PGA Announces The Show Must Go On After Pretty Much Every Person Who’s Ever Golfed Tested Positive For COVID

It’s been a wild morning/afternoon in the world of golf before the Travelers Championship is slated to begin tomorrow. Rumors swirled of multiple withdrawals, as well as caddies testing positive. PGA commissioner Jay Monahan has begun to speak to the media as I write this. Here’s Golf Digest reporter Brian Wacker on some of the recent developments:

Breaking: Sources have confirmed there are multiple positive tests for COVID-19 on the PGA Tour, in addition to the one reported earlier this morning.

— Brian Wacker (@brianwacker1) June 24, 2020

Latest update: Sources confirm that around a half-dozen WDs from Travelers are expected, all COVID-19 related in some manner.

— Brian Wacker (@brianwacker1) June 24, 2020

Tour confirms positive tests for Cameron Champ, Graeme McDowell's caddie Ken Comboy and Brooks' caddie Ricky Elliott. Also confirms that Webb Simpson, Chase Koepka have WD'd. Both tested negative but they did so out of caution.

— Brian Wacker (@brianwacker1) June 24, 2020

PGA Tour commish Jay Monahan, citing low number of positive tests so far and expected positives: "We need to learn to live with this virus. This virus isn’t going anywhere. … You’re going to have more [positive] tests going forward."

— Brian Wacker (@brianwacker1) June 24, 2020

For as crazy as it may seem that the Travelers Championship will go on amidst all of these positive tests, Jay Monahan is certainly some kind of brave for staying the course (no pun intended but maybe pun kind of intended now that I’ve written it). He’s dead right that this is likely the new normal for the next year and many golfers will likely face similar risks of COVID exposure. And it won’t be just the PGA. The MLB has already been hit by infections, the NFL has too, and the NBA has their bubble situation that could get easily blown up by one sick food preparation person at Disney. And that’s without actually playing games like PGA, NASCAR and UFC are right now.

At this point, the virus-spreading genie is out of the bottle. It sucks, I’m disappointed in us as a country for getting it to this point, but this is our lives if we want sports. As long as the players agree, Jay Monahan may be the first guy to fully acknowledge our new reality. The show will go on … and everyone may get COVID in the process.

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