HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Nick Watney withdrew from the RBC Heritage on Friday prior to the second round after testing positive for COVID-19.
According to the PGA Tour, Watney indicated he had symptoms consistent with the virus on Friday. After consulting with a physician, he took another COVID-19 test which turned out to be positive.
Before hearing of the result, however, Watney went to the golf course; Si Woo Kim said he saw Watney on the range. World No. 1 Rory McIlroy said he had a chat with Watney – at a distance – before teeing off. And Brooks Koepka said he saw Watney in the parking lot.
“He feels badly that he was here today at the golf course,” McIlroy said. “I said, look, it’s fine. You never know. So I said to him, if I was in your position, I probably would have been here, too. Look, at this point, you just have to concentrate on getting better and getting healthy.
“But, yeah, look, it sucks for him especially. You know, if you contract it, that’s fine, but then it’s the fact that who have you come into contact with, and who you might have exposed and stuff. Look, we’re still in the middle of a pandemic. Until this thing’s over, we all just have to stay vigilant and keep your distance and wear our masks if we’re going out in public and keep washing our hands.”
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Watney texted McIlroy to tell him he had the virus and McIlroy appreciated Watney’s concern.
Watney shot 74 in the first round before withdrawing on Friday. He had traveled privately to Hilton Head Island and tested negatively on Tuesday upon his arrival.
He is the first PGA Tour player to test positive for the coronavirus.
Watney will isolate for at least 10 days nearby.
“Nick will have the PGA Tour’s full support throughout his self-isolation and recovery period under CDC guidelines,” the PGA Tour said in a statement.
The PGA Tour had no additional comment.
There were 369 tests of players, caddies, and essential personnel prior to the start of the RBC Heritage. There were no positive results.
Watney, 39, is a five-time winner on the PGA Tour. He shot 71-74 to miss the cut last week in the Charles Schwab Challenge, when the PGA Tour returned to action after a 13-week break due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
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Last week, 487 COVID-19 tests were administered with zero positive results.
At Harbour Town, the PGA Tour has begun implementing its response plan in consultation with medical experts including working with those who may have had close contact with Watney, including his caddie, Tony Navarro, and playing partners, Luke List and Vaughn Taylor.
Taylor and List were told of Watney’s situation at the turn.
“I was a little shocked, to be honest,” said Taylor, who added he had no symptoms of the virus. “Heart started racing, got a little nervous. Just hope Nick’s doing well and we get through this.
“I’m going to get tested now. Our entire group is getting tested. I didn’t have any close contact with Nick yesterday. We kept our space. We didn’t shake hands. Right after the round, I washed my hands. Nick never coughed or sneezed. So I feel comfortable.”
“We knew Nick didn’t show up and he wasn’t feeling well, so there was some speculation in the beginning, but we didn’t think about it for a little bit,” said List, who won last week’s Korn Ferry Tour event but missed the cut this week. “It was hard to concentrate out there for me, just thinking about different stuff, and I wasn’t playing my best anyway.
“I feel fine, but even if we go get tested, it might not show up until a few days down the road. So there’s a lot of different scenarios. They’re going to test all of us. If I’m positive, then I guess I’ll have a nice little break. Hopefully, this doesn’t snowball and this is an isolated case. If not, then it’s going to be tough.”
Koepka said it’s now a wait-and-see game.
“We’ve got to see what happens,” Koepka said. “It’s unfortunate Nick got it, but at the same time, hopefully, it stays with just him and doesn’t spread because I think we’ll have a big issue on our hands if it keeps going as the weeks continue.
“Everybody’s doing what they can to make it safe for us, for everybody. We’ll see what happens. Obviously, testing us every week, and we’re filling out surveys every day. I’ve got everybody on lockdown. My chef’s here. I brought my own weights. I basically brought my own gym with me.
“I don’t have to leave the house.”
Added McIlroy: “By the end of the year, there’s going to be 200,000 deaths in the U.S. alone from COVID-19. So to think that us on the PGA TOUR, none of us were going to get it, I don’t think anyone thought that. I think the consensus was someone is going to get it at some point, and Nick’s the one that’s got it, and he’s self-isolating and doing what he has to do.
“It’s a shame, but the show goes on. We’ve got 36 holes to play at this tournament. When I do the things I’m supposed to do and I’m at the tournament site, I feel very safe, yeah.”
