April 16, 2020

The PGA Plans a June 11 Return: The PGA is making a bid to be the first sport to come back, starting with the June 11 event in Fort Worth. There would be no fans at the first four events and a field of 110 golfers, all of whom kept distance from everyone else except their caddies. If testing availability has improved there would be screenings for coronavirus. The flag and bunker rakes would be handled by an official. The ball could be disinfected or replaced after each hole. "Golf has to be the single easiest sport to bring back safely," writes Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports.

posted by rcade to golf at 02:32 PM - 8 comments

Since sports fans are not able to take part in any All Star voting this year, can we nominate people to serve as ball disinfectors on the PGA tour?

posted by beaverboard at 03:53 PM on April 16, 2020

That's gonna take a whole different meaning in June in the metroplex.

posted by Ufez Jones at 05:00 PM on April 16, 2020

I was thinking about this a couple of weeks ago.* If there is a sport to return first in the era of COVID-19, golf seems like the most straightforward for people to do a thing and generally stay away from each other. Also it's outside.

*I believe it was when I got a bit wistful that there would be no Masters (at least at the usual time) and was thinking that maybe there was a way to pull it off while also managing the highest-rated Masters of all time.

posted by bender at 06:17 PM on April 16, 2020

I think it will work. Maintain the social distancing standards, don't touch the pin,the trap rake or the other golfer's balls. (You can't do that last on TV anyway.)

posted by Howard_T at 08:34 PM on April 16, 2020

But we, and the pros, will miss the screamed GET IN THE HOLEs. How on earth will the ball know where to go?

posted by rumple at 09:46 PM on April 16, 2020

It'll be amusing to see the tectonic shift in sponsorships.

Titleist, Callaway, and Nike will be all but invisible, and players will be strutting from hole to hole decked out in the latest Charmin, Purell and Clorox sporting apparel.

posted by beaverboard at 11:29 PM on April 16, 2020

we ... will miss the screamed GET IN THE HOLEs

players will be strutting from hole to hole decked out in the latest Charmin ... sporting apparel

Does anybody else see a vast, untapped source of synergy here?!?!

posted by tahoemoj at 11:06 AM on April 17, 2020

I envisioned a Lysol "Get In The Bowl!" campaign to promote their line of toilet cleaning products.

posted by beaverboard at 11:11 AM on April 17, 2020

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