WGC FedEx St. Jude In July, In Memphis, Gets “One-Time” Field Filler Clause

Rex Hoggard’s GolfChannel.com item sarys the PGA Tour Policy Board is offering a “one-time” clause designed to fill out July 30-August 2nd’s WGC FedEx St. Jude field. What prompted it so far out, well, is pretty apparent.

In no particular order: Memphis in July/August, a date the week before the PGA Championship, or the inability or disinterest of international players to arrive and potentially have to quarantine for 14 days to play in Memphis in July/August the week before the PGA.

Hoggard writes:

Players were informed on Wednesday that the policy board has approved a one-time exemption for the event for players beyond No. 50 in the world ranking if the field is less than 78 players.

The current qualification includes players inside the top 50 in the world on March 16, when the rankings were frozen, and those inside the top 50 following next week’s Memorial.

“To maximize playing opportunities, adding an alternate list constructed from the next available players in order beyond 50th position on the Official World Golf Ranking [on July 20] . . . the alternate list would be utilized to fill the field to a limit of 78 players,” the memo read.

Optimize playing opportunities.

A spectacular euphemism for “we can’t fill the field with the current criteria and $10.5 million.”

This all was totally avoidable had this World Golf Championship gone somewhere outside the U.S. or somewhere other than FedEx’s home city in the hottest months. But they wanted a WGC and got it.

Ratings Rocket Mortgage Classic Final Round Up 56% On CBS

CBS Sports' Return to Golf Continues to Earn Viewership Increase pic.twitter.com/unKHsFQ0j3

— CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) July 8, 2020

Another very solid weekend for PGA Tour ratings with not much sports competition due to the pandemic and a late start for NASCAR’s rance, a July 4 weekend that should have substantially cut into numbers, did not.

Bryson DeChameau’s win at the Rocket Mortgage Classic was up 56% from 2019 and if you ignore the silly demographics, earned plenty of eyeballs.

Showbuzz Daily’s full numbers for CBS and Golf Channel telecasts. The weekday broadcasts on Golf Channel were CBS-produced, while the weekend lead-in coverage was produced by PGA Tour Live.

These Guys Are Positive: PGA Tour Announces First-Ever All-COVID-19 Grouping

There’s a headline I wouldn’t have seen coming. Last week. But the “Return to Golf” marches on with regular adjustments.

Quick recap: the PGA Tour issued 36 pages of guidelines for the “Return to Golf” in mid-May and here’s how they initially planned to handle a player testing positive for COVID-19:

After five weeks and several positives, the window has closed to 10 days of quarantine and now less if you test negative twice (the Cam Champ clause).

On the eve of the first-and-hopefully-last Workday Charity Open at Muirfield Village, a forklift was called in to move the goal posts again.

The PGA Tour announced no total test results for player and caddies this week as they also did not do last Wednesday. But this “update” revealing that three of the players who tested positive are still doing so, but feel fine so therefore, we have, a historic first: a coronavirus pairing.

PGA TOUR Statement – Health & Safety Plan Updates

July 8, 2020

Protocols for positive/symptomatic cases

At the inception of the PGA TOUR Health and Safety Plan, the TOUR’s policy for all positive test results for players and caddies required a minimum 10-day self-isolation period, based on the Centers for Disease Control’s time-based protocols.

It was “up to 14” in the plan (above) but continue…

On July 1, the TOUR transitioned to a test-based model for asymptomatic cases.  Therefore, in accordance with CDC guidelines, a player or caddie who tests positive for COVID-19 but has not had any symptoms may return to competition if he returns two negative tests results, a minimum of 24 hours apart. 

Ok, testing’s not perfect, Cameron Champ got a raw deal, we’re working with you…

For clarity regarding players and caddies who tested positive for COVID-19 and were symptomatic – in accordance with CDC “Return to Work” guidelines and in consultation with the PGA TOUR Medical Advisor and infectious disease experts – cases in which a player or caddie tested positive and continues to test positive, the TOUR follows a symptom-based model, as outlined by the CDC, allowing for him to return to competition if:

• At least three days (72 hours) have passed since recovery, which is defined as resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath); and,

• At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.

Lift that post…

The TOUR’s medical advisors and the CDC have indicated that PCR tests have shown a possibility of detecting viral RNA even after the infectious virus is no longer present. This would potentially become a persistent positive test result, despite the individual not being contagious.

Out of an abundance of caution, however, any player or caddie who meets the above criteria but continues to return a positive COVID-19 test will either compete as a single in competition or be grouped with players under the same situation, and he will also have no access to indoor facilities on site.

Face covering? Maybe? We’ll see…unless cameras are forbidden from showing…

At this week’s Workday Charity Open, Dylan Frittelli, Denny McCarthy and Nick Watney will follow the symptom-based model, as they have continued to return positive tests but meet the CDC guidelines for Return to Work. The three will play together in rounds one and two.

For more information on the CDC guidelines referenced above, visit: 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/disposition-in-home-patients.html

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/strategy-discontinue-isolation.html

The CDC guidelines, which are now being modified at President Donald Trump’s urging, make a big point on the two negative tests notion.

So the first ever all-COVID-19 positive trio will tee off together, with no word yet on their caddie situation or other precautions.

In an early evening call convened with preferred outlets, the PGA Tour’s advisor explained the basis of this shift in policy.

From Bob Harig’s ESPN.com story:

"In the beginning stage of the illness, that virus is assumed to be active virus that can cause infection, can be contagious," said Dr. Tom Hospel, the PGA Tour's medical adviser. "As time passes and as symptoms resolve and the patient or individual doesn't have any fever and 10 days have passed, at that point the thought and theory is that this virus, this particle that's being detected in the [nasal] swab is no longer active or contagious or can potentially cause ongoing infection.

"What we have learned along the way is that in some instances, individuals can continue to test positive for weeks if not months beyond when their illness started, and the thought is that those individuals are no longer contagious, but you're picking up dead virus."

The thought and theory.

Play away, gentlemen.

Shack Show: Bryson's Unsettling Style, The Need To Save Imaginative Golf

On the latest Shack Show I take a few unmistakable forces in golf convering this week to highlight the issues surrounding Bryson DeChambeau’s use of power and the dreary lack of imagination in presenting two tournaments at Muirfield Village. And producer Tim Parotchka, big fan of the distance game then joins me to discuss the joys of the power game (that he passed up watching).

The Apple Podcast link.

And the iHeart embed option below, or subscription page here:

Bryson Continues To Groan About TV Camera Coverage: "It’s just obsessive."

Bryson on "nothing burger" incident with cameraman

"People are going to make a big deal out of nothing, that's all it is. A nothing burger deal" pic.twitter.com/FP7mYZdQjC

— LKD (@LukeKerrDineen) July 6, 2020

So much for someone whispering in his ear, remember those cameras show you and the logos people pay you to exhibit.

Following Saturday’s bizarro Bryson DeChambeau beef with a cameraman filming the action as he’s obligated to do, the 2020 Rocket Mortgage champion took to Twitch following his Sunday win to answer questions. He continued to express his issue with television coverage invading his space, privacy, or something in that realm.

Thankfully for us geezers, Luke Kerr-Dineen posted the Twitch video (embedded above) and Christopher Powers transcribed DeChambeau’s doubling down on his view that cameramen are only suppose to shoot at select times and mind-read the rest of the time.

“I just felt like a minute long for videoing me was kind of a little weird, but we talked it out and it was all great, no issues whatsoever. So, I appreciate what they do, appreciate everybody that works hard out here to provide great entertainment.”

By the sound of it, he still didn’t quite get what irked some folks who were critical of his comments, but again, the news cycle moves quickly. Most of the discussion topics on Monday morning have revolved around DeChambeau’s game.

It doesn’t move as quickly when you double and triple down, however, which is exactly what DeChambeau did during a Twitch stream on Sunday night.

“The guy was videoing me for a minute after a shot,” DeChambeau said, “like a full minute. That’s just, it’s just obsessive. It’s not the cameraman, it’s nobody’s fault, there’s just got to be a little bit of respect, that’s all.”

I reached out to CBS to see if they had any comment on the matter, or if the cameraman had been disciplined for doing his job.

They respectfully declined comment.

What Might Have Been: The Workday Charity Open Provide A Chance To Try Something Different

Now that spectators have been ruled out for The Memorial, the back-to-back weeks at Muirfield Village will be delineated by contrasting course setups (Rex Hoggard reported on this three weeks ago).

Get ready to hear a lot about Stimpmeter speeds and rough heights. Oh, that’ll lure in the young people.

Also, the field for this week’s Workday Charity Open will consist of 156 compared to 120 for next week’s Memorial. 72-holes of stroke play for both. Scintillating.

The Workday provided an opportunity to inject something fresh onto the schedule while retaining the Memorial’s luster. Remember all the pre-pandemic talk about the need to slip in more variety on the schedule and offer alternatives to 72-holes of stroke play? I know, seems like decades ago.

Here are some options that would undoubtedly have required too many Zoom meetings and players inevitably offering their buzzkilling two cents.

—Reverse the nines. If we’re going to watch the same course for two weeks, why not use the spectator-free situation to use the less-seen, more confined front nine as the incoming set to differentiate the two weeks. This would have also protected The Memorial’s aura. Now, after two weeks of seeing the back nine, it’s likely to grow tiresome for fans.

—54 Holes. The Premier Golf League is proposing to play 54 hole tournaments with 18-hole shotguns the first two rounds. The Workday’s field size precluded the shotgun option, but a tournament shortened by a day and maybe played with a tighter pace policy would have been a solid experiment. It might have encouraged a few more players to play both tournament weeks.

—Stableford scoring. With several world class risk-reward holes at Muirfield Village, the scoring format used at July’s Barracuda Championship, combined with the less severe course setup planned, could have led to more contrast between the weeks.

—10 Club Limit. Imagine the pre-tournament talk: We tweaked some lofts and lies to fill in a mid-iron gap with the help of my partners at (Ricky Bobby/Bryson-style corporate plug goes here). We’d see some shotmaking, some tougher decisions for players who have to create something out of a reduced set of options and we might see creativity rewarded. With less to carry, Tour caddies might even be less surly for a week.

—12-Hole Rounds. With just a bit of creativity, Muirfield Village could have been reconfigured into a 12-hole layout as a salute to alternative round lengths, Prestwick and Jack Nicklaus’s view that the sport would have been better at a dozen holes. One option, screen-grabbed from Google Earth and posted above: holes 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. This would have taken the finishing four holes off of television to preserve some of the Memorial’s cache and conclude the Workday on the courses four most dynamite holes. If Bryson were playing, the last two would have been drivable fours!

—Almost All Of The Above. Let’s just go off the rails for total fun: 12 hole rounds, three days (36 holes total), Stableford scoring, 10-club limit. Let the whining begin!

"He won’t often have to hit mid-irons, ever."

From this week’s Golf.com Confidential, caddie and contributor John Wood on Bryson DeChambeau’s game following the Rocket Mortgage Classic win:

John Wood, PGA Tour caddie for Matt Kuchar (@Johnwould): Bryson seems to have broken the code for Bryson. And I think he has transferred what has been done at the long driving competitions for a while now to highly competitive golf. I couldn’t be more impressed. I was watching today and thought how economical this type of game is to practice. You practice drivers, wedges, chips and putting. He won’t often have to hit mid-irons, ever. Maybe a couple a day to par-5s. But for the most part, playing the game like he is playing it, and how courses are allowing him to play it through setup, why would you spend the time on fairway woods and hybrids and long/mid-irons when they will be used so seldom.

Will Gray at GolfChannel.com featured several of DeChambeau’s comments and summed up the whirlwind week at Detroit Golf Club, including this.

To that end, he’s looking to parse every possible advantage in a game where each player starts the week with the same score from the same teeing ground.

“I think the most important thing is that I’ve shown people that there’s another way to do it, and there’s going to be other people trying to come up and do it that way,” DeChambeau said. “For me, I think there are going to be people trying to hit it a little harder, some of them, but at the end of the day, it’s going to take a generation for all this to evolve into something different.”

The Amazing Numbers And Thorny Questions Prompted By Bryson's Distance-Fueled Rocket Mortgage Win

One of several CBS graphics highlighting DeChambeau’s dominant driving

The numbers are eye-popping and impressive. So is the dedication and precision displayed by Bryson DeChambeau in winning the 2020 Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Not so great: his mood on Saturday and the resulting brand hit in whining about protecting his privacy.

He finishes a four-week run 67 under par and will leave the golf world debating about what we just saw.

A few stats of note:

• First player in the 16 years of ShotLink and “Strokes Gained” to lead a field in both driving and putting.

• Averaged 350.6 on the eight measuring holes, compared to a field average of 301.5.

• He averaged 329.8 on all drives at tree-lined Detroit Golf Club, compared to the field’s 297.6 average.

• DeChambeau reached 23-under-par to win by three strokes over Matthew Wolff, who started the day three ahead. Wolff hit five more fairways for the week, if that means anything (38/56 to Bryson’s 33/56).

• According to CBS’s Jim Nantz, DeChambeau’s drives Sunday ended up 423 yards longer than playing partner Troy Merritt’s. And 143 yards longer than Wolff’s tee shots on the non-par-3s.

There are, of course, issues that come with all of this madness. In no particular order:

• I get more questions asking if there is drug testing instead of equipment or COVID-19 testing.

• Half of most social media posts regarding DeChambeau descend into unfair character assassination about the naturalness of the weight and strength gain without any evidence this is something other than just hard work and an excessive diet.

• There are undoubtedly kids and parents watching and sending junior to the gym instead of our to play or practice golf. This has always been a risk of allowing golf to become a long drive contest, and now we have an extreme example to inspire a movement.

• Even with CBS having their best production yet, highlighted by some excellent storytelling around the DeChambeau dominance, the sight of driver-wedge golf and 8-irons into par-5s lacks any significant give-and-take between player and course. I’m not saying it’s boring, but there is less satisfaction in watching a course unable to call on a variety of skills.

The obvious question of such a dominant and shocking performance: where do we go from here on the distance debate?

Focusing on one player will only backfire for the governing bodies who have, for the moment, suspended the next steps of their Distance Insights Study and follow-up stages. The USGA and R&A will only take heat for singling him out, no matter how many unattractive episodes he has with people just doing their job.

So after rightfully praising DeChambeau for his work ethic and execution, it is not out of line to ask if this is the way golf should be played at the highest level?

Besides the well-documented issues of outdating classic courses and eliminating once-essential skills needed to succeed, DeChambeau’s success highlights a notion long mocked as a non-issue: is a weight-gain focused push for speed a good thing?

Do the leaders of golf believe it is sustainable, wise and merely human progress playing out before our eyes? Or, might a tweak to the aerodynamics of the ball retain the essential characteristics that helped golf thrive and survive for centuries?

If he stays healthy, DeChambeau will succeed in the sport no matter what actions are taken because he will adapt. His template for success should only serve as a reminder that there needs to be more than one way to get the ball in the hole, and more than one type of physique that can excel at golf.

Bryson Scolds Television Cameraman For "Watching me the whole entire way up after getting out of the bunker", Calls For More On-Course Privacy

Bryson running a little hot. Caught up with him on 7 where he took a Sergio slash at the sand after splashing out of a greenside bunker, muttered an expletive after missing the par save and spent 60 seconds in a...testy discussion with a cameraman on his way to 8 tee. pic.twitter.com/ENjQt1U689

— Will Gray (@WillGrayGC) July 4, 2020

Bryson DeChambeau was seen giving a television cameraman covering round three of the Rocket Mortgage Classic some and was asked about his outburst by GolfChannel.com’s Will Gray following a third round 67.

So he gave the cameraman grief for, what, you ask?

Keeping the camera on Bryson…too long.

Yep. His privacy was invaded. His brand tainted.

Before we dive in to Gray’s GolfChannel.com story from Detroit Golf Club (where DeChambeau trails Matthew Wolff by three), I want to highlight some layers to this bizarre moment in the “Return to Golf”.

DeChambeau’s diva-gone-awry moment illuminates, among other things:

—The value of on site reporting and a writer (Gray) observing something not seen on a telecast, then asking a simple question post-round about what the issue was with the cameraman on the 7th hole. This kind of coverage is already limited in the era of COVID-19 and dwindling media resources.

—The positively thankless job of working as a camera operator these days for CBS or PGA Tour Live. (I’m not clear yet which this lens man doing his job works for). Earlier this week, this cameraman most likely boarded a flight where you could get infected with COVID-19, sat in a cramped coach seat with no spacing, will have to fill out an expense essay detailing why he’s billing the company for an in-flight gin and tonic, only to arrive in sultry Detroit to have some bloated brat in a newsboy cap bellow on about you doing your job.

—The clubby attitude of some PGA Tour players whose ideal world may consist of no cameras, media, fans, sponsors or a sense of appreciation for the privileges of playing during a pandemic.

—The value of attending English classes at SMU to learn not to say things like “whole entire way”.

I could pile on (too late?), but let’s get to the quotes in Gray’s piece. Remember, this came after a 67 that included some absurdly long tee shots.

DeChambeau fired his club angrily into the sand shortly after impact, and he ultimately made bogey. While he described his reaction to the shot as “dumb,” he took issue with the cameraman subsequently following him closely as he approached the green and marked his ball.

“He was literally watching me the whole entire way up after getting out of the bunker, walking up next to the green. And I just was like, ‘Sir, what is the need to watch me that long?’” DeChambeau said. “I mean, I understand it’s his job to video me, but at the same point, I think we need to start protecting our players out here compared to showing a potential vulnerability and hurting someone’s image. I just don’t think that’s necessarily the right thing to do.”

Yes, cameramen, from now on drop the lens downward when you sense a grown man’s image might be tainted by their generally childish behavior.

Anyway, Gray saw the exchange where DeChambeau expressed his obviously delusional views to the unsuspecting cameraman. Following the round he was asked and Bryson answered:

“As much as we’re out here performing, I think it’s necessary that we have our times of privacy as well when things aren’t going our way. I mean, we’re in the spotlight, but if somebody else is in the spotlight they wouldn’t want that either,” DeChambeau said. “I feel like when you’re videoing someone and you catch Tiger (Woods) at a bad time, you show him accidentally doing something, or someone else, they’re just frustrated because they really care about the game. It could really hurt them if they catch you at a potentially vulnerable time.”

Oh, you mean like, a fine? Not exactly…

“We don’t mean anything by it, we just care a lot about the game. For that to damage our brand like that, that’s not cool in the way we act because if you actually meet me in person, I’m not too bad of a dude, I don’t think.”

Yep he played the brand card. But do give him credit for avoiding the first person reference.

There has been a risk in the PGA Tour pushing the “Return to Golf” in these difficult times. Commissioner Jay Monahan has said as much. So remember Bryson, you need to act grateful to be back playing. While other sports struggle to get back, everyone is pleased to have professional golf back. Please try to remember that the world is watching and if you don’t like it, stay home. Oh, and next time you spew droplets in someone’s face, wear a mask—like the cameraman you so unfairly berated.

State Of The Game 105: Geoff Ogilvy, The Bryson Debate And More

After a short hiatus, Rod Morri, Mike Clayton and yours truly discussed a nice array of topics with the 2006 U.S. Open Champion.

The should be available wherever you get your podcasts, or you can listen below.

The Apple podcast show link.

The Champ Rule Provides Hope For The World's Asymptomatic PGA Tour Pros (If They Subsequently Test Negative Twice)

No one knows anything, or so the saying goes. Especially in a time of pandemic where the unknowns and mysteries keep even experts guessing, so you can’t blame the PGA Tour for altering their guidelines almost daily. The latest adjustment comes in the case of Cameron Champ, who arrived last week from Houston, tested positive for COVID-19, withdrew but subsequently tested negative twice.

And now, he gets a rule in his honor.

For Immediate Release.

PGA TOUR Statement – Health & Safety Plan Updates

July 1, 2020

NEW – Change to policy re: players who test positive but are asymptomatic 

Since the inception of the PGA TOUR Health and Safety Plan, the TOUR’s policy for all positive test results for players and caddies requires a minimum 10-day self-isolation period, based on the Centers for Disease Control’s time-based protocols.

Now that the TOUR is in week four of its Return to Golf and following several asymptomatic positive tests followed by negative tests – and after direct consultation with the CDC – we are transitioning to the CDC’s test-based model, with their support.  Going forward, in accordance with CDC guidelines, a player or caddie who tests positive for COVID-19 but has not had any symptoms may return to competition if he returns two negative tests results, a minimum of 24 hours apart. 

 The policy change will go into effect immediately.  Cameron Champ – who tested positive June 23 and had three subsequent negative tests in the 72 hours that immediately followed that positive result (24 hours apart) – has been medically cleared to play in the Rocket Mortgage Classic. As with all players, Champ will remain subject to arrival testing once on site in Detroit. He will be an addition to the field and assigned a 2:10 p.m. tee time (off of No. 10).

A single going out after the full field of 156 go off split tees. That’s quite a reward.

Ok, let’s boilerplate this candle:

“I am extremely grateful for the tireless efforts and conversations between the TOUR, my team and all of the experts who were consulted in order to deliver this best possible outcome,” said Champ.

That could have been him.

“It is a great example of everyone being committed to working together to adapt and evolve in this constantly changing environment. I would especially like to thank my fellow players for their support and cannot wait to tee it up with them in Detroit tomorrow!”

!!!!

PGA TOUR players Harris English and Chad Campbell, and Korn Ferry Tour players Brandon Wu and Jonathan Hodge – who tested positive earlier this week but were asymptomatic – will be eligible for next week’s events, if they choose to enter a testing regime and pending they each return two negative tests results, a minimum of 24 hours apart. 

NEW – Adjustment to Stipend Program and At-Home Testing Protocols

In an effort to further encourage players and caddies to utilize at-home test kits,

Buried(ish) lede alert…that free at-home option has not been a hit.

Because why do that when you can travel all the way to the venue before getting the bad news?

Of course, in many cities across the country folks are waiting hours and hours to get tested, if they’re lucky enough to get one. The system is strained. Wait times and availability have become an issue and labs are struggling to keep up.

So guys, take the free at-home test. Continue…

two significant changes are being made to the Stipend Program, after consultation with the Player Directors and PGA TOUR Player Advisory Council Chairman. 

• To be eligible for the applicable stipend following an on-site positive test, a player or caddie returning from an off week must have completed an at-home test the week prior to returning to play.  

• The stipend amounts have been adjusted to make them equal for an on-site positive or an at-home positive test result. 

Translation: on site positive tests have to be made public, while home positives stay private.

The stipend program for an at-home positive test is applicable only to players who were eligible for the following week’s event (including the top 10 alternates), and a player or caddie will not receive a stipend if he does not follow the protocols set forth in the Participant Resource Guide / PGA TOUR Health & Safety Plan or otherwise acts in a reckless manner with respect to the protocols, including any local health department regulations that may be in effect.  

Uh, so, like in cities where masks and distancing is required outdoors won’t this cause problems for most of the field?

The TOUR will be providing players and caddies with additional complimentary at-home test kits.   

Comment from PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan

“As we all learn more about how to navigate this complicated COVID-19 environment, we appreciate the continued dialogue with medical experts and with the Centers for Disease Control directly as we fine-tune our Health & Safety Plan accordingly.  Today’s changes – and those announced over the past week – illustrate our commitment to preserving the health and well-being of our athletes, constituents and our impact on the communities in which we play, as well as a willingness to make medically-sound adjustments that allow our players to compete, safely.  The continued success of our Return to Golf depends on that approach.”

Hall of Fame worthy, some say. 

Bryson: "Sorry Mr. Ross, but, you know, it is what it is"

During the “Return to Golf’s” initial three weeks, wannabe J.J. Watt stunt double and elite PGA Tour professional Bryson DeChambeau’s bulk-up, Bomb and Gouge approach has had him in contention.

But his style of play that sees drives air mailing design features raises questions about whether this is what the future of golf should look like. Particularly in making a mockery of courses built long ago and with no chance of imagining the regulatory complacency of the last twenty years to retain some sort of challenge.

DeChambeau is at least apologetic and respectful of a legend like Donald Ross, designer of the latest course to have no chance against modern equipment. After playing the front nine at Detroit Golf Club, home of this week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, DeChambeau says he will be taking the fairway bunkers out of play.

From Will Gray at GolfChannel.com:

"I haven't played both sides yet, so seems like it's fairly tight, a lot of rough," DeChambeau said. "I think there's a lot of bunkers that are around like 290 (yards), so hopefully I'll be able to clear those and take those out of play. So, sorry, Mr. Ross, but, you know, it is what it is."

Four More Players Test COVID-19 Positive And Continue To Thank Tour Protocols But Not Sanford Health

Four more players—one on the PGA Tour and three on the Korn Ferry Tour—tested positive for COVID-19 and have withdrawn from this week’s stops in Michigan and Colorado.

Here is the PGA Tour Communications statement issued:

PGA TOUR, Korn Ferry Tour statement – COVID-19 update – June 30, 2020

As part of the PGA TOUR’s pre-tournament screening process this week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, TOUR player Chad Campbell tested positive for COVID-19 and has been withdrawn from the event (he was the first alternate).

Campbell, who last competed at the Charles Schwab Challenge, will have the PGA TOUR’s full support throughout his self-isolation period under CDC guidelines.

“While the positive test result is unnerving, I am incredibly grateful to be asymptomatic and feel physically well and my thoughts are with anyone dealing with COVID, directly or indirectly. I support the TOUR’s protocol during this time and will be quarantining myself to protect others until I am well. I am looking forward to competing again once it is deemed safe for me to make my return.”

At the conclusion of the Korn Ferry Tour’s on-site testing process, Tour members Brandon Wu, Taylor Montgomery and Jonathan Hodge have withdrawn from the TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes prior to Wednesday’s first round after testing positive for COVID-19. 

A total of 247 players have undergone on-site testing since the Korn Ferry Tour’s Return to Golf on June 11, and to date, Wu, Montgomery and Hodge are the only Tour players to test positive for COVID-19 via on-site testing. They will have the Tour’s full support throughout their respective self-isolations under CDC guidelines.

“These positive test results serve as a distinct reminder that we all need to continue to be vigilant in this ever-changing climate. We will further reinforce the elements of our health and safety plan to all constituents, and deliver our full support to those who test positive for COVID-19,” said Korn Ferry Tour President Alex Baldwin.

A trend has developed with the last three positive tests and announcements. The players have issued statements thanking the PGA Tour’s “protocol” and in a couple of cases, have explicitly thanked their Whoop strap for notifying them of possible symptoms.

Yet the people doing the testing, Sanford Health have not been acknowledged in any of these “updates”. These are people are putting themselves at risk, undoubtedly working intense hours trying to test (excessively large) fields in the “Return to Golf” and possibly saving lives by identifying those who might not know they have the virus.

Sanford was even announced as Official COVID-19 on-Site Testing Provider Of The PGA Tour on June 2nd.

Look, these players who test positive undoubtedly have a million thoughts racing around upon getting this news, owe us no apologies and understandablyy have little desire to issue a statement. Which is why we get the boilerplate vibe in their remarks. So if we are going to get boilerplate staments, why not give some love to the people doing the most important work: testing and tracing.

This is from Chad Campbell today after testing positive as the Rocket Mortgage Classic’s first alternate (full quote above):

“I support the TOUR’s protocol during this time and will be quarantining myself to protect others until I am well. I am looking forward to competing again once it is deemed safe for me to make my return.”

Dylan Fritteli from Sunday:

“I’m thankful for the WHOOP strap notification of a minor increase [0.3] in my respiratory rate overnight. However, I’m most thankful for the TOUR’s assistance, procedures and protocols, which I will continue to follow during my self-isolation, so as to keep everyone safe. I look forward to getting back on TOUR once it’s safe to do so.”

Harris English on Monday this week:

“I fully supported the TOUR’s new rule of not allowing anyone on the tournament grounds until testing negative, as protecting others in the field and everyone affiliated with the tournament and the community should be the No. 1 priority as a result of a positive test. I appreciate the TOUR’s support and I look forward to competing again after I’m fully recovered.”

Denny McCarthy, who tested positive with symptoms last week, did not address the Tour protocols in the press release describing his symptoms, but Commissioner Jay Monahan did offer more praise for his players and protocols. No Sanford Health though:

“What Denny, Bud and others are demonstrating is exactly what we asked of everyone – continue to do your part in taking this virus seriously and keeping not only your own health as a priority, but also that of your fellow competitors and those you may come in contact with.  Today’s update again demonstrates our rigorous and quick testing, contact tracing capabilities and overall healthy and safety protocols.  We will continue to liaise directly with local and state government and health officials this week and throughout our Return to Golf.”

No one knows how exactly to handle this awful pandemic and there are no rules, it’s all a dreadful mess.

But the vibe of needing to thank the “TOUR” instead of the folks actually doing the most important work comes across as odd. At best.

Travelers Posts Strong Ratings For CBS And Golf Channel Despite Another Rain Delay

Good signs are aplenty in the latest ratings news, this time for the 2020 Travelers Championship.

Even with only one certified superstar in Dustin Johnson contending, CBS limited in production-values and a so-so ratings start at Colonial, the Sunday broadcast earned a 2.0 final round overnight rating despite a rain delay on the back nine. That’s up 43% vs. last year and fell just short of NASCAR’s Geico 500 for top sports event of the weekend.

Golf Channel saw its biggest audiences since the restart, topping an average audience of over a 1 million with Sunday’s lead-in coverage (Saturday did not include any due to tee times moving up).

Even without the traditional fan energy that is so much apart of the Travelers viewing experience, note how the audience grew each of the three days on Golf Channel.

From ShowBuzzDaily where you can also see how other sports fared:

**Paulsen at SportsMediaWatch.com with more analysis of the strong viewership week, including where the huge lead-in number ranked this year (highest since Pebble Beach Sunday, always one of the biggest of the PGA Tour season).

No Baba Booeys: "PGA Tour brings end to Michigan's sports shutdown", Fifth COVID-19 Positive Confirmed

Tony Paul previews this week’s PGA Tour return to the Motor City for the Rocket Mortgage Classic and finds a negative in the thing I’ve heard the most positive comments about: fan free events devoid of derelicts wailing baba booey.

For starters, there will be no fans, no baba booeys, no elevated blood-alcohol levels. That threatens to suck some of the fun out of the tournament.

And we don't exactly know when there will be another, given the Red Wings and Pistons are done, while the Tigers are supposed to start the season in late July — though COVID-19 has a strange way of keeping everyone from making plans in stone these days.

The tournament lost several multiple players on Monday who hadcommitted, with the PGA Tour announcing Harris English as the fifth player to test positive for COVID-19. He has withdrawn and will spend ten days in quarantine. His Whoop band apparently hasn’t arrived in the mail yet as the boilerplate statement only included the shameless homage to the Ministry of Sawgrass almost assuredly not uttered by English:

PGA TOUR COVID-19 Update - June 29, 2020

 As part of the PGA TOUR’s pre-tournament screening process this week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, PGA TOUR player Harris English tested positive for COVID-19 and has been withdrawn from the event. 

English, who did not compete last week at the Travelers Championship, will have the PGA TOUR’s full support throughout his self-isolation period under CDC guidelines. 

“While it’s disappointing to receive this news, as I feel healthy, I’m pleased that the new safety protocols we have in place worked this week,” said English. “I fully supported the TOUR’s new rule of not allowing anyone on the tournament grounds until testing negative, as protecting others in the field and everyone affiliated with the tournament and the community should be the No. 1 priority as a result of a positive test. I appreciate the TOUR’s support and I look forward to competing again after I’m fully recovered.”

Oh yes, that’s just what he said! Verbatim.

 English is the fifth PGA TOUR player to test positive for Coronavirus since the PGA TOUR’s Return to Golf on June 11.

Great news regarding the first player to test positive: Nick Watney.

He’s getting ready to drive home to Austin after his unplanned extended stay in Hilton Head, is feeling good, plans to wear a mask on his lone pit-stop, and mostly has been concerned about whether he infected anyone else (he has not based on contact tracing and subsequent testing).

From the AP:

"I will say, it's not the greatest feeling being the first to get it," Watney said in his first interview since he was notified June 19 at the the RBC Heritage of his positive test.

"Some things are so vague around this thing," he said. "The symptoms ... some people get this, some get that. I haven't had a fever or cough the whole time, no shortness of breath. Maybe that's the reason it's so scary. I still don't know how or where I got it."

He lost his sense of smell, a sensation he described as "gnarly," but said that is coming back. And perhaps the strangest sensation is being at a golf resort without playing golf.