Why Was Zika A Non-Starter For Some Golfers But Not COVID-19?

That’s the question Dave Seanor asks at MorningRead.com as players are going to be locking up their field spot officially for next week’s Charles Schwab Challenge.

You may recall that several top players passed on the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, concerned they might bring back the virus to their loved ones. Players like Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth all expressed worries about health in passing up golf’s return to the Games.

All four are entered for the Colonial return. This, as testing increased in Texas by 31% while the number of confirmed infections rose by 51%.

Seanor makes several strong points about the “credulity” strain of arguments in 2016 versus now and says it is “mind-boggling that more Tour members haven’t questioned the wisdom of going back to work so soon.”

He writes:

What changed? Is the health of their families no longer a priority? Do they have that much trust that the Tour can protect them, and everyone affiliated with the tournament, from exposure to a virus that has infected more than 1.8 million Americans and has yet to plateau – indeed, has increased – in some parts of the country? Or was their expressed concern about Zika, as widely suspected, just a convenient smokescreen to hide their lack of enthusiasm for the Olympics?

We certainly know issues surrounding the Olympics and enthusiasm played a role, as did the travel distance. But given the threat posed by Zika (2400 U.S. cases, one death), the current situation does seem significantly more concerning.