What Went Wrong? First PGA Tour Player To Test COVID-19 Positive Had Symptoms Before Arriving At Course

News of Nick Watney becoming the first PGA Tour player to test positive for COVID-19 was met with a fairly consistent chorus of “a matter of when, not if”.

However, a quick review suggests the PGA Tour “bubble” has burst in just week two of the “Return to Golf.”

There are wide-ranging implications for public health, Watney’s peers, golf tournaments going forward and even the entire sports business world. This was no secret and why overcautious behavior was vital. So the “matter of when, not if” view discounts what appears to be sloppiness by Watney, at the very least, and validates concerns early on that PGA Tour policies were too lenient.

A review, starting with this sequence of events from AP’s Doug Ferguson reporting from the RBC Heritage on Watney’s movements.

Before arriving to the course for his second round, he reported symptoms consistent with COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Watney was tested again, and the result came back positive.

Si Woo Kim saw him in passing on the range, and Rory McIlroy said he chatted with Watney on the putting green. McIlroy said they were at a distance, and that Watney sent him a text about the positive result after McIlroy finished his round.

''He was just saying, `Look, I hope I didn't get too close to you.' He feels badly that he was here today at the golf course,'' McIlroy said. ''I said to him, `If I was in your position, I probably would have been here, too. At this point, you just have to concentrate on getting better and getting healthy.'''

Brooks Koepka, world No. 2, reported being “right next to” Watney in the player parking lot. That’s the world’s no. 1 and 2 possibly exposed at a PGA Tour venue even with testing, protocols and other practices in place. Unreal.

Also noteworthy: during the Golf Channel broadcast, on-course reporter Mark Immelman said upon hearing the news he was watching Watney on Wednesday and thought the 35-year-old five-time winnner seemed lethargic, out of sorts with his swing, and not exuding 100% health.

This all begs the most obvious question: what happened to the PGA Tour’s daily questioning and temperature checks as outlined in their guidelines? In a state where cases are spiking?

How did Watney, feeling symptoms, get to places on the property like the range, putting green or clubhouse area?

From the PGA Tour Participant Resource Guide:

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While a tad confusing on the “daily medical screening” portion which then outlines the first on-site test protocols for players, the final paragraph notes “abnormal daily on-site medical screening” and a tournament designated area for those potentially needing evaluation.

And yet the player in question was apparently awaiting test results outside of this area and free to roam among his peers? Unreal.

Which ultimately brings us to the apathy element obvious to those on site or watching on television: despite repeated pleas by PGA Tour officials asking for compliance, it’s not happening even with a national TV audience. That doesn’t bode well for taking all precautions necessary when the red light is off.

Robust testing is in place, as ESPN.com’s Bob Harig notes with the numbers here.

But testing is only one element. Note this from GolfChannel.com’s Rex Hoggard who looked at what the Watney situation means for tournaments going forward.

Unlike the bubble the NBA is creating in Orlando, Florida, the Tour’s bubble is only as strong as those it’s intended to protect. This inherent vulnerability has always been the primary concern.
As late as Thursday, players were warned, again, in a memo to maintain social distancing, minimize exposure and to avoid a sense of “false security.”

“Please be advised that failure to follow these protocols and the rules outlined in the Participant Resource Guide may result in a player or caddie being ineligible to receive the stipend provided by the PGA Tour for those constituents who are eligible,” read the memo from the Tour’s chief tournaments and competitions officer Andy Pazder.

Also potentially impacted are those who were around Watney Thursday at Harbour Town and who were informed of the news midway through their round (though with Watney WD’ing before the start of play, the possibility had to be in their heads).

From Brian Wacker’s GolfDigest.com story quoting Vaughn Taylor and Luke List, Watney’s playing partners.

“I was a little shocked, to be honest,” Taylor said. “Heart started racing, got a little nervous. Just hope Nick’s doing well and we get through this.

“It was on our minds that second nine. We were all chitchatting about it. It’s hard not to think about it.”

Though both players said they felt fine, Taylor and List, along with their caddies, confirmed they would undergo testing on Friday.

“Yeah, it was hard to concentrate out there for me, just thinking about different stuff, and I wasn't playing my best anyway,” said List, who won in the Korn Ferry Tour’s return to action last week at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach but shot two-over 73 on Friday to miss the cut.

Wacker notes Watney must quarantine for 10 days in Hilton Head or drive home immediately to Austin, Texas. He will receive $100,000 for his troubles and we hope, nothing more than some mild symptoms.

As for where this leaves the PGA Tour and future events, the viability of future events relies on actual enforcement of the guidelines and some major screw-tightening.

From Ferguson’s piece, noting the next “scheduled” event, the issues with Hilton Head this week, and a more responsible approach to testing next week:

The PGA Tour is scheduled to play next week in Cromwell, Connecticut, where the Travelers Championship is testing everyone - including volunteers and media - who will be on property.

Tournament organizers made that decision. The PGA Tour has tried to create a bubble of its key people at tournaments, designating player hotels as an option and urging everyone in the bubble to avoid outside contact. Some players have been renting houses. There is no regulation if they choose to eat out.

Hilton Head has been particularly busy this week, with local restaurants packed with people who typically come to this quiet island on the Atlantic coast for vacation.

''South Carolina's open. If you go anywhere to a restaurant, there's a lot of people there right now,'' Spieth said. ''So I guess that's probably best case is that he got it on his own outside'' the bubble.

Watney then brought it inside a bubble.

Maybe players need to hear this in more plain language. Let me help.

The flawed “bubble”—as Adam Scott felt and why the world no. 8 is not playing yet—was designed to not only protect players and others on site, but the viability of the golf industry in a time of pandemic. That means everyone from the pro ranks, to the everyday golf course, to every constituent in an $85 billion industry.

Let’s hope for all involved that Watney merely just has some light symptoms and no others at Harbour Town get COVID-19. Oh, and reading the regulations would be nice, too: