PGA Tour memo outlines safety protocols for upcoming tournaments
With the PGA Tour set to resume its revised schedule next month in Texas, a lengthy memo was sent to players outlining the various procedures that will be put in place, highlighted by a testing approach that will include coronavirus testing as well as daily thermal screens.
A copy of the memo was obtained by ESPN. The PGA Tour held a news conference Wednesday to outline the plan in more detail.
The Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas, is the first of four events on the schedule that are planned to be played without spectators. The tour has arranged for charter flights between the events for players and caddies.
Players, caddies and various tournament officials and employees will be required to fill out health questionnaires and will be sent pre-travel screening tests. They also will be required to take nasal swab/saliva tests upon arrival, likely at a designated hotel, followed by daily questionnaires and screenings.
The idea behind the "Health & Safety Plan" is to create a "bubble" in which those in tournaments will operate, with the hope that they will isolate from the general public as much as possible.
The confidential presentation is meant to be a guide and "will continue to evolve as we move closer to the start of the PGA Tour season," the memo said.
"While we believe we have created an extremely comprehensive health and safety plan, we will not play if we do not feel we can provide a safe and healthy environment for all constituents," the memo said.
According to the memo, the nasal swab testing for COVID-19 will take 24 to 48 hours to get results, with players allowed to practice and play on-site while waiting for results. That timing could vary from tournament to tournament, and the tour said it hopes at some point to have test results within hours.
For the Texas event, Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price told ESPN earlier this week that the city and tournament have partnered with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center to provide tests. She expected a faster turnaround than the tour noted in its memo.
Mirroring PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan's previous statements that widespread testing needed to be available and that the tour would not be stepping ahead of those in need, the memo stated that the Tour "will not take away resources from the community."
If a player has a thermal test exceeding a temperature of 100.4 degrees on any day, he will likely be required to take a coronavirus test. Anyone who tests positive for the coronavirus will have to immediately quarantine and will be unable to compete in the tournament. (In the event that this occurs after a player makes the 36-hole cut, he will be paid last-place money.)
As part of the tour's plan to minimize "risk of infection," players' families will not be permitted at the course and golfers will have limited support personnel available. A trainer or swing coach can accompany a player but will be subject to the testing protocols. The tour also is recommending "stay at home" practices outside of the tournament venue and likely will have one or two designated hotels in each city.
For competition, the tour will allow caddies to handle flagsticks and bunker rakes but is requiring them to wipe them down afterward. It is asking caddies to socially distance from those in the group as much as possible and asking players to pull and return golf clubs to their bags.
"The player should take care and limit the interaction with their caddie during the round," the memo said.
The memo, which is 37 pages, also outlines practices for the driving range, the putting green and other areas around the club. A limited number of media personnel will be permitted, with social-distancing rules and reduced interviews.
The PGA Championship was originally scheduled for this week, which marks the 10th consecutive week of golf that has not taken place. The Players Championship was canceled after the first round on March 12. Last month, the PGA Tour announced a revised schedule that begins with Charles Schwab and continues into December.
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