The PGA made its return this past weekend after a 91-day suspension due to the coronavirus. The Charles Schwab Challenge didn’t have fans, but it still lived up to the hype.
The best players in the world, 16 out of the top 20, came out to compete at Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas. Daniel Berger was able to pull out the win but needed a playoff to do so.
There was a little rust on the players’ part, but no more than expected. Fans got to see names like Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, and Jordan Spieth in contention for most of the weekend.
This weekend proved that golf will be able to pull this off throughout the pandemic. There were plenty of safety measures in place, but this is not a sport where social distancing is a large issue.
The largest and most noticeable impact was only the lack of fans. However, unlike basketball and football, the pressure and excitement remained. Tweaks can still be made moving forward to make this a better experience.
Hear It All
If there is one thing good about this format, it is that fans can hear everything on TV. All of the moments that golfers are talking to their caddies or shout in distress after a bad shot, those moments are clear.
Fans may hear a few more curse words, such as Brooks Koepka‘s f-bomb this past weekend. ESPN’s Todd Archer weighed in on the future of this new normal.
“Without fans, I was able to hear the back-and-forth between Jordan Spieth and Michael Greller on a second shot from behind some trees on the fifth hole. It was fascinating. If there’s something to change, maybe it is to get these guys miked up.”
Either that, or the exact opposite might happen. It’s just as likely that the audio gets turned down so fans won’t hear any expletives from the players.
There were still some fans close, even if they weren’t actually in the course limits. Many of these courses have neighborhoods and houses in shouting distance.
“It will be interesting going forward if fans at some of the upcoming events are able to be as creative with their setups,” Archer said. “If you live near a course, you have to have at least some appreciation for the sport, so this could become something of a ‘new normal’ before a limited number of fans are allowed in at the Memorial.”
Long Wait
These golfers showed that they were ready to play. The layoff probably seemed like a year to many of these guys that have been looking forward to competing.
One thing is for sure, and that’s that fans were happy to see the PGA back in action. They were able to make it work while keeping everyone safe. Golf is one of the easier sports to orchestrate during a pandemic with the current restrictions.
After a weekend of seeing some of the most talented players in the world compete, most people can agree it’s time for Tiger Woods to come back.
