Although eerily quiet at times because of the absence of fans, golf was back to business at the Charles Schwab Challenge on Thursday as Justin Rose and Harold Varner III shared the lead at 7-under 63 at Colonial.
Justin Thomas was among those a stroke back and Tom Lehman, a 61-year-old former champion at Colonial, got in on the act with a 65.
Conditions at the Fort Worth, Texas, course were ripe for good scores with no cheers.
“It kind of feels like a competitive practice round,” said Rose, who won at Colonial two years ago. “But obviously, I think we all know what’s on the line. We all know what we’re playing for. We all know the competition this week especially, the field is incredible. Obviously, we miss the fans. They definitely provide a ton of energy and atmosphere.”
Golf is the second major sport in the U.S., behind motorsports, to resume a schedule shut down by the coronavirus pandemic. Among the safety measures are COVID-19 tests for every player, caddie and essential personnel. Of the 487 tests at Colonial, the results were all negative.
The top three players in the world — Rory McIlroy (68), Jon Rahm (69) and Brooks Koepka (68) — played in the same group, and they had the largest following late in the afternoon. There were 14 people outside the ropes behind the 10th green — six involved in the broadcast (radio and TV), four writers, two photographers, one coach and one trainer.
The telecast began with an apology. Right when Golf Channel came on the air, Rahm chipped in for birdie on the par-3 eighth and someone — it could have been inside or outside the ropes — was heard to say, “Pretty f—ing good there.”
“Well, we were hoping for better audio with no fans,” CBS anchor Jim Nantz said.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan gave the opening group a thumbs-up after the players hit their drives, and he returned to the tee box alone at 8:46 a.m. CT.
That starting time was listed on the tee sheet without any players. The tour is keeping that empty all four rounds for a moment of silence. It’s a tribute to George Floyd, who was handcuffed while a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee to the back of the black man’s neck for 8 minutes, 46 seconds on May 25. Floyd died after pleading for air.
Varner is one of four players of black heritage with full PGA Tour status, and he delivered the strongest words last week in a social media post. He also sat down with Monahan for a 10-minute video on what golf can do.
And then he found himself atop the leaderboard with a round so clean he putted for birdie on every hole.
“If I’m thinking about winning a golf tournament right now, I’ve probably lost it,” Varner said. “Yeah, I know what’s going on, but when I’m on the golf course, I’m trying to play well. The reason I have a platform is because I’m really good at golf. I just need to focus on that.”
Jordan Spieth, who opened with a 65, was reminded of what to expect before he attempted a shot.
“I was pulling in when [Phil] Mickelson was on 4 tee, and when I didn’t see anybody there — and it was a tournament-round day, it wasn’t a practice-round day — I’m like, ‘This is certainly weird,”‘ Spieth said. “I’m just really happy to be playing golf and being able to be competitive again and to be able to finish our season.”
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.