The PGA Tour is set to return this week after a three-month layoff, and some of its biggest stars are ready to play.
The 148-man field for the Charles Schwab Challenge – which starts Thursday at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas – will include the current top five in the World Golf Ranking: Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson.
Tiger Woods, who is ranked 11th but remains the biggest name in golf, chose not to play. The 44-year-old Woods, the 15-time major champion with a record-tying 82 PGA Tour wins, has played the tournament at Colonial only once – in 1997, when he was going for his third straight victory and shot 72 in the final round to finish three shots behind.
The PGA Tour shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic after the opening round of The Players Championship on March 12.
The return requires players to be tested for the coronavirus upon arrival and, for those taking a charter flight to the next tournament – the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, South Carolina – another test before they leave. They also will have daily thermal readings and health questionnaires, a regulation that also applies to caddies and others whom PGA Tour officials deem essential personnel.