By Keely Levins
The LPGA Tour has postponed the re-start of its 2020 season by another month, with plans now to hold its first tournament since halting play due to the coronavirus pandemic in mid-July. The Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, a two-player team event that debuted in 2019, will be held at Midland Country Club in Midland, Mich., from July 15-18 and will kick off an amended 2020 schedule that tour officials released on Wednesday.

Changes to the original schedule include shifting more events to later in 2020, notably the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, which moves from its slot in June to October at Aronimink Golf Club in Newton Square, Pa. Under the revised schedule, the Evian Championship, starting on Aug. 6, will be the first women’s major of 2020.

Without any additional postponements or cancellations, the LPGA’s return is scheduled to take place roughly a month after the PGA Tour makes it return June 11 at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

“One thing that has become clear is that there will be no opening bell regarding a return to safe play in this new normal of the COVID-19 pandemic,” LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan said. “To be honest, being first has never been the goal when it comes to returning to play in this new normal. We have built a schedule that we think is as safe as possible given what we know about travel bans, testing availability, and delivering events that our sponsors and our athletes will be excited to attend.”

RELATED: PGA Tour announces plans to resume play in June

David Cannon/Getty Images
Hannah Green in action during the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship 

While not every event on the original 2020 LPGA calendar could be rescheduled—notably the UL International Crown will not take place in 2020—the new calendar features 21 tournaments from July to December, with two weeks off. One positive note Whan made was that many purses for events on the new calendar are higher, thanks to sponsors of canceled events putting some of their prize money towards other purses.

The new 2020 LPGA Tour schedule is as follows, with majors in bold:

July 15-18: Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, Midland (Mich.) C.C., $2.3 million purse
July 23-26: Marathon LPGA Classic, Highland Meadows G.C., Sylvania, Ohio, $2 million
July 31-Aug. 2: ShopRite LPGA Classic, Seaview, A Dolce Hotel, Galloway, N.J., $2 million
Aug. 6-9: The Evian Championship, Evian Resort G.C., Evian-les-Bains, France, $4.1 million
Aug. 13-16: Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open, The Renaissance Club, North Berwick, Scotland, $1.5 million
Aug. 20-23: AIG Women’s British Open, Royal Troon G.C., Scotland, $4.5 million
Aug. 28-30: Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, Pinnacle C.C., Rogers, Ark., $2 million
Sept. 3-6: CP Women’s Open, Shaughnessy G. & C.C., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, $2.35 million
Sept. 10-13: ANA Inspiration, Mission Hills C.C., Rancho Mirage, Calif., $3.1 million
Sept. 17-20: Cambia Portland Classic, Columbia Edgewater C.C., Portland, Ore., $1.75 million
Sept. 24-27: Kia Classic, Aviara G.C., Carlsbad, Calif., $2 million
Oct. 1-4: Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, Blythefield C.C., Grand Rapids, Mich., $2.3 million
Oct. 8-11: KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Aronimink G.C., Newtown Square, Pa., $4.3 million
Oct. 15-18: Buick LPGA Shanghai, Qizhong Garden G.C., Shanghai, China, $2.1 million
Oct. 22-25: BMW Ladies Championship, LPGA International Busan, Busan, South Korea, $2 million
Oct. 29–Nov. 1: Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA, Miramar G. and C.C., New Taipei City, Chinese Taipei, $2.2 million
Nov. 6-8: TOTO Japan Classic, Taiheyo Club (Minori Course), Ibaraki, Japan, $1.5 million
Nov. 12-15: Off Week
Nov. 19-22: Pelican Women’s Championship, Pelican G.C., Belleair, Fla., $2 million
Nov. 26-29: Off week
Dec. 3-6: Volunteers of America Classic, Old American G.C., The Colony, Texas, $1.75 million
Dec. 10-13: U.S. Women’s Open, Champions G.C., Houston, $5.5 million
Dec. 17-20: CME Group Tour Championship, Tiburon G.C., Naples, Fla., $5 million

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By Alex Myers
It’s hard to believe that not even two months ago the most talked-about issue in golf was something as silly as an announcer’s comment. Granted, Paul Azinger had seemed a bit condescending when discussing Tommy Fleetwood’s European Tour exploits, but with all that’s happened in the world since—and all that hasn’t while many things including professional golf tours have been put on pause—those words don’t seem at all important anymore. And it turns out Tommy Fleetwood himself never made a big deal about them.

Considering the vitriol aimed at Azinger from Golf Twitter during that Sunday at PGA National, golf fans might be surprised to hear Fleetwood’s reaction when informed of the NBC analyst’s opinion. Then again, maybe they won’t considering Fleetwood’s reputation as one of the game’s most positive—and popular among his peers—players.

“I don’t think he meant any malice by it, but the last thing you want is a bit more pressure put on you from broadcasters or commentators or outside influences,” Fleetwood said. “But I’m sure he didn’t mean it in the way he did, say it.”

Regardless, Fleetwood’s full and well-thought response to those comments and the story about how he heard about them from Rory McIlroy the day after his close call at the Honda Classic are worth hearing. And the current 10th-ranked player in the world shared both on this week’s Golf Digest Podcast.

We also talked to Tommy (interview starts at the 31:50 mark) about that viral video he filmed with Francesco Molinari in the wee hours of the night following Europe’s 2018 Ryder Cup victory and his breathtaking 63 at Shinnecock Hills on Sunday at the 2018 U.S. Open. Fleetwood also shared how he feels about a potential June PGA Tour restart and how he’s maintaining his famed luscious locks during quarantine.

Plus, Sam Weinman and Daniel Rapaport joined me to discuss the do’s and don’ts of playing golf in these scary times, a past PGA Tour winner turned ringer on the mini-tours, and why “The Match” Part II will be better than the original. Please have a listen:

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In consulting a series of infectious disease specialists, all of whom are still learning more about the virus themselves, several consistent themes emerge. The good news? Golf is relatively safe, especially during a time when so much else seems rife with hazard. “Golf has got to be one of the safest sports under the current circumstances,” said Dr. Charles G. Prober, a professor of pediatrics (infectious diseases) and of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University.

But since nothing is without risk these days, we put a series of common golf-specific questions to three experts, Dr. Prober of Stanford, Dr. Amesh Adalja, a Senior Scholar at Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Health Security, and Dr. J. Trees Ritter, DO, Fellow of the Infectious Disease Society of America. Their responses should help you understand what should and shouldn’t be off limits, and where uncertainty remains. Above all, they might provide assurance that a golf course, navigated properly, can still be a refuge.

Can I contract the virus just walking by other golfers at the course?

This you shouldn’t sweat. Though the virus’ main form of transmission is through person-to-person contact, all three experts emphasized just walking by other players on the course or in the parking lot was not a significant risk. “The virus doesn’t teleport from one person to another. It has to have some mechanism to get there,” Adalja said. Yes, an infected golfer could emit respiratory droplets by sneezing or coughing in your direction, but that’s why the doctors all cited the now-standard practice of maintaining a six-foot gap as a precaution. “More is better, but these respiratory droplets really don’t spread much more than spitting distance,” Dr. Ritter said. “When you’re outside, the risk is even lower.” Of course, the most important advice in this context is to tell anyone who is sick or symptomatic to stay home.

What if I’m sharing a golf cart with someone?

No question sitting within close proximity of someone for 18 holes invites more risk than walking a sufficient distance apart, which is why many courses are temporarily restricting the use of carts, or at least limiting their usage to one person per cart. Although the experts say riding in a cart is not a significant risk, they do acknowledge it violates the six-foot rule. Additionally, they say golfers sharing carts sends the wrong message at a time when caution is still paramount. “While it maybe isn’t a huge risk, there are other factors to consider,” Ritter said. “It’s better to be pretty rigid up front on what people can and cannot do just to keep them in that mindset.”

The other variable when using a golf cart is touching a surface, like a steering wheel, that someone else has touched before you, a risk that courses can mitigate by sanitizing their vehicles between uses. If not, the experts advocated two other steps that you’re surely familiar with by now: 1. Don’t touch your face. 2. Wash your hands. And since washing your hands is not always an option in the middle of a course, an alcohol-based (at least 60 percent alcohol) hand sanitizer might be as valuable in your bag these days as an adjustable driver.

Dougal Waters

Speaking of touching stuff, my golf course says not to touch the flagstick or rake a bunker? Is that really a danger?
Danger is probably overstating it. Prober calls flagsticks “an extraordinarily ineffective way to get the disease,” because infection depends on a rare confluence of circumstances: someone sick contaminating the flagstick, the virus persisting on the flagstick despite exposure to ultraviolet light (which is believed to reduce the viability of the virus on a surface), then you touching the exact same part of the flagstick and ultimately your face. So in other words a lot has to happen, and the same can be said for rakes. But again, there’s always a chance. “Any type of touched surface has the potential for transmission,” Adalja said, which is why he said, the same rules apply: If you touch something someone else touched, better to wash your hands and not touch your face.

How about reaching into a golf hole to get my ball?
“There will be very minimal risk in those types of situations,” Adalja said. “You can dream up any kind of odd situation where the virus transmits in these special circumstances, but that wouldn’t be something I would be worried about.” Similarly, there isn’t much use worrying about your putter clanking against someone else’s putter if that’s your new form of celebration. “So much of what we talk about is that it’s all possible, but it’s pretty improbable many of these implied scenarios would result in infection,” Ritter said.

Should I be playing golf with a mask?
As in society as a whole, consensus around masks is elusive. But our experts were sceptical of masks helping, especially as a defence mechanism. “Masks are not really to protect you, but to protect other people,” Adalja said. Also, Prober said, masks risk doing more harm than good because people tend to adjust them frequently. “So they’re probably got their hands on their face more, including their eyes and their nose,” he said.

What about a handshake?
Again, if the cardinal rule is to maintain distance, then handshakes need to be avoided. And if for some reason muscle memory takes over and you revert to old habits, you can probably guess what the doctors recommend. “If you’re going to shake hands with someone,” Adalja said, “you need to wash your hands.” – additional reporting from E. Michael Johnson and Mike Stachura.

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By Brian Wacker
The PGA Tour announced Thursday its plans to resume the 2019-’20 season on June 11-14 at the Charles Schwab Challenge—three weeks later than originally scheduled and without fans in attendance—while also unveiling a re-configured tournament schedule for the remainder of 2020 in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Why mid-June?

“We have a level of confidence that is based upon what we see [with] changes and developments being made in the world of testing [and] available tests,” Andy Pazder, Executive Vice President and Chief of Operations for the Tour, said on a conference call. “So we’re optimistic, but I’m not going to say on this call that I have 110 percent certainty. But we are very confident that we will be able to play that second week in June.”

The remainder of the summer schedule plays out as first reported by Golf Digest on Tuesday, with the Tour next travelling to Hilton Head, S.C., for the RBC Heritage (June 18-21), which was originally scheduled for this week. The Heritage, initially cancelled by the Tour, fills the spot vacated by the U.S. Open, which has been postponed until September. Following the Heritage is the Travelers Championship (June 25-28), which remains in its original spot on the schedule, then the Rocket Mortgage Classic (July 2-5) at Detroit Golf Club.

These four events will be played without fans, and the Tour said it will continue to monitor the situation and follow the recommendations of health and government officials.

“The health and safety of all associated with the PGA Tour and our global community continues to be our No. 1 priority, and our hope is to play a role—responsibly—in the world’s return to enjoying the things we love,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement. “Today’s announcement is another positive step for our fans and players as we look toward the future, but as we’ve stressed on several occasions, we will resume competition only when—working closely with our tournaments, partners and communities—it is considered safe to do so under the guidance of the leading public health authorities.”

After the Rocket Mortgage comes the John Deere Classic (July 9-12) in Illinois and the Memorial at Muirfield Village in Columbus, Ohio (July 16-19), which moves from its originally scheduled June date to fill the void created by the Open Championship having been cancelled.

The three invitationals on the new schedule—the Charles Schwab Challenge (120 players), RBC Heritage (132 players) and the Memorial (120 players)—will also see increased field sizes to 144 players to provide additional playing opportunities.

Provided no delays or additional changes need to be made to the schedule, the 2019-’20 season would ultimately be made up of 36 events, including the FedEx Cup Playoffs, down from 49 on the original schedule.

The Tour said it is still discussing the possibility of testing players and others at tournaments.

“We’re in an evaluation mode learning about the testing, building out what we think could work from a testing protocol,” said Tyler Dennis, Senior Vice President of Competitions for the Tour. “We’ll certainly have more information on that over the next couple weeks and months.”

The Tour also is working through the complications of international travel for many of its players since various travel restrictions are currently in place. According to Pazder, there are at least 25 players currently located outside the U.S. as well as 35 caddies.

How might a player’s eligibility be affected if he can’t travel to the U.S. because of a travel ban, or if more tournaments get cancelled? The Tour said it is examining that and it’s possible eligibility would then be extended to the fall of 2021.

What if a player simply feels uncomfortable about coming back in two months?

“My only experience with anything like this I guess would be the first few tournaments following 9/11,” Pazder said. “We had players that were uneasy about air travel. That’s one of the beauties of being a PGA Tour member; you’re an independent contractor. You’re not required to be at any PGA Tour event. So they have that discretion to play tournaments where they favour the golf course or tournaments; in this instance, they may or may not feel comfortable. But that’s an individual player decision.”

The Tour also unveiled the fall portion of its 2020-’21 schedule. That season would begin with the Safeway Open (Sept. 10-13) in California, followed by the U.S. Open (Sept. 17-20) and the Ryder Cup (Sept. 25-27). Missing from the fall slate is The Greenbrier, which will no longer be part of the PGA Tour schedule, “per a mutual agreement” between the parties. The rest of the calendar unfolding as follows:

• Sept. 24-27: Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, Corales Golf Club, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
• Oct. 1-4: Sanderson Farms Championship, Country Club of Jackson, Jackson, Miss.
• Oct. 8-11: Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas
• Oct. 15-18: The CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges, Nine Bridges, Jeju Island, South Korea
• Oct. 22-25: Zozo Championship, Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club, Chiba Prefecture, Japan
• Oct. 29-Nov. 1: WGC-HSBC Champions, Sheshan International Golf Club, Shanghai, China
• Oct. 29-Nov. 1: Bermuda Championship, Port Royal Golf Course, Southampton, Bermuda
• Nov. 5-8: Houston Open, Memorial Park Golf Course, Houston
• Nov. 12-15: Masters Tournament, Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta
• Nov. 19-22: The RSM Classic, Sea Island Resort (Seaside and Plantation), Sea Island, Ga.
• Nov. 26-29: Open week (Thanksgiving)
• Dec. 3-6: Mayakoba Golf Classic, El Camaleón Golf Club, Playa del Carmen, Mexico

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By Daniel Rapaport
News of the PGA Tour’s revised, post-COVID-19 hiatus schedule elicited a common response from many golf fans: When will we next see Tiger Woods compete?

Woods hasn’t played a competitive round since Feb. 16, when he shot 77 on the Sunday of the Genesis Invitational to finish last among players who made the cut. He then opted to skip the WGC-Mexico Championship, the Honda Classic, the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill and the Players Championship to rest what his agent called a “sore back.”

In a sit-down interview with GolfTV last week, Woods said he has resumed training and would have been fit to defend his Masters victory had the tournament happened last week. With the assumption that his back has improved and he’s healthy—and that the Tour schedule plays out as planned—let’s take a look at which events Woods might compete in this year. We’ll use a scale of 1-10, with 1 meaning no chance, and 10 meaning he’ll be there so long as his body will let him.

Charles Schwab Challenge, June 11-14, Colonial C.C., Fort Worth
Likelihood of playing: 5
Woods has played the stop at Colonial once in his career—way back in 1997, his first full year as a professional on the PGA Tour. He finished T-4, so his repeated decisions to skip this event likely boil down to it not fitting in his schedule, rather than any sort of aversion to the course. It’s reasonable to think Woods could be chomping at the bit to compete again, and this would present his first opportunity to do so. For that reason alone, it’s a hard maybe.

RBC Heritage, Harbour Town G. Links, June 18-21, Hilton Head, S.C.
Likelihood of playing: 3
Woods clearly doesn’t want to play back-to-back weeks very often, if at all, given the current state of his body and his priorities. He’s played Harbour Town just once before, finishing T-18 in 1999, always skipping it in recent years because it traditionally falls the week after Augusta. Assuming he’d only play one of the first two events (if that), our money is on Colonial over Harbour Town … though, come to think of it, he could travel in his boat and dock in Calibogue Sound.

Travelers Championship, TPC River Highlands, June 25-28, Cromwell, Conn.
Likelihood of playing: 4
On the strength of a remarkable effort from its tournament director and staff, the Travelers has rebranded itself from something of an afterthought to a top-tier non-major event that attracts many of the world’s best players. This, then, would be the most “prestigious” event of the opening three, though that sort of thing flies out the window in an unprecedented schedule like this. Woods has never played this event, as it usually falls the week after the U.S. Open.

Rocket Mortgage Classic, Detroit G.C., July 2-5, Detroit
Likelihood of playing: 2
Woods did not play in last year’s inaugural Rocket Mortgage, and it’s hard to imagine he’d make the trip to Michigan given how many huge events will take place later in the summer.

John Deere Classic, TPC Deere Run, July 9-12, Silvis, Ill.
Likelihood of playing: 2
Woods did play this event back in 1996, just one month after he turned pro, and finished T-5. We’re betting against him making a return after 24 years, for mainly the same reason as the Rocket Mortgage explanation above. Additionally, this falls the week before the Memorial, which Woods has played virtually every year he’s been able to.

Memorial, Muirfield Village G.C., July 16-19, Dublin, Ohio
Likelihood of playing: 9
It’s Jack Nicklaus’ tournament. It’s a hyper-elite field. Woods has played in this event every year he’s been healthy, including in 2019, when it was the only non-major he played between March and the FedEx Cup Playoffs in August. He’s a five-time winner at Muirfield Village, and it falls three weeks before the PGA Championship. There’s a chance this is Woods’ first tournament back, and the only start he makes before the PGA.

3M Open, TPC Twin Cities, July 23-26, Blaine, Minn.
Likelihood of playing: 2
Again, he’s not a big fan of back-to-backs, so if he’s feeling good enough to play around this time in July, it will be at the Memorial.

WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, TPC Southwind, July 30-Aug. 2, Memphis
Likelihood of playing: 5
It’s a WGC, which means a limited field, free money and a ton of World Ranking points. But it’s also the week before the PGA Championship, and Woods does not like to play the week before majors. He also showed in February, when he opted to skip the WGC in Mexico, that he does not view WGCs as can’t-miss events like he does the majors. It’s hard to imagine he plays four days in Memphis, where it will be hot and conditions won’t be anything like Harding Park, before flying across the country to San Francisco and playing a major.

Barracuda Championship, Tahoe Mountain Club, July 30-Aug. 2, Truckee, Calif.
Likelihood of playing: 1
If he’s playing this week, it’s at the WGC.

PGA Championship, TPC Harding Park, Aug. 6-9, San Francisco
Likelihood of playing: 10
It’s a major championship, and Woods has played well at Harding—he beat John Daly in a playoff to win the WGC-American Express in 2005 and was 5-0 in the Presidents Cup in 2009. If he’s healthy, he’s playing.

Wyndham Championship, Sedgefield C.C., Aug. 13-16, Greensboro, N.C.
Likelihood of playing: 2.5
It’s the week after a major, which he almost always takes off. He’s only played this event once, and it came back in 2015 when he needed FedEx Cup points to make the playoffs. (He finished T-10 and did not make it.) It’s possible he’ll find himself in a similar scenario this year, but if he were to play and then make the playoffs, it would mean competing at least three weeks in a row. Not likely.

The Northern Trust, TPC Boston, Aug. 20-23, Norton, Mass.
Likelihood of playing: 7
Woods has played the FedEx Cup playoffs whenever healthy, so on paper you’d think he want to continue that trend. Here’s the thing, though—the U.S. Open falls two weeks after the Tour Championship, and the Ryder Cup comes the week after that. So if he were to play all three playoff events and be in position to make the Ryder Cup team, that would be four events in five weeks. At this point in his career, that’s just not going to happen.

BMW Championship, Olympia Fields (Ill.) CC, Aug. 27-30
Likelihood of playing: 5
Of the three playoff events, this is the one he’s most likely to skip, you would think.

Tour Championship, East Lake C.C., Sept. 4-7, Atlanta
Likelihood of playing: 8
If he qualifies—a big if—and if he’s healthy, he’s not going to miss this one. There are only 30 players in the field and there’s serious, serious dough on the line. Plus, it’s the first tournament he won after spinal fusion surgery, so it now has a special place in his heart.

Safeway Open, Silverado Resort and Spa, Sept. 10-13, Napa, Calif.
Likelihood of playing: 1
Virtually no chance Woods plays the first event of the 2020-’21 season, given the tournaments on either side of this one.

U.S. Open, Winged Foot CC, Sept. 17-20, Mamaroneck, N.Y.
Likelihood of playing: 10
It’s a major. If he’s good, he’s there.

Ryder Cup, Whistling Straits, Sept. 25-27, Haven, Wis.
Likelihood of playing: 10
The huge caveat here is if he’s healthy enough to play, and if he’s playing well enough to make Steve Stricker’s team. If both answers are yes, he’s going to be there, and it would be his first time playing a Ryder Cup on U.S. soil since the disaster at Medinah in 2012.

Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, Corales Golf Club, Sept. 24-27, Dominican Republic
Likelihood of playing: 1
There’s a better chance of me being in the field than TW.

Sanderson Farms Championship, CC of Jackson (Miss.), Oct. 1-4
Likelihood of playing: 1
After that marathon of a late summer, he’s going to take an extended break.

Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, TPC Summerlin, Oct. 8-11, Las Vegas
Likelihood of playing: 2
The only reason it’s not a 1 is because it’s the city where he won his first PGA Tour event. So if he’s feeling super-duper sentimental, there’s a chance. On a more serious note, it’s not happening.

The CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges, Nine Bridges, Oct. 15-18, South Korea
Likelihood of playing: 1
He hasn’t played the relatively new event yet, and we don’t see him taking a two-week sojourn in Asia.

Zozo Championship, Accordia Golf Narashino C.C., Oct. 22-25, Japan
Likelihood of playing: 8
Woods won the inaugural Zozo last year for his 82nd PGA Tour victory, tying Sam Snead for the all-time record. Obviously, he’s comfortable at this course, and it falls far enough after the Ryder Cup that he’ll have had a good deal of rest, and far enough before Augusta that he’ll re-acclimate. Plus, Woods has commercial interests in Japan. This makes sense on a number of levels.

WGC-HSBC Champions, Sheshan International G.C., Oct. 29-Nov. 1, China
Likelihood of playing: 2
Woods has played this WGC only twice, back in 2009 and 2010, finishing T-6 both times. That means he chose to skip it even in normal years in which he was healthy and willing to play more than he is now. It’s hard to imagine he’d want to return from China just 10ish days before the Masters begins. The only reason it’s not a 1 is because it’s a WGC.

Houston Open, Memorial Park G.C., Nov. 5-8, Houston
Likelihood of playing: 2
It’s the week before the Masters, and he likes to spend the week before grooving the shots he’ll need for Augusta.

The Masters, Augusta National G.C., Nov. 12-15, Augusta, Ga.
Likelihood of playing: 11
He’s the defending champion, and it’s his favorite golf course to compete on and he’s a five-time champion. If he could only play one tournament the rest of this year, it’s the Masters. As close to a lock as possible.

The RSM Classic, Sea Island Resort, Nov. 19-22, Sea Island, Ga.
Likelihood of playing: 1
After the Masters, hard to imagine he’ll play any event besides Hero.

Mayakoba Classic, Camaleon G.C., Dec. 3-6, Mexico
Likelihood of playing: 1
After the Masters, hard to imagine he’ll play any event besides Hero.

Hero World Challenge, Albany, Dec. 3-6, The Bahamas
Likelihood of playing: 9

It benefits his foundation, so he’ll be there regardless of whether he’s playing or not. This is a no-cut, relaxed event, and it has almost always served as his last tournament of the year.

The post What might Tiger Woods’ schedule for the rest of 2020 look like? appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

These updates have conjured two passionate, contrasting responses. One is of optimism and hope, elation that these annual celebrations of the game have only been delayed. The other is scepticism, bordering on dismissiveness, that golf has any realistic chance of returning in 2020. Many are oscillating between the two, like grappling with a 3-wood over the pond or taking an iron and laying up. That includes me.

The Tour feels it is equipped to carry on and, just as importantly, knows the inherent risks as well as the perils of being among the first leagues to return. In that regard, onward. Then there are the horrors I see on TV and read online, and hear outside my door. My neighbourhood sits in the shadow of a hospital outside New York City, and the sirens do not stop. Sounds that make the game seem very, very distant.

So I reached out to Dr. Brett McCabe and Dr. Greg Cartin, each a renowned sports and performance psychologist, to reconcile the opposing thoughts.

“It’s perfectly normal, I would argue healthy, to have a degree of scepticism toward the uncertain,” says Dr. McCabe on the phone, his voice cutting through the wails of an EMS vehicle. “That is the problem with hope. It defines that we don’t have the final say.

“But the alternative is worry. You can’t expend energy on something you can’t control.”

Sam Greenwood

The golf season has a rhythm and regularity to it. For better and worse, we mark the time by the cadence of the schedule. There are far greater tragedies than postponed events, but it’s likewise OK to lament a Father’s Day without the U.S. Open or a summer bereft of the claret jug. Is spring even allowed to start if there’s no Masters to escort it?

“It was Masters week and there’s no Masters; it’s shocking,” say Dr. Cartin, who operates Performance Consulting in Boston and works with both average golfers and pros like Jon Curran. “Sports are such a constant in our lives, when something familiar gets taken away, it’s odd. It’s not just the loss and grieving, it’s that things aren’t normal anymore.”

When those tentpoles are removed, it can feel like the pavilion is crashing in.

“Panic ensues when things get shut down. When sports [were] cancelled, the uncertainty brought a lot of fear,” Cartin says. “Seeing something on the schedule removes uncertainty.”

To McCabe, who works with a stable of tour pros and NCAA athletic departments, much of the joy in golf attempting to be played lies in the notion our past reality is not lost. “The idea of [golf events] returning, it’s familiarity in an unfamiliar time, and it’s something that brings us joy. It goes down like home cooking.”

There is power in vision. Yes, as Cartin says, staying in the moment is imperative during a crisis. “In a way, it’s why sometimes players do better on a golf course they’ve never seen,” he says. “You don’t know what’s coming next, so your focus is on the task in front of you.” But there is a want, a need for a beacon on the horizon in this current storm. If golf is that guiding light, McCabe says, sail away.

“I’ve had friends ask if it’s all right to plan trips after this is all through,” McCabe says. “Yes, of course. I’m doing it in my head, too. You’re giving yourself a finish line, even if we don’t know where that is precisely at the moment.”

The Tour’s venture back can be viewed as ambitious. Health experts have been reticent to say when stay-at-home measures will be eased and warned of easing them too soon, raising the question whether golf is in position to be dictating a timeline. Other professional sports leagues are exploring one-site proposals to restart their years in order to reduce travel, and as a corollary, exposure. Golf, even in its most scaled-down form, would be sending hundreds around the country each week. That includes visits to Ohio and California, states whose governors have cast doubt on hosting spectator events in the near future. The Tour acknowledged it will lean on guidance from health and government officials, and hold its events without fans for their safety and the safety of the players. However, its travelling-circus construct seems potentially susceptible to the virus.

Worries that have merit, but ultimately, they are not where most scepticism resides. Rather, it is with fans not wanting to become emotionally attached to the idea golf will return, for fear it will eventually be cancelled, thus deepening their disappointment. “As human beings, we have a negative bias; it takes a lot of positive reinforcement to take it out,” Cartin says.

Ben Jared

A recognition that is also balanced by thousands who are fighting for their lives, thousands of doctors and nurses risking theirs to help, and millions who have lost their jobs. With these battles ongoing, playing a golf tournament, to some, seems wildly inappropriate.

But sports have the capacity to transcend. It’s entertainment, sure. Competition and drama and struggle capture our attention. Yet in that immersion, there are moments of levity, empowerment, goodwill, inspiration. (As anyone that watched CBS’ rerun of the 2019 Masters can attest.)

So much of our daily lives have been extinguished, and some parts will never be re-lit. What matters, say McCabe and Cartin, is finding ways to keep the embers glowing on our passions.

“We have to adapt to this pandemic. To not is ignorant,” McCabe says. “As we adjust to how this affects our lives, there are going to be hard times. But do not compromise your motivation or excitement; you cannot assume you will be disappointed.

“We keep hearing this is a fight. Throwing away all hopes or curbing positive expectations to prevent future disappointment … that is letting the virus win.”

In the background, an ambulance wails. A lot will be endured until the sirens stop. Eventually, that day will come.

The post Why it’s healthy to hope appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Golf news, much less positive golf news, has been thin on the ground in recent weeks as the world has grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic. It makes word of the re-opening of the three Troon Golf-managed Abu Dhabi clubs this week all the more encouraging for golfers confined to home quarters in other parts of the UAE.

Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Yas Links Abu Dhabi and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club reopened to members only on Tuesday – with strict health and safety caveats imposed by local authorities.

Among the rules in place are the limit of one golfer per motorised buggy, maximum groups of three with the standard practice of physical distancing to be followed and the adjustment of holes that allows players to retrieve their ball without touching the flag. There are no food and beverage available at the club and players must pay electronically – but only after being accepted to play following individual temperature checks upon entry to the respective clubs.

Saadiyat Beach Golf Club

All three Abu Dhabi clubs are opening at 7:30am with tee times available between 8am and 6:30pm in line with the current Abu Dhabi Sterilisation Program.

Dubai clubs, meanwhile, remain closed with the emirate in lockdown until April 18th. All courses are being maintained to varying levels with one club taking advantage of the shutdown to work on the course with tee extensions and the removal of contaminated grass.

As of late Thursday evening (April 9) UAE time, the Gulf News newspaper reported there were a total of 2,990 confirmed coronavirus cases in the UAE, with 14 deaths. The newspaper said the Ministry of Health had conducted more than 40,000 tests in the previous 48 hours.

Abu Dhabi Golf Club’s 14th hole

The post Troon Abu Dhabi clubs reopened to members appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Tod Leonard
AUGUSTA, Ga. — It was ghostly quiet on Washington Road for any Monday morning, much less the first Monday in April. Typically, by 8 a.m. on this particular Monday, police have closed off the Exit 198 ramps from Interstate 20 because the volume of cars already has exceeded capacity.

Masters week dawned with a bright orange sun in clear blue skies and ideal temperatures. Only there was nowhere to go. For the first time in 75 years, the first full week of April in Augusta didn’t include a Masters tournament. The lone positive news was that Augusta National announced plans to try to play the 2020 Masters the week of Nov. 9-15—the COVID-19 virus willing.

For the city of Augusta, the emotional and financial impact of a postponed Masters—even if it’s set for a fall date—is profound. Green isn’t just the colour of the champion’s jacket. The tournament touches thousands of lives in the community in myriad ways—most notably in the pocketbook. The Masters is estimated to annually bring more than $100 million to the region. Rates soar sometimes into the five figures per night for hotel rooms; some families command $100,000 to rent their home for the week; and restaurants and local golf courses are packed with people who might never otherwise venture to this area of Georgia.

“It won’t be the same,” Al Russo, a retired Richmond County educator who normally works Masters week on the litter control crew, said before he headed to the first tee to get a round in at Forest Hills Golf Club. “I’m sure the course will be immaculate as usual, but part of the draw is the beautiful flowers that bloom this time of year. If it’s open to the public, they’ll do everything they can to make it perfect. I hope they pull it off.”

Meanwhile at this ghost Masters, there are no “Golf Traffic” signs. No ticket broker RVs parked at gas stations. No traffic at all along Berckmans Road, which snakes through the pristine and empty hills usually filled with patrons’ cars as soon as they open for Monday morning’s practice round. Even the azaleas all across town look deflated, past peak colour after another mild winter and early spring.

RELATED: Golf’s governing bodies release a new (tentative) 2020 schedule

The lone traffic jam anywhere along the normally congested Washington Road corridor was curled around the Krispy Kreme for pickup at the drive-thru, where Phil Mickelson famously rolled up wearing his green jacket the morning after winning his third Masters in 2010. Popular steakhouse TBonz is closed indefinitely. The Hooters, where John Daly always hawks his merchandise from his bus during the Masters, is open for “curb side take out” only, which will really test the theory that some men just go there for the wings.

Scott Michaux
The Hooters on Washington Road, where John Daly sells merchandise, sits empty on Monday morning of what was supposed to be Masters week.

“Ain’t no Masters,” said Billy Deloach, a Securitas guard sitting alone in his golf cart in the parking lot at nearby Augusta Country Club, shooing folks away from what would normally be one of the busiest and most prominent social hubs during Masters week. “Club is closed.”

Deloach, who’s worked 23 tournaments at Augusta National and attended at least one round of every Masters since 1960, said the universal quiet is surreal. “It don’t seem right,” he said of an April without the Masters. “It’s for the best for everybody’s health. But it’s hard, especially with what the Masters means to everybody in Augusta. Hopefully we’re all all right and we can do it in November.”

Augusta Municipal Golf Course—a.k.a. The Patch—is closed, along with all Richmond County government facilities. But golfers were pulling clubs out of trunks at nearby Forest Hills, including locals who normally couldn’t afford the escalated green fees during tournament week. “You couldn’t get on a course in Augusta this week unless you had a few dollars,” said Sam Arazie from the Forest Hills parking lot.

Just like the calendar turning without Major League Baseball’s Opening Day, the notion of the Masters not being played in April was heretofore unimaginable.

Scott Michaux
The busiest part of Washington Road during Masters week is near the water tower at the corner of the Augusta National course.

Since 1934, and other than three years of no tournaments during World War II, the first major of the year in men’s golf has been like Easter egg hunts and pastel sundresses—a cheery signpost in America that spring has arrived and the sweet, long days of summer are just around the corner.

“Never in a million years could people fathom there would be no Masters in April,” said Jill Brown, executive director of The First Tee of Augusta for 19 years. “You don’t think that anything can overshadow it. The coronavirus has successfully done that. For the rest of the world, that’s probably not a big deal, but in Augusta, it’s a big deal to us.”

In the sports world, there are only a handful of large-scale events and cities that are so tightly woven together. Indianapolis and the Indy 500. Louisville and the Kentucky Derby. Omaha, Neb., and the College World Series. Yet even those seem to pale when compared to the Masters and its host region.

Sharing the banks of the Savannah River with South Carolina and boasting a population of 197,000, Augusta is the second-largest city in Georgia. Augusta University is a highly regarded medical school and the city’s scientific community is robust. But say Augusta to anyone in the world who’s ever heard of Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods, and they’ll respond with a wondrous expression and two words: The Masters.

“On trips or on planes, people will small talk with you,” said Megan Frazier, an auditor for a CPA firm who has lived in Augusta since childhood. “As soon as you say you’re from Augusta, that’s immediately what they go to—the Masters. The first question is, have you been to the tournament? The second question is, can we get them tickets?”

Frazier sheepishly admits she’s not much of a golf fan—college football and Formula One racing are her interests—and during Masters week the 29-year-old is swamped working on people’s taxes while catching snippets of highlights. But since buying her first home in 2016 in a neighbourhood just a few miles from the gates of Augusta National, she has rented to the same group that returns each year. Frazier asks a modest price relative to many, but it pays for home improvements and other expenses, and in that she has much in common with her neighbours.

Havird Usry is facing a double shot to the gut. He is the third-generation owner and operator of three Augusta-area restaurants, including Fatman’s Café, a city institution since the 1940s. Usry also rents out his five-bedroom home in a well-kept neighbourhood in North Augusta.

“I call the Masters my 13th month,” Usry said with a chuckle over the phone last week. Other folks in Augusta have dubbed it “Second Christmas.”

Catering accounts for about 85 percent of Usry’s business, he said, and the demand during the Masters is ravenous. Among his high-end clients for this year are IBM and the PGA Tour.

Not shy, Usry reveals the numbers: His restaurants generate about $3 million per year in revenue. The portion of that harvested from the Masters: as much as $500,000.

“It’s a big week,” Usry added. “If people only knew what went on outside the gates, they’d be amazed. There’s nothing like it.”

Though some restaurants in Augusta said they had to cancel thousands of dollars in food orders, Brad Usry, Havird’s father, said that wasn’t the case for his company. They did, however, pre-order a lot of alcohol that arrived.

“I’ve got a lot of wine if you need any,” Brad offered dryly—25 cases, or about 300 bottles, to be exact.

Brad Usury (left) and son Havird are the owners of three Augusta restaurants and a large catering business that are being affected by the postponement of the Masters.

Joshua Bailey
Brad Usury (left) and son Havird are the owners of three Augusta restaurants and a large catering business that are being affected by the postponement of the Masters.

Like many who rent out their houses, Havird Usry is nervous about that, too. In his neighbourhood, homes fetch anywhere from $25,000 to $100,000 for the week. Families have many uses for that cash, from paying college tuition to making further home improvements to be able to charge more for future Masters.

This year, Havird’s wife, who is a dentist, was taking Masters week off to travel with their two young daughters and her mother to Jamaica. Those plans have been nixed. Backyard lounging will have to do.

“It’s bizarre. That’s the best word I can come up with,” Havird said. “We were supposed to be doing our massive spring cleaning this week to get the house ready. My wife was supposed to be getting ready for her trip. My team was supposed to be getting ready.”

Brown, from The First Tee, worries about families that may have already spent deposits that were made on their homes. Even worse, some in those families may have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus.

“That’s really not good,” she said, “it’s scary when you think about it.”

The plight of ticket brokers probably won’t evoke much sympathy, but they, too, are an enormous part of the Augusta financial windfall and are in a very vulnerable spot right now.

To the consternation of “The National,” as the club is known in the region, the locals who have badges passed down through generations sell them to brokers, who put them on the market to those who would never otherwise have a chance of attending. By one broker’s estimate, there are 10 large agencies doing business at the Masters, and a handful of them exist in plain sight, occupying homes on Azalea Drive, across the street from ANGC’s front gate.

Two brokers, who spoke on condition that their names or agencies not be identified, said their business has come to a standstill because of the postponement. One broker said he had about 70 percent of his inventory sold before the postponement announcement. Now he has to figure out how to manage those accounts with the November tournament date. He cited the example of a woman who purchased four weekly badges and rented a house for her husband’s 50th birthday. The bill: $58,000.

The broker would prefer the woman use the tickets and accommodations in the fall. Another possibility is putting off the trip until next April. Or a refund?

“It’s probably going to be on a case-by-case basis,” the broker said with some exasperation. “I have to look at it from a business and moral standpoint. I don’t know how I’m going to handle that.”

Both brokers wondered how the demand will change for tickets for a fall Masters, considering the economic downturn caused by the virus and what figures to be a saturated sports calendar.

“This is SEC country,” one broker said. “What if there’s a big football game that weekend? I think if you’re a fan of those teams, you skip the Masters because you know there’s another one coming up in April.”

Kevin C. Cox
A sign in front of TBonz Augusta on Washington Road.

The business of golf, of course, is a significant part of the Masters. Tee times at local golf clubs are booked months in advance and the rounds can be pricey—as much as $3,000 per foursome, including food and drink.

Chris Verdery, who is coming up on his 23rd Masters as the director of golf at semi-private The River Golf Club in North Augusta, said there is a usually an electric charge in the atmosphere at the course in anticipating a couple hundred people from around the world.

“We host a lot of people who have never been here before, and, typically, they’re really excited,” Verdery said.

As with most Augusta-area public courses, The River has remained opened during the pandemic, adhering to sanitation precautions required by the state government. But in a week that would have been teeming with buzz, the atmosphere was flat.

“You walk outside and nothing’s going on,” Verdery said. “Each season has a different feel to it, and this season always feels like the Masters. It doesn’t right now.”

There was a melancholy tone in his voice that was unmistakable. Weighed down by the struggles of current everyday life—the virus’ threat, social restrictions, working from home, loss of jobs—the people in Augusta have far more to worry about than a golf tournament not being contested. But here, that very reality hits home more than it would almost anywhere else.

They wait and hope that the new November Masters date will promise a return to normalcy, all the while keeping faith in a sporting institution that has been as steadfast and reliable as any they can think of.

“Two things,” Havird Usry, the restaurant owner, said, beginning to make his point. “First, Augusta National cares about this community and its economy, and will do everything in its power to make this happen.

“Second, there will be a whole lot of people who come to appreciate what the second week of April means to us.”

The post This was supposed to be Masters week, and folks in Augusta are feeling the emotional and financial sting appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

At Golf Digest Middle East we worked double-time to produce our April print edition well ahead of normal deadlines and in advance of new rules governing print distribution to ensure you have a valuable and entertaining distraction in these extraordinary times. However, with golf clubs across the UAE now closed to assist in the coronavirus battle, one of our main distribution channels has been temporarily cut off.

Fret not.

From today, you can read the April issue of Golf Digest Middle East FREE at the ISSUU link below or download to your favourite device HERE.

This is, understandably, not your normal April issue. With the Masters (and PGA Championship) postponed and professional golf on ice indefinitely, we’ve undertaken a major content rejig at the 11th hour to ensure relevant reading for these unexpected times.

That means the latest edition is rich with tuition content – Golf Digest’s very DNA – you can practice in the safety of your home or memory bank for that blessed time when clubs are reopened.   

We’re also running 24/7 online at golfdigestme.com where you’ll find the latest domestic and global updates on the royal and ancient game plus content to provide an escape from these challenging times.

Indeed, Golf Digest Middle East is keen to learn how you intend to keep golfing at home like this trio of MENA Tour names.

RELATED: MENA Tour trio find novel ways to practice while practicing physical distancing

Tag us — @golfdigestme — on your favourite social media channel and use the #playingthrough hashtag with your inventive home golf set-ups and we’ll share the best of them with our online community.

Together, we’ve got this and will be back out there on the courses of the Middle East soon. In the meantime, stay safe and keep swinging – within the safe confines of your home.

The post Download the April issue of Golf Digest Middle East for FREE! appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Daniel Rapaport
Like the rest of us, Xander Schauffele is bored. Very, very bored.

That, of course, is the furthest thing from surprising. The coronavirus pandemic has quite literally impacted every person in this country, from fast- food workers to teachers to professional athletes with millions in career earnings.

More surprising: Xander Schauffele has a case of cabin fever, mainly because his cabin just ain’t that big.

“I don’t have the option to go out and practice,” he said Wednesday, taking a conference call with reporters from his two-bedroom, 2,000-square-footish condo in the San Diego area. California has closed all non-essential businesses, and Schauffele said officials showed up to private golf clubs to ensure that there was no under-the-radar golf being played.

“I’m trying to stay mentally fit, working out, but it’s been strange,” says the 26-year-old who is No. 12 in the World Rankings. “I’ve lost a sense of purpose a little in terms of work, feeling unemployed, with no date of us coming back.”

No date indeed. Shortly before the call, news broke that Wimbledon had been cancelled—not postponed, but cancelled.

Wimbledon was set to run from June 29 to July 12, which makes the PGA Tour’s target of returning to action at the Charles Schwab Challenge on May 21 seem optimistic at best, farcical at worst.

“I think all of us are in the same boat, and we’re all just trying to find ways to distract ourselves or stay mentally fit,” he said. “Just trying to keep my thoughts in line, realizing this is a tough time and it’s a necessary time for us to stay indoors, and we’re doing the right thing by staying indoors. Maybe it’s not really mentally fit, it’s mentally sane, I guess. I’m so used to being outdoors, and this is the polar opposite.”

With no restart in sight, Schauffele hasn’t touched a club since shooting a two-under 70 at the Players Championship on March 12, nearly three weeks ago. He loves the game, he said, and he’s always happy to go out and play so long as something’s on the line. But that’s not an option at present. As a response to courses closing, a number of Tour pros have manufactured ad-hoc setups at home to practice, be that an indoor simulator, home-made chipping areas or a good ol’ fashioned net in the backyard.

Schauffele’s problem is that he doesn’t have a backyard. He recently bought a gym setup that, he says, is sitting in the middle of his living room. He’s been meaning to buy a house—his caddie, Austin Kaiser, recently copped his—but hasn’t gotten around to it. So it’s been him, his girlfriend, and French bulldog Chewy hanging in the condo, along with occasional visits from his brother. Put differently: He’s following directions.

“I’m just trying to be a law-abiding citizen here and just do my part.”

Once life does return to semi-normalcy—whenever that may be—Schauffele will be looking to build on a solid-but-winless season thus far. He has two runner-up finishes, at the WGC-HSBC Champions event in China and the Sentry Tournament of Champions and came into the Players with four straight finishes between T-14 and T-24.

“I feel like I’m at a state where I can pick up my clubs and play whenever,” Schauffele said. “It’d probably take two weeks for me to feel really confident, I guess, to not back down from anything. But if I had to go tee it up in a Tour event tomorrow, I think I wouldn’t feel uncomfortable overall. I’d have the belief that I could do it.”

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