The PGA Is Back This Weekend

The PGA Tour will be returning this weekend with the Charles Schwab Challenge. It will be held at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
The field is loaded for this golf tournament, as not many players plan on missing the first tournament back after 13 weeks off. Colonial hasn’t had a field this highly rated since the World Golf Rankings began in 1986.
There are only two players inside of the world’s top 10 not participating, Tommy Fleetwood and Adam Scott. This is only because they are international players that live outside of the country that would have to face quarantine in the US.
The only other big name that won’t be at Colonial is Tiger Woods. Fans got a piece of the action in “The Match” with Phil Mickelson. Woods looked in great form, and his return, especially in a major, will be big news.
This tournament will be the first of several that will be played without spectators. This is going to last as long as it needs to when looking at how COVID-19 is spreading.
Caddie Interview
Michael Collins of ESPN discussed with a confidential caddie about the return to play.
Collins asked about the worries that the players and the caddies have when it comes to coming back. Traveling, rental cars, and staying in a hotel could all be an issue.
“I’m not nervous about traveling per se, in the sense that I may get sick. Clearly, I don’t want to get sick,” he said. “But I’m nervous about contracting the virus and being told, ‘Hey, you’re out again for another two or three weeks.'”
This caddie says he has been taken care of by his golfer throughout the suspension in play due to COVID-19. He has still been paying him some even without play, and he says most other caddies he has spoken with are being taken care of as well.
Collins asked what the biggest challenge for a caddie would be in this first tournament back.
“Biggest challenge, I mean, we kind of touched on it before — 20 years of a conditioned response. Where to stand,” he said. “You were never fearful of standing next to another player or caddie. You never worried about grabbing a club to clean.
“Obviously, that’s not going to hurt the sport, and it’s not going to cause a massive outbreak in the virus if someone touches a club or cleans the club.”
After the long suspension of golf and most sports, it’s exciting for everyone involved to get back to playing. This includes caddies.
What’s the thing that this caddie missed the most?
“The camaraderie,” he said. “Being back at it with my player. I mean, I get along with my player. So just being back around him and back around the boys that you don’t get to see. You don’t realize how close the friendships you make are when you’re out on the road with these guys.”
This tournament has high expectations that many hope it meets.