As professional golf returns in part with two charity events the next two weekends and then in full with the Charles Schwab Challenge on June 11, professional golf fans will not, one of several safety measures due to the coronavirus. No cheering, no hooting, no hollering until at least July.
While warming up for this weekend’s TaylorMade Driving Relief event, Rickie Fowler heard it quiet and clear during a Farmers Insurance ad.
Standing over about a 15-foot putt, Fowler takes his blade back, strikes his ball and watches it roll toward the cup before it drops. He lifts his putter slightly. Nothing. Fowler looks to his right.
The next shot in the video is of a speaker. His foot appears, then a hand, which turns it on.
A gentle applause.
While walking away, Fowler raises his right arm to acknowledge the cheers as the words “Golf’s Back” appear on the screen. It’s then adjusted to say, “Golf’s Back-ish.”
“No live crowds, no problem,” Fowler wrote under the ad shared on his social feeds on Friday.
Nick Piastowski is a Senior Editor at Golf.com and Golf Magazine. In his role, he is responsible for editing, writing and developing stories across the golf space. And when he’s not writing about ways to hit the golf ball farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native is probably playing the game, hitting the ball left, right and short, and drinking a cold beer to wash away his score. You can reach out to him about any of these topics — his stories, his game or his beers — at nick.piastowski@golf.com.