Today In Adjusting As They Go: More Travelers Positives, New Rules
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Friday’s Travelers Championship included the PGA Tour’s first case of a fully confirmed symptomatic player who—bless Denny McCarthy—woke up in the night feeling bad and it seems, got tested, did not get near his fellow PGA Tour peers, and unfortunately must try to recuperate away from home.
We have progress on one front: McCarthy is the first of the three players on the PGA Tour to test positive for COVID-19 and not expose any other players by taking a property tour or having a good physio session while awaiting test results.
The news of McCarthy’s illness also led to Bud Cauley pull out of the Travelers. He played with McCarthy in round one, and at least based on this Joel Beall report from the grounds, felt symptoms but tested negative and nobly stepped aside. Either way, they did the prudent thing for all involved and got a supportive statement from the Commissioner.
For those counting at home: twelve players have WD’d from this week’s Travelers, with seven of those virus related.
Beall also reported on the bizarre sight of Matt Wallace, who played round one with Cauley and McCarthy, to play by himself in round two.
On a positive note, another new rule appeared like yesterday’s Shane Lowry-you-can-play-but-avoid-the-clubhouse clause invoked by the Commissioner: a change was made at the putting green.
Despite repeated social media photos of players and caddies physically (NOT) distancing—plus masks as pocket squares!?—the McCarthy news ended the totally unnecessary sight of caddies on the putting green. Why they were allowed there in the first place for agronomic reasons, other than to pick balls out of the hole and offer empty sounding boards, is unclear. Especially without the masks that also continue to elude prominent PGA Tour officials.
From Bob Weeks:
