PGA Tour veteran Harris English withdrew from this week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic after testing positive for Covid-19, the PGA Tour said in a statement on Monday afternoon.
“As part of the PGA Tour’s pre-tournament screening process this week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, PGA Tour player Harris English tested positive for COVID-19 and has been withdrawn from the event.”
English did not compete in last week’s Travelers Championship in Connecticut. The statement said the two-time Tour champion “will have the PGA Tour’s full support throughout his self-isolation period under CDC guidelines.”
English is the fifth PGA Tour player to test positive for Covid-19 since the Tour returned to action three weeks ago at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Though no positive tests were recorded in the first week at Colonial, Nick Watney tested positive before the second round of the RBC Heritage, forcing him to withdraw from the event.
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Cameron Champ became the second player to test positive on Tuesday before the Travelers Championship. Champ withdrew from the tournament, then announced days later that he had tested negative three times in a row.
Graeme McDowell and Brooks Koepka also withdrew from the Travelers when their caddies tested positive, as did Chase Koepka because he had come in contact with the caddies. None of those players tested positive themselves.
The same goes for Webb Simpson, who withdrew from the Travelers out of an abundance of caution following a positive test within his family, though Simpson and his family members have subsequently tested negative.
Denny McCarthy became the third Tour player to test positive before the second round of the Travelers, and his playing partner, Bud Cauley, then withdrew as a precaution.
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Then on Sunday, Dylan Frittelli tested positive for Covid-19 during the PGA Tour’s pre-charter testing process before taking the flight to Detroit for the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Though English did not compete at the Travelers last week, he was in the field at the Charles Schwab Challenge and the RBC Heritage.
“While it’s disappointing to receive this news, as I feel healthy, I’m pleased that the new safety protocols we have in place worked this week,” English said in the Tour’s press release about his WD. “I fully supported the Tour’s new rule of not allowing anyone on the tournament grounds until testing negative, as protecting others in the field and everyone affiliated with the tournament and the community should be the No. 1 priority as a result of a positive test. I appreciate the Tour’s support, and I look forward to competing again after I’m fully recovered.”
The Rocket Mortgage Classic, the fourth tournament since the Tour’s return, begins Thursday.