Former Cal golfer Collin Morikawa, whose professional career was off to a fabulous start when it was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, will resume this weekend.
Morikawa will tee off when the PGA tour resumes Thursday at the $7.5 million Charles Schwab Challenge at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. It will feature some of the sport's top names including Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka and Jordan Speith.
Morikawa has earned $2.84 million since his PGA debut last June. He finished 35th at the U.S. Open in his first major and recorded six top-10 finishes, including a victory at the Barracuda Championship in July. Two other former Cal golfers, Max Homa and Byeong-Hun An, also will play at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Homa has three top-10 finishes this season while Byeong-Hun has landed in the top 10 five times.
The event will come with some new wrinkles. Players were tested for COVID-19 prior to being allowed to play practice rounds. Hand sanitizer stations are located at each hole and players will be reminded to stay six feet from one another. Golfers will pull their own clubs from their bags and conversations with caddies will not be conducted as intimately. And, there will be no fans, as the PGA plans to stage its first five tournaments without spectators.
Morikawa will tee off when the PGA tour resumes Thursday at the $7.5 million Charles Schwab Challenge at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. It will feature some of the sport's top names including Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka and Jordan Speith.
Morikawa has earned $2.84 million since his PGA debut last June. He finished 35th at the U.S. Open in his first major and recorded six top-10 finishes, including a victory at the Barracuda Championship in July. Two other former Cal golfers, Max Homa and Byeong-Hun An, also will play at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Homa has three top-10 finishes this season while Byeong-Hun has landed in the top 10 five times.
The event will come with some new wrinkles. Players were tested for COVID-19 prior to being allowed to play practice rounds. Hand sanitizer stations are located at each hole and players will be reminded to stay six feet from one another. Golfers will pull their own clubs from their bags and conversations with caddies will not be conducted as intimately. And, there will be no fans, as the PGA plans to stage its first five tournaments without spectators.