Bag to the future: Golf returns for Rory McIlroy & Co – but minus their caddies

World No 1 observes social distancing in charity match

Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff carry their own bags as they walk down the first fairway. Picture: Getty.

Live golf returned with world No 1 Rory McIlroy carrying his own bag and following social distancing guidelines in a charity skins match in Florida, writes Martin Dempster.

The TaylorMade Driving Relief supported by UnitedHealth Group marked the sport’s much-anticipated TV return since it went into lockdown on 
13 March.

It involved McIlroy joining forces with Dustin Johnson against Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff in an 18-hole match at the exclusive Seminole Golf Club in Florida.

The first big difference from a normal tournament was the sight of all four players carrying their own bags due to caddies not being permitted.

As the live action started, the quartet adhered to social distancing on the first tee and remained at least six feet apart as they headed up the first fairway all wearing shorts.

The Florida-based players were all mic’d up and, before teeing off first, four-time major winner McIlroy said to the others: “Boys, let’s have a good day.”

The behind-closed-doors event was offering a total of $4 million, which was being put up by UnitedHealth Group and Farmers Insurance, with the money going to the American Nurses Foundation and the CDC Foundation.

Both teams started with $500,000, with the first six holes each worth $50,000. The first two were halved before Johnson landed $150,000 for his team by winning the par-5 third with a birdie. That also earned a $25,000 bonus for the birdie.

McIlroy and Johnson went on to claim victory by collecting 11 skins for a total of $1.85 million that will be donated to the American Nurses Foundation, while the team of Fowler and Matthew won seven skins for $1.15 million that will be donated to the CDC Foundation.

Both teams tied the final six holes, meaning the remaining six skins were decided by a 120-yard closest-to-the-pin competition on the par-3 17th hole, which was won by McIlroy as his tee shot ended 13 feet from the hole.

“It was nice to get back on the golf course and return to some kind of normalcy,” said McIlroy afterwards. “It was nice to feel it again, to get those competitive juices going again.”

The match was effectively a test event for the PGA Tour’s return with the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Forth Worth in Texas in just over three weeks’ time.

It appeared that only around 30 people, made up of officials, camera operators and greens staff, were being allowed to follow the match. In a change to its normal set-up, host broadcaster NBC had only two members of its team on site, Steve Sands and Gary Koch, with Rich Lerner and Paul Azinger back at base elsewhere in Florida and anchor Mike Tirico in Michigan.

The match was being staged as hopes were raised of golf courses in Scotland getting the green light to reopen soon. with the Scottish Government expected to ease restrictions on some activities this week

It was reported over the weekend that First Minister Nicola Sturgeon could relax some coronavirus restrictions in the country this week, paving the way for golf’s imminentreturn.

Golf has been in lockdown in the sport’s cradle since 23 March, when the Government announced a series of restrictions designed to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Courses in England reopened last Wednesday while they are also set to reopen from today in Wales and the Republic of Ireland.

Earlier on Sunday, the first official live tournament since the pandemic hit the world concluded with Park Hyun-kung winning the

Korean Ladies Professional Golf event in Seoul by one stroke.

The event at Lakewood Country Club was played without fans and with players using hand sanitisers and following social-distancing rules.

Caddies wore masks and players were allowed to play without them.

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