Inside a strange, awkward day of no fans as the PGA Tour restarts season at Colonial
After a three-month hiatus, professional golf returned to the sports world Thursday and the Colonial Country Club became its epicenter as the largest and deepest field to ever assemble for the Charles Schwab Challenge held the first round of the four-day event that will not be attended by fans.
With the threat of coronavirus and the numbers of cases in Texas now spiking, Colonial had decided weeks ago to close its doors to the general public for the first time in the tournament’s history. An estimated 30,000 might have attended Thursday’s opening round featuring the top-five players in the world, plus other stars such as Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth.
“It’s certainly awkward not having everybody out here,” Mickelson said. “But I’m certainly proud of the steps the PGA Tour has taken to have everybody be safe, feel safe in this environment and to hopefully entertain and have some people watching on TV even though they’re not here.”
There were no galleries or crowds. It was a bizarre scene to witness the top three players in the world — Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka — paired together and only a dozen cameras and media members following them. The same can be said for a group featuring Spieth, Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler.
As Spieth’s group played No. 9, the group teeing off nearby on No. 7 featured 2001 Colonial champ and Masters winner Sergio Garcia. Nobody other than a scorekeeper followed along. Fellow Masters champions Bubba Watson and Zach Johnson were paired together and playing No. 1 with a similar contingent.
Those groups would have decent-sized galleries most years.
“I told my caddie early on, I didn’t feel like I was hitting it as far because my adrenaline wasn’t up,” said Gary Woodland, the reigning U.S. Open champion who played with Mickelson and defending Colonial champion Kevin Na.
“It’s a big deal. Especially when you play with Phil and you get some of those big groups, you get so much adrenaline, the golf ball seems like it goes miles. It felt like kind of a practice round out there, same kind of energy. But it was kind of peaceful, kind of going back to college days and you kind of roll with it and stay within yourself a little bit more. You really don’t get distracted.”
The golfers and Fort Worth alike would love to have the normal crowds. A handful of fans stood outside the fence lines and on makeshift grandstands on neighboring homes to catch a glimpse of the action. There were 11 people behind the fence at the No. 2 tee when McIlroy, Rahm and Koepka teed off with one guy yelling, “Let’s go, Rory!”
But those moments were few and far between. This is clearly a made-for-TV event.
In announcing its return to play, the PGA Tour simply wasn’t willing to go down the route of allowing fans on the grounds amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“We love the fans here in Fort Worth,” commissioner Jay Monahan said on Wednesday. “They’ve been unbelievable. It’s hard for us not to have them. But I think they know how important it is for us, the PGA Tour, to be here with this quality of field in Fort Worth sharing PGA Tour golf with the world. We’ll be back here with all of our fans hopefully next year.”
Along with no fans, golfers and caddies are taking measures to ensure the safest environment possible in the midst of the pandemic. Every player, caddie and official the PGA Tour tested earlier this week tested negative for coronavirus.
Everyone else on the grounds is having to be screened daily.
There are constant reminders around the golf course encouraging social distancing. Caddies have also been provided wipes to sanitize bunker rakes and flagsticks after every use.
“We’re trying to follow the guidelines, but it’s amazing how routine and what you’ve done for 20 years kicks in, and you’ve got to keep reminding yourself,” said 2018 Colonial champion Justin Rose, who is the first-round leader after posting a 7-under 63 on Thursday.
“I’m sure we all made a couple of mistakes out there, but we’re definitely very conscious of what we touch personally and therefore who touches that next and how that’s dealt with.”
At the end of the day, it’s the “new normal” for golf. The players are willing to do what is necessary to return to competition.
But there’s no denying the strange moments on the course.
University of Texas product Jhonattan Vegas made a 22-footer on No. 9 for a birdie and an opening-round 64. There were no roars or “Hook ‘em” chants. Just a few quiet congratulations from playing partners and caddies.
“It felt strange to be honest, just kind of getting on the first tee and having your name called and not having anyone around to say anything,” said Vegas, who is tied for second going into Round 2. “It felt like, ‘Hey, what’s going on here?’
“Obviously, I hit a lot of good shots, and not hearing those claps, it felt odd.”
This story was originally published June 11, 2020 at 6:05 PM.
