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Jon Rahm, of Spain, poses with the trophy after successful the Memorial golf tournament, Sunday, July 19, 2020, in Dublin, Ohio. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Tiger Woods made his 19th trip to Muirfield Village as a pro and it was unlike anything he remembered.” data-reactid=”32″ type=”text”>DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Tiger Woods made his 19th time out to Muirfield Village as a well informed and it change into as soon as unlike the rest he remembered.
”I hadn’t taken these lines,” he acknowledged.
That in most cases refers to shots off the tee. He change into as soon as speaking about the direction he change into as soon as walking.
There change into as soon as no want to inch from the vary to the aspect of the clubhouse, into the locker room, down the stairs and out a aspect door to receive to the striking inexperienced. Without a followers around, it change into as soon as a straight shot.
On the course, he can even decrease corners – along with his legs more than along with his driver.
”Respect as an illustration, it change into as soon as nice walking off the 16th inexperienced going straight to the tee as a alternative of walking around,” he acknowledged. ”Its completely different around here with about a of the walks. You receive from point A to point B very straight away. I hadn’t felt this ever here. In total I’m meandering roundabout.”
What hasn’t modified is the prize money.
Ryan Palmer made just over $1 million for his runner-up finish, the biggest paycheck of his career, including his 2010 Sony Open victory.” data-reactid=”39″ type=”text”>They performed for a $9.3 million purse at the Memorial. Ryan Palmer made fair over $1 million for his runner-up carry out, basically the most important paycheck of his profession, including his 2010 Sony Originate victory.
Subsequent week, the prize fund is $10.5 million for a World Golf Championship.
That’s worth remembering before gamers start up getting pleased with now not having spectators.
Tournaments and the PGA Tour are having to decrease costs and faucet into rainy day funds so they’ll withhold going without a key supply of revenue.
Gamers haven’t competed for nearly $80 million in prize money thanks to cancellations, including a World Golf Championship and the British Originate. But they’re playing, and that’s a correct thing.
Zach Johnson is among those vastly bowled over that totally seven gamers indulge in tested certain for the coronavirus, basically the most most modern Grayson Murray before he left for this week’s 3M Originate in Minnesota.
”We would love to indulge in them attend,” Johnson acknowledged of the followers. ”But if it is responsible and orderly now not indulge in to indulge in them, we doubtlessly can indulge in to serene play without them. Our product is more healthy with followers. The affect of now not playing far outweighs in a unfavourable design the positives of playing. Utterly shutting down can indulge in to serene now not be an probability if we are able to play.”
Gamers discuss about missing the volume, the vitality, without followers. The silence change into as soon as by no design more deafening than when Justin Thomas made a 50-foot birdie putt in a playoff at Muirfield Village, and Collin Morikawa matched him from 25 toes.
For the length of the Workday Charity Originate, Rahm chipped in from tough left of the 14th inexperienced – a predicament made famend by Woods chipping in for par when he obtained the Memorial in 1999. Rahm regarded around at nobody and acknowledged amid the restful, ”Refined like when Tiger did it.” Then he walked to the 15th tee for the reason that grandstand within the attend of the inexperienced change into as soon as no longer there.
It be now not only the cheers. No spectators design no knowledgeable-ams. It be no corporate hospitality, either local or national, each and every vital. No ticket gross sales. No concessions. No merchandise. That’s revenue.
And the existing goes on.
The PGA Tour is among other sports actions at the knowledgeable and college stage which indulge in decreased salaries for employees one day of the COVID-19 pandemic. Contracts are in predicament, certain, but golf hasn’t had a discount in purses.
Kevin Streelman said with a wary smile. ”We need the pro-ams. We need ticket sales. We need charitable dollars. Those are all significant implications. We’re fortunate to play for what we do, to keep the circus going. But it’s probably not sustainable in this situation.”” data-reactid=”51″ type=”text”>”No longer but,” Kevin Streelman acknowledged with a wary smile. ”We settle on the knowledgeable-ams. We settle on ticket gross sales. We settle on charitable bucks. Those are all vital implications. We’re lucky to play for what we enact, to get the circus going. But it is doubtlessly now not sustainable on this venture.”
The Memorial change into as soon as presupposed to be the major tournament with followers. Tournament director Dan Sullivan submitted a draw for a decreased capacity that the notify enthusiastically permitted. Other sports actions in Ohio were desirous to acknowledge how it labored.
After which it change into as soon as scrapped as coronavirus cases began to spike, but another decision that made health and safety the priority, which can now not be faulted. But it change into as soon as onerous now not to acknowledge the monetary hit to the Memorial. Constructions already had been built – the Nicklaus Club next to the 14th inexperienced, a concession dwelling within the attend of the 16th tee, a small grandstand overlooking the 18th.
It resulted in an awkward alternate before the tournament when Jack Nicklaus change into as soon as requested about the honest decision his team made to now not indulge in followers.
”We didn’t originate it. The tour made the decision,” Nicklaus acknowledged.
Nicklaus then eased off blaming the tour and suggested gamers had objections, notably with knowledgeable-ams, even with testing for each person concerned.
”They’re attempting to originate a residing,” Nicklaus acknowledged. ”And that makes it very sophisticated for them. In this particular time and what’s occurring, I plan now not blame them for attempting to guarantee that they’ll get safe and get in a chunk of a bubble and ascertain that your complete world will get to behold correct, quality championship golf.”
Commissioner Jay Monahan owned that as a tour decision, adding all americans change into as soon as on the the same page. ”We’re going to advance our spectators, we will advance our knowledgeable-ams when we truly feel it is miles the apt time,” he acknowledged.
How soon is somebody’s guess.
The U.S. Originate on Sept. 17-20 at Winged Foot in Unique York is the next probability. Domestically for the PGA Tour, it’d be Oct. 1-4 at the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi. Its executive director, Steve Jent, change into as soon as at the Memorial, hopeful to acknowledge how followers would work. As a alternative, he saw moderately about a empty dwelling and vacant tents.
Monahan acknowledged the tour is doing every thing it will to indulge in followers by the attend atomize of the year, despite the proven truth that it is runt. Golf has to start up someplace. It could now not inch from zero to the Kill Management Phoenix Originate, the rowdiest tournament in golf.
And it will now not withhold this mannequin of gamers having the course to themselves for very lengthy.
Gamers miss the buzz followers originate. More telling will probably be how they truly feel about missing their stage of income.
