Make no mistake. The 2020 Charles Schwab Challenge is a big deal. It isn’t normally one of the prime stops on the United States Professional Golfers Association Tour, but its status as the first tournament to be held since the sport shut down in mid-March has compelled players to dust off their clubs and show up at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. Save for reigning Masters champion Tiger Woods, just about all the marquee names are on tap, never mind the stringent measures set up to ensure an acceptable measure of safety in the face of the global pandemic.
Indeed, such notables as Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, and Dustin Johnson — World Numbers One to Five — have seen fit to subject themselves to rigorous protocols just to be able to return to active competition. And the good news is that they, along with nearly 500 other players, caddies, and support staff deemed essential to the holding of the event, have tested negative for the novel coronavirus. The bad news is that all and sundry are still getting used to the regulations, and, even with a clear intent to follow, have, on occasion, succumbed to old habits violative of health initiatives.
Under the circumstances, it was probably just as well that the Tour prohibited the presence of spectators for the Charles Schwab Challenge, as well as for the next three tournaments on the modified schedule. Considering how the best-laid plans seemed to have fallen by the wayside in the run-up to the first round, having more warm bodies on the course would have led to unacceptable breakdowns in established physical distancing arrangements. As things stood, the players asked for understanding from watchful eyes bent on seeing them as models of decorum.
All the same, there can be no underestimating the value of the Charles Schwab Challenge. For all the seeming missteps, it figures to serve as a template for golfing spectacles moving forward. The lessons imparted and learned will be critical to establishing failsafes. Meanwhile, there is also the action to behold. Everybody needs to de-stress. And, certainly, those forced to stay home for their own good need the distraction most of all. In the face of all the uncertainty, the familiar swings of McIloy, Rahm, Koepka, Thomas, and Johnson cannot but be welcome sights.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
