COVID-19’s latest effect on PGA Tour: Delayed release of tee times

DUBLIN, Ohio – The PGA Tour continues to adjust its policies and procedures as they relate to COVID-19.

Officials informed players Monday that tee times for Rounds 1 and 2 will now be released at 5 p.m. ET each Tuesday of tournament weeks. Normally tee times for the first and second rounds are published at about midday each Tuesday, but officials explained the move “will allow us to minimize adjustments to the groupings as related to testing results.”

Last week’s tee times for the Workday Charity Open are an example of the fluid world of coronavirus testing and how that impacts tournament operations. The tee times had to be reworked when the Tour was forced to put Nick Watney, Dylan Frittelli and Denny McCarthy in the same group after the threesome continued to test positive for COVID-19.

The Tour clarified its policy last week regarding players who continue to test positive. According to the CDC’s symptom-based model, players who test positive but have been in isolation for at least 10 days since they first had symptoms, and have gone 72 hours without any fever or respiratory issues, may return to competition.

Dylan Frittelli and Denny McCarthy are both in this week’s field at Muirfield Village and will have to be paired together if they continue to test positive.