back in session and beyond.”
Woods has taken a circumspect approach regarding the suspension and cancelation of the PGA’s upcoming tournaments as he tweeted, “There are a lot more important things in life than a golf tournament right now. We need to be safe, smart and do what is best for ourselves, our loved ones and our community.”
Golfers Social Distancing Through Social Media
PProfessional golfers are taking to social media platforms to essentially say stay home, be safe, wash your hands, and don’t contaminate others. Sometimes it takes a professional athlete to reiterate what the vast majority of the population already knows because there are some who walk among us who take their cues from their sports heroes.
The No. 2 golfer in the world, Jon Rahm, who is not the only celebrity in the world that got infected recently posted a video where he stated, “There’s a lot of people out there refusing to respect the guidelines of social distancing and quite frankly, it’s pissing me off. Come on, millennials. It is my generation. I know it’s spring break. I know everyone wants to have fun. But respect the rest of the people in society. This is not one of things that our generation can be like ‘Oh, somebody else will just take care of it.’”
The 25-year-old went on to say, “Thank you for everybody in the health care system: nurses, doctors, anybody related and trying to help all the people in need. It’s unbelievable what you guys have been doing. And we cannot thank you enough. And from the bottom of my heart, millennials, please think twice about what you’re doing. I know we (younger people) have less of a risk of being infected and possibly dying. … but the people that are being affected the most are our elders. People that, if you remember, most likely fought in wars defending our freedom and the countries we live in so please, just stay at home. Wash your hands. It’s a very small price to pay.”
Speaking of the Covid-19, Victor Lange became the first known pro golfer to test positive. The 26-year-old South African was actually accompanying a friend to a doctor’s appointment for an unrelated issue. He decided to get tested despite exhibiting no symptoms but only as a precautionary measure.
The PGA Tour Communications office issued the following statement, “In speaking with Victor, thankfully, he has no symptoms and is expected to make a full recovery. We have offered our support as he recovers under quarantine and with medical supervision at his home in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Victor has relayed his gratitude toward fellow players and fans who have offered words of concern and encouragement.”
