The PGA Tour is scheduled to resume on June 11 in Fort Worth, Texas.
There will be a warm-up of sorts this week about 35 minutes away.
Tour pros Viktor Hovland, Scottie Scheffler and Harry Higgs – and possibly Jordan Spieth – along with former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and 68 other players, will play Tuesday through Thursday in the Maridoe Samaritan Fund Invitational at Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton, Texas, the Golf Channel reported Sunday. The fan-less event will likely be one of the first larger-field tournaments with pros since the PGA Tour went on a hiatus in mid-March due to the coronavirus, and comes a few weeks before the proposed return.
“Maridoe is thrilled to host the Maridoe Samaritan Fund Invitational and to set and represent the new standard in tournament performance while keeping our players safe and in good health,” Maridoe owner Albert Huddleston told Golf Channel.
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Players and officials, Golf Channel reported, will go over social-distancing guidelines on Monday over a Zoom call, including the absence of bunker rakes, carts and caddies, the inclusion of a scorer who will follow each group from cart paths, and the requirement of 6 feet of space among players.
“If you do things correctly, follow guidelines and all the things required under the Dallas County order, then golf is a perfect sport to be allowed to play,” Huddleston said. “Very few sports can meet the requirements.”
The tournament, whose $250 entry fee will go toward the club’s out-of-work caddies and a $27,000 prize purse, could also include Spieth.
Spieth, a member at Maridoe, was expected to play, but is scheduled to participate in PGA Tour Players Advisory Council meeting on Tuesday, Golf Channel reported. But the three-time major champion could potentially play as an unofficial marker.
“Maridoe is proud to showcase how competitive golf and social-distancing responsibilities, given this situation, can go hand and hand,” Huddleston told Golf Channel.
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