FORT WORTH — As the PGA Tour resumes after a three-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic this week at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club, golfers are excited to just be back playing competitively.
Just don’t call it normal.
“You can’t go into this thing it’s going to be normal because it’s not,” Justin Thomas said. “I would say 2020 is beyond a bizarre year so far, and especially in the world of sports it’s just going to be different. If we all want to get back and play the game that we love and not just for us but for the fans and everybody at home, we’re just going to have to get over the fact that it’s going to be different and be a little weird.”
Per tour rules, players were tested for COVID-19 prior to being able to play practice rounds. Ryan Palmer said he was nervous before getting the results. Jon Rahm said the test was a little more painful than he thought it would be.
“The needle up my nose is the craziest thing,” Harold Varner said of the swab test.
Hand sanitizing stations are prevalent on every hole. There are signs reminding players to keep distance, noting 6 feet is two club lengths. Interactions with caddies have changed. Golfers have to pull their own clubs. Conversations have to maintain a little more distance.
Surely you’ve heard about how unpleasant the #COVID19 nasal test is, right? Well, caddie @Kyle_pepperz gives you a front-row seat for his test upon arrival at the @CSChallengeFW today. 😬 pic.twitter.com/MtPV2W1tEs
— Caddie Network (@CaddieNetwork) June 9, 2020
Away from the course, golfers have been asked to follow “safer at home,” policies whether they are staying in the sanctioned hotel or renting a house nearby.
“This weekly testing should keep guys clear,” Jordan Spieth said. “It’s up to you. It’s on the individual if you’re going to go out to eat and risk potentially missing a few weeks. I don’t think anybody wants to contract the virus and not only deal with the health risk but also miss playing time. I have faith in the guys inside the bubble to ensure they stay healthy.”
Because there will be no fans in attendance, the normal suites and seating areas close to greens and tee boxes do not exist. Palmer, who calls Colonial his home course, wondered why they were putting up ropes throughout the course without fans.
He played Colonial plenty leading up to this week and hopes to have something of an advantage. Other golfers said they had been playing golf almost every day since their club or other courses were open, even with modified rules.
But then there’s Rahm, the second-ranked player in the world.
He said he did not touch his clubs for seven weeks while quarantined. When he got back to the game, his goal was not to “shank the first seven balls I hit on the range,” and to get the rust off. For the last 10 days, he spent more time on the course, walking 18 holes to re-acclimate from the longest break he has had since playing competitive golf.
“Obviously every time I tee it up, the goal is to win, so I’m here to play, to play and to win hopefully,” Rahm said “But expectations, who knows? Things are a little bit different. The atmosphere is going to be a little bit different, so I think it’s going to be a period of getting used to things.”
This week might not be normal, but it could be a new normal. Mostly, however, the golfers are just glad to be back.
The field is stacked with the top-5 players in the world, seven of the top 10 and 16 of the top 20. Rory McIlroy, the No. 1 player, will be paired for the first two rounds with Nos. 2 and 3 in the world in Rahm and Brooks Koepka.
The tournament has not had this much national attention since 2003 when Annika Sorenstam became the first woman to play in a PGA Tour event since Babe Didrikson Zaharias in 1945.
After the longest lay off from the PGA Tour since World War II, the golfers know what it is at stake.
“Honestly I think we need this week to go off without a glitch,” Palmer said. “I mean, we need to make sure this week is great, not only for the world of sports but our tour. I think if we come off this week and the fans get a great show and no 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. I think this week is going to be a very special, huge week for the sporting world.”