Players, caddies and key staff around them will be tested once a week for the new coronavirus, and everyone at the golf course will have their temperatures taken every day when the PGA Tour returns next month and tries to show it can resume its 2019-20 season with minimal risks.
Testing was a big part of the process outlined Wednesday that revealed significant changes to how tournaments are conducted.
No pro-ams. No spectators for at least a month, perhaps longer. No family members. No dry cleaning. And social distancing everywhere from the clubhouse to the practice range.
“Our goal is to minimize risk as much as possible, with the full understanding that there is no way to eliminate all of the risk,” said Andy Levinson, senior vice president of tournament administration for the PGA Tour. “But one of the best ways we can do that, to reduce the likelihood of exposure, is by limiting the number of people we have on site and limiting access to certain areas, keeping groups separated.”
It starts June 8-14 with the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.