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The PGA Tour returns to the business of tournament golf this week at the Charles Schwab Challenge in a manufactured bubble intended to minimize the continuing threat from the coronavirus pandemic.
It is a careful, controlled first step, played with a multitude of stars but without spectators and with the goal of bringing the PGA Tour back to where it was when the game shut down March 12 at the Players Championship.
In another time, there might be a more celebratory feel to the tour’s return but, as the past two weeks have demonstrated with raw power, these are uncomfortable days. The country is on edge, first from the pandemic and more recently from the understandable unrest triggered by the murder of George Floyd.
Golf can’t exist in a bubble.
What’s happening in the streets impacts everyone and the frustrations that have boiled over the past two weeks are a reflection of what has been going on for too long. The protests and marches, whether viewed on television or while walking with a crowd, have hopefully forced everyone to consider not just the reasons why but how to make the way forward better.
Bringing tournament golf back puts a smile on many faces and it should. The game has endured, even flourished in areas, through the pandemic. And the PGA Tour getting back to the business of birdies and bogeys – even with mobile testing units parked at tournament sites – is refreshing and reassuring.
It doesn’t, however, leave the world behind. The people who play the game, the famous and the not so famous, and the people who lead the game can make a difference. That’s what is being asked, not just of golf’s players and leaders but of all of us. To make a difference.
“We might not know exactly what to do right now but we shouldn’t be deterred. We should communicate and learn. We should talk to our family, friends and colleagues in an open and compassionate way. We should grow as individuals and as an organization. And, most importantly, we should demand better.”
Jay Monahan
What’s happening in our society is bigger than a ribbon pinned to a cap. This requires more than the almost perfunctory “thoughts and prayers” response to someone’s bad news. The awareness can’t fade in a week or two, hoping others handle the details and allow the rest of us to go along in our comfortable lives.
Last week, Harold Varner III, a black PGA Tour player, posted these words about what is happening:
“Sometimes life is not simple and things don’t make sense. How can we call ourselves the greatest country on earth when our standards fall to senseless killing? That’s a tough and important question. But I still proudly say we aren’t as fractured as it seems.
“I see good people. I pray alongside them for George Floyd and his family. And I also pray for our unity. We’re strong. We can go beyond the trap of one-dimensional thinking. Once we do, our eyes will see the righteous, our hearts will feel the love, and we’ll have done more to honor all those subjected to evil and its vile nature.”
For Varner, it was difficult to write but necessary. Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas, among others, posted messages about the need to finally address the ugly issue of racism in our country. In Woods’ case, he rarely takes public stands on such issues but this time he did.
The LPGA, led by Mike Whan, who has a gift for hitting the right notes, was the first to come out publicly in calling for action, saying, “Change starts with people and there is power in each voice that stands up against racism, sexism, violence and injustice.”
In a memo to Tour players that was later released to the public, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan admitted he was struggling with what to do and how to generate meaningful change.
“We might not know exactly what to do right now but we shouldn’t be deterred,” he said. “We should communicate and learn. We should talk to our family, friends and colleagues in an open and compassionate way. We should grow as individuals and as an organization. And, most importantly, we should demand better.”
The USGA publicly stated its call for change in a statement that included:
“While the game of golf is built on the values of fairness, integrity and respect toward all individuals, we recognize that our game’s history has not always represented the best of these ideals, and at times our own organization has fallen short. The USGA joins the call for open dialogue, understanding, unity, and the courage to envision and build a better world. We commit to being part of the solution moving forward.”
Seth Waugh, chief executive officer of the PGA of America, said this: “The outrage and disgust feel so universal this time, but we still need to take real action to make sure this makes us better, not worse. I do believe that we will get through this, that people are inherently good, that police kneeling with protesters and a surviving brother calling for peaceful demonstrations as what his late brother would want will ultimately carry the day.”
This isn’t comfortable for anyone, particularly for golf, which has been painted as a wealthy, white man’s sport. When golf is confronted with controversial cultural issues, it’s generally whether to roll back distance, ban anchored putting or allow drops to be made from knee height.
Talking about racial and social injustice is hard. We like to keep our sports and our politics separate but there are times when the lines disappear because this is about lives and inequality.
How can golf and the PGA Tour make a difference?
Consider the nine core values taught by The First Tee.
Honesty.
Integrity.
Sportsmanship.
Respect.
Confidence.
Responsibility.
Perseverance.
Courtesy.
Judgment.
They are guiding principles for everyone, and we can think about them in the context of where we find ourselves today. If they’re more than a list, if they are a way of life, it’s a step in the direction we need to go.
Because of the attention they command, players can make a difference. They can remind us of what we’re facing and use themselves as examples of change. Many of them do excellent work through their foundations and that should be celebrated and supported. Most of us know we can do more.
The players can keep the discussion alive, which is part of the solution. Ignore the trolls who will bark at them to “stay in their lane.” Speak up. Stand up.
Golf has long prided itself on its principles of fair play and of calling your own penalties. It has not been afraid to claim the moral high ground among competitive sports and this is a chance to lead, individually and collectively, while pushing for more diversity in the game.
This is about doing what’s right, not just because it feels that way today but because it needs to be that way going forward.
When the PGA Tour returns to competition this week, we will go back to counting birdies and bogeys. We’ll marvel at the short game wizardry and shake our heads at the 200-yard 7-iron shots that are hit.
We’ll hear Jordan Spieth talking to his shots again. We’ll see Rory McIlroy piercing the sky with his tee shots and Rickie Fowler being Rickie Fowler.
What we will get back is a little piece of what’s gone missing as we’ve huddled in quarantine and seen the protests erupt into an emotional and needed movement.
It’s our turn now. We’re all on the tee.
E-Mail Ron