The COVID-19 pandemic, which already has postponed the U.S. Open at Winged Foot from June to September, has forced the USGA to do away with qualifying for the first time since 1924.

Open qualifying is the hallmark of golf’s second-oldest championship. The USGA often points out that typically half of the 156-man field has to go through either 36-hole qualifying or 18-hole and 36-hole qualifying.

It even invested in a marketing campaign that was rolled out in February titled, “From Many, One,” to illustrate that more than 9,000 people apply to play in the U.S. Open, eventually yielding to one winner.

The USGA did not announce Monday how other players would become exempt.

Among those who have yet to qualify is Phil Mickelson, a runner-up six times in the only major he hasn’t won.

Mickelson said in February he would not ask the USGA for an exemption, and that if he didn’t qualify or become exempt, he wouldn’t play. Winged Foot is where Mickelson made double bogey on the final hole in 2006 to lose by one.

The field presumably will be smaller because of the later date, though the USGA did not mention the field size in its April 6 announcement that the U.S. Open was moving to Sept. 17-20 at Winged Foot, in Mamaroneck, New York.

“As you can imagine, this was an incredibly difficult decision, as qualifying is a cornerstone of USGA championships,” said John Bodenhamer, senior managing director of championships for the USGA. “We take great pride in the fact that many thousands typically enter to pursue their dream of qualifying for the U.S. Open and we deeply regret that they will not have that opportunity this year.”

Bodenhamer said no qualifying provides “the best path forward” to holding the U.S. Open.

The USGA said there would not be qualifying for three other championships it will hold this year – the U.S. Women’s Open (moved to December in Houston) and the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur, both still scheduled for August.

The U.S. Open, which dates to 1895, had so many players wanting to compete in the years after World War I that it introduced qualifying in 1924. Then, it went to two stages of qualifying in 1959 – 18-hole local qualifying and 36-hole sectional qualifying.

Ken Venturi in 1964 and Orville Moody in 1969 are the only U.S. Open champions who got through both stages. Lucas Glover in 2009 was the last U.S. Open champion to go through 36-hole qualifying.

The USGA had 108 local qualifiers planned in 45 states and one in Canada, followed by 12 sectional qualifiers _ nine in the U.S., one each in Canada, England and Japan.

When the U.S. Open was postponed, 50 players were exempt through various categories, such as past champions the last 10 years or top 10 from last year’s U.S. Open, major champions from the last five years and the top 30 players who reached the Tour Championship last year.

The pandemic shut down golf on March 13, two months before the top 60 in the world ranking would have been exempt for the U.S. Open. The world ranking has been frozen since the shutdown. It was unclear when it would resume because while the PGA Tour is to resume on June 11, circuits in Europe, Japan and Asia have not said when they would return.

The USGA, meanwhile, has lost 10 championships to the coronavirus. It said Monday that four more were cancelled – the U.S. Mid-Amateur and Women’s Mid-Amateur, and the U.S. Senior Amateur and U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur.

Nova Scotia premier Stephen McNeil and Dr. Robert Strang, the province’s chief medical officer of health, have announced the easing of public health restrictions around COVID-19 to support physical and mental well-being of Nova Scotians.

Restrictions being loosened include the ability for golf courses to open beginning Saturday, May 16, 2020, provided social distancing, adequate cleaning and other safety measures can be maintained.

Previously, only driving ranges had been allowed to open, with courses being told to prepare to open.

“It’s been two weeks since we eased some restrictions. What we’ve all been doing is working and I thank all Nova Scotians for continuing to follow public health advice,” said Premier McNeil. “We know people need a break from being shut in. That’s why we’re easing a few more restrictions, while keeping our public health directives in place to fight the virus.”

A phased plan to further lift public health restrictions is under development by the province. The timing of each phase will be determined by the result of the easing of restrictions.

Click here for the province’s return to activity plan.

Premier Doug Ford has announced Ontario’s golf courses can open their tees to golfers starting Saturday, May 16.

During a much-anticipated press conference, Ford stated golf courses, among other select retailers and services, would be permitted to open in time for the Victoria Day long weekend, as key public health indicators continue to show progress.

“During the last several weeks, the people of Ontario have been called on to make incredible sacrifices to help us stop the spread of COVID-19, including staying home from work, closing down businesses and going without a regular paycheque,” said Premier Ford. “However, we are reopening even more of our businesses beginning this long weekend. We are taking a cautious, balanced approach to our economic reopening, to protect the health and safety of everyone.”

Golf courses will be able to open, with clubhouses open only for washrooms and restaurants open only for take-out. Golfers must adhere to social distancing measures, such as staying at least two metres apart.

• THE PROVINCE’S GUIDANCE FOR GOLF COURSES DURING COVID-19

• WE ARE GOLF ONTARIO BEST PRACTICES DURING COVID-19

Two weeks ago, the Ford government said Ontario golf courses should prepare to open.

Golf facilities with questions about potential impact to their business operations or employment can call the province’s Stop the Spread Business Information Line at 1-888-444-3659.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – PGA TOUR Champions has announced that its tournaments in 2020 and 2021 will combine to form one season, and the next Charles Schwab Cup champion will be crowned in November 2021 at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

Due to the circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic, eight PGA TOUR Champions tournaments have been canceled from the original 27-tournament schedule. A number of other events have been rescheduled to later in the calendar year and a decision on The Senior Open presented by Rolex will be forthcoming.

In an effort to uphold the competitive integrity of the Charles Schwab Cup, PGA TOUR Champions will combine the 2020 and 2021 seasons and form a singular 2020-21 season. In addition, other measures are being taken to offset some of the impact made by the cancellation of tournaments.

• In 2020, the field size of tournaments will increase from 78 to 81 players.
• In 2020, the three Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs events will be converted into 81-player fields.
• The Charles Schwab Cup Championship will be reduced from 72 to 54 holes.

“While we won’t have a Charles Schwab Cup champion in 2020, we feel that the combined schedule for 2020-21 is the best solution for everyone associated with PGA TOUR Champions,” said PGA TOUR Champions President Miller Brady. “The wonderful support from the tournaments, title sponsors, Charles Schwab and the Player Advisory Council has helped us address some of the schedule complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a result we have created solutions that best serve our members and our tournament communities.”

Players will retain their 2020 eligibility in 2021, except for the five players in the Q-School category, who will play their guaranteed events. Additionally, the 2020 PGA TOUR Champions Qualifying Tournament will not be conducted, and player awards will not be presented at the end of 2020.

Five events have been completed and 13 tournaments remain on the 2020 schedule, beginning with The Ally Challenge at Warwick Hills in Grand Blanc, Michigan (July 31 – August 2). PGA TOUR Champions events to be contested in 2021 as part of the combined 2020-21 schedule will be announced later this year.

PGA TOUR Champions will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and follow the recommendations of local and state authorities in order to determine the most appropriate on-site access in each market. Decisions on fan attendance at all events will be dependent on available protocols that could be implemented to ensure the health and well-being for all involved.

The Prince Edward Island Golf Association (PEIGA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Alison Griffin as their new Executive Director.

Alison’s experience in sport, recreation and communication will be an asset to PEIGA that will allow the association to continue serving members and facilities while growing the sport of golf.

“I am very excited to be joining PEIGA in the ED role, I thank the Board of Directors for this opportunity,” said Griffin. “My predecessor implemented a variety of programs and built positive relationships with members, operators and partners and I look forward to contributing to the exceptional reputation PEIGA has provincially and nationally.”

Alison is originally from O’Leary, PEI and has a diploma in Sport and Recreation Management from Holland College. She was the Executive Director for the Western Region Sport and Recreation Council from 2011-2017 and most recently, the Manager of Communications for the Department of Health with the Government of Nunavut in Iqaluit.  Alison also served on the Canada Games Mission Staff for Team PEI in 2015 and 2017 and managed the Team Nunavut Youth Ambassador Program for Arctic Winter Games in 2018 and Canada Games in 2019.

“Sean’s leadership and continued support has left PEIGA in a great place and although this golf season will be very different from any other, I’m looking forward to seeing what our association can accomplish with Alison as our Executive Director and our current board of directors,” stated PEIGA President, Melissa Castle

TORONTO – Golf may be returning to Canada soon, but the nation’s professional golf tour is still waiting to see what happens next.

Scott Pritchard, executive director of the Mackenzie Tour, says that although golf courses are opening up on a province-by-province basis, until the border between the United States and Canada is reopened, the lower-tier pro circuit is on hold.

“When you consider that a large number of players that play on the Mackenzie Tour are based not only in the U.S. but also a significant number are international players, it brings some uncertainty in terms of what we’re going to be able to pull off this season,” said Pritchard, who added that there are several scenarios where the Mackenzie Tour will have tournaments in 2020.

“Until we have clarity not only about the border, but also the quarantine rules and what that’s going to look like, we’re just waiting.”

The Mackenzie Tour season was supposed to tee off on May 28 with the Canada Life Open at Seymour Golf and Country Club in Vancouver. But the Canada Life Open, and the next six events through to the Windsor Championship on July 16 at Ambassador Golf Club in Windsor, Ont., have been postponed.

The top-flight PGA Tour is holding two charity events in May and a true resume of play is expected on June 11 with the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

The second-tier Korn Ferry Tour is scheduled to return on the same date with the Korn Ferry Challenge at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., but there’s no start date for the Mackenzie Tour just yet.

Pritchard says that’s an advantage, however.

“We feel well positioned, specifically in golf, to adhere to any of the policies and procedures (for COVID-19) in order to operate a safe event in a safe environment,” he said. “We’ll also have the best practices and key learnings from both the PGA Tour and the Korn Ferry Tour.

“We’ll be able to take a lot of the key learnings from those two events and implement them into our events at the appropriate time.”

Waiting for the Canadian border to reopen to non-essential travel is the biggest hurdle for the Mackenzie Tour, but there are other factors at play including regulations on quarantines, travel between provinces, and municipal regulations.

The City of Toronto’s decision to cancel all event permits for most of the summer was a nail in the coffin of the PGA Tour’s RBC Canadian Open, which has been cancelled for the first time since the Second World War. Similarly, the Shaw Charity Classic, a Champions Tour event scheduled for late August, is also in danger after the City of Calgary cancelled all of its event permits up to Aug. 31.

Pritchard says the Mackenzie Tour has been in contact with all levels of government and continues to monitor the situation.

“We’re having all the right conversations, we’re not really getting any answers at this point (…) and that’s fine, it’s totally understandable,” said Pritchard. “We’ll just wait for our turn and, hopefully, we can pull something out.”

The Government of Quebec, through senior Minister Isabelle Charest, has authorized on Wednesday the official opening of golf courses starting on May 20.

As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, the Quebec Golf Industry Standing Committee, a lobbying group including main institutional and facility stakeholders in the province, had initiated discussions with Public Health authorities in view of creating standardized operating procedures, resulting in a protocol for operators and golfers that would allow the sport to resume its activities. This protocol, which focuses on the health and safety of patrons and employees, has received Public Health approval and can now be deployed at the facility level. All golf facilities in Quebec have had the opportunity to review this protocol and are now working towards implementing the recommended guidelines as they prepare to welcome golfers on May 20.

With this announcement, golf courses will be allowed to make their playing facilities accessible to their eager clientele – albeit under close supervision and rigourous monitoring from course operators.

Ongoing industry and government discussions throughout the lockdown have established that the practice of golf procures mental and physical health benefits to its participants. The utmost cooperation of golfers will be essential in order to apply the prescribed guidelines that are being implemented province-wide following the announcement.

Quebec golfers that are members of Golf Canada will be able to resume the tracking of their handicap and scores through the national association’s online and mobile scoring tools as Golf Canada recently issued updated guidance regarding  COVID-19 Rules of Golf & Rules of Handicapping

The Quebec Golf Industry Standing Committee is eager to demonstrate that the return of the game of golf will contribute greatly to another of the government’s objectives, which is to get workers back to work and help local economies recover.

“Golf has a great opportunity to be a leader in the sport. We are going to operate according to the criteria established by the provincial health and safety authorities so that the green light stays in place, ”said Dominic Racine, General Manager of the PGA of Quebec, who chaired the golf industry committee in its efforts.

The golf industry in Quebec is estimated to contribute 52,000 jobs and add $2.4 billion annually to the gross domestic product of the Belle Province.

Players, caddies and key personnel will be tested once a week at tournaments and have their temperatures taken every day as part of a PGA Tour plan to limit the risk of the new coronavirus when golf resumes next month in Texas.

The plan offers a glimpse into significant changes for golf’s return, from the elimination of pro-ams to designated hotels to the availability of charter planes that get players and their caddies from one tournament to the next.

The first trial is scheduled for the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial in Fort Worth on June 11-14.

The key components are testing, social distancing on and off the golf course and creating what the tour referred to as a “bubble” of essential people that will be tested at tournaments.

“We’re not going to play if we can’t do it in a safe and healthy environmental for all our constituents,” said Tyler Dennis, the tour’s chief of operations.

He also said the tour will not go forward with its testing if it takes away from resources in the city where it plays.

Players and caddies will be sent pre-travel tests, and they will be given the RT-PCR test for COVID-19 when they arrive at tournaments. The test, authorized last month by the Food and Drug Administration, involves a nasal swab. Results typically take a couple of days, and the tour is hopeful of using local labs for a quicker turnaround.

Anyone who tests positive will have to withdraw from the tournament and self-isolate for 10 days, provided there are no further symptoms and they get two negative tests 24 hours apart.

The tour said it would give players and caddies a stipend to pay for the self-isolation. Andy Levinson, the senior vice-president for tournament administration, said the tour would pay for all testing material.

Beyond testing, the tour is recommending players stay in a designated hotel and practice social distancing as if they were still at home by avoiding eating at restaurants or meeting at bars.

On the golf course, players are to handle their own clubs and let their caddies rake bunkers and remove the pins, wiping down both after they’re done with them.

Another change: No shaking hands after the round.

Along with no fans for at least the first four tournaments, the tour is not allowing family members and only limited support staff, such as trainers and instructors. All would be subject to the same level of testing – a health questionnaire and thermal screening every day.

Levinson estimates key personnel – players, caddies, officials, clubhouse staff – amounts to 400 people.

For the charter flights, all passengers must take a viral test 24 hours before leaving, and then be tested again when they arrive at the next event.

The tour said about 25 players remain overseas and recommended they arrive at least two weeks ahead of the tournament to meet the federal 14-day quarantine requirement.

A player hotel will be designated, although players would be allowed to stay in RVs if they have them, rental homes the tour approves and their own homes if they live in the area.

Four tournaments without fans will be Colonial, the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head, the Travelers Championship in Connecticut and the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit. The tour said it will decide after that whether it’s safe for a limited number of fans.

I received an email from my golf club in central Ontario, promoting its “Mother’s Day at Home” family meal. Take-out only. I anticipate getting a similar email when Father’s Day rolls around in early June. U.S. Open Sunday, actually. But there won’t be a U.S. Open final round played that day.

June 3 would have marked the 16^th playing of Mikey’s Tournament for Autism, a fund-raising event I co-founded, one that has raised $500,000 so far to support those affected by the disease in our region. We cancelled it for this year.

And I am fine with all that. I know this will be a polarizing stance. I’m fine with that, too. But with my wife and our two daughters on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, I understand, more than ever, that the term “safety first” has never been more applicable.

Like all golfers, I am champing at the bit to play. Golf has provided not just my recreation but my livelihood for 35 years. Believe me, I feel your pain.

But let’s look at the “gain” when all this “pain” finally winds down. To be clear, there will be no floodgates opening. Provincial and municipal health authorities will continue to make informed decisions in the best interest of public health. There will be a growing trickle of golf courses, allowing a restricted number of golfers at first. Some provinces starting the process with stringent safety measures in place.

Ryan Logan, Golf Canada’s Regional Director for Ontario, has been reaching out to facilities around the province like his counterparts across the country. While he says the “murky” scenario is frustrating, he is impressed by the determination of course operators to come out of this crisis better and stronger.

At London’s Sunningdale Golf and Country Club, General Manager Brad Adams and Head Professional Jason Wyatt have taken to social media to stay connected with their members along with sending regular e-newsletters. Like many other clubs across the country, they offer take-out meals and online pro shop sales with curbside pickup.

View this post on Instagram

Happy Monday Sunningdale Members, we just wanted to let you know we are thinking of you and are excited to see you when it’s safe to do so! Love, Your Staff ? #sunningdale #golf #ldnont #golfcourse #golfclub #golfswag #missyou

A post shared by Sunningdale Golf&Country Club (@sunningdalegcc) on Apr 27, 2020 at 1:38pm PDT

TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley and the Humeniuk Foundation went above and beyond in their support of efforts to combat COVID-19. On March 30, they donated $100,000 to Caledon Community Services and followed that with the announcement of a commitment to match contributions up to $50,000 to the Headwaters Health Care Foundation in the period April 13 through May 1. On April 30, the club donated $50,000 to William Osler Health System Foundation and $25,000 to the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington.

With ongoing needs for COVID-19 relief efforts, we’re highlighting two more organizations doing important work in our community.

• @ChildrensFdnGW
• @OslerFoundation

? More information on their campaigns and our donations here: https://t.co/OulZARaNe5 pic.twitter.com/P4wGNTbAA3

— TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley (@TPC_Toronto) April 30, 2020

Listowel Golf Club has even more to be proud of than being the home of PGA TOUR winner Corey Conners. Like many other clubs, they have not only served take-out meals for a while but recently started offering pre-packaged meat and produce parcels for pickup. The response has been “phenomenal,” says Director of Operations Brenden Parsons. After overcoming the “logistical nightmare” of creating order forms and ensuring safe handling protocols, anyone—not just club members—is welcome to order a grocery package for curbside pickup. As Parsons says, these initiatives not only provide an option for people who want to avoid going to the grocery store but keeps his staff employed.

In Atlantic Canada, Golf Canada Regional Director Jeff Hutt sees the industry bonding to ensure everyone comes through this pandemic more unified. Working shoulder to shoulder, as it were—figuratively, of course!

“There has been yeoman’s work done by all the associations to ensure we are aligned in our response and in our approach to reopening safely,” he says.

“That’s the key: safely.” At a recent meeting of the Atlantic Allied Golf Associations, it was emphasized that the industry must take responsibility for ensuring proper safeguards, much as the grocery industry has done.

The current situation across Western Canada is varied, as some courses in B.C. never closed while those in other provinces are gradually reopening. Golf Canada Regional Director Blair Armitage understands the frustration not only from province to province, but stemming from the different type of golf facility, from municipal to public to private.

One bright spot he cites is when Vancouver Park Board closed their three courses but soon thereafter redeployed more than 15 golf course kitchen staff to start producing more than 2,000 meals per day for vulnerable residents in the Downtown East Side out of the Langara Golf Course kitchen. Twice a week, about 700 social housing residents get a hamper filled with meals that can easily be reheated, along with fresh fruit, dairy and snacks to last 3.5 days.

“It has been a wonderful, if somewhat overwhelming, challenge to part of this vital initiative to help feed the city’s most vulnerable residents during this crisis,” says Mark Halyk the Park Board’s Manager of Food and Beverage Operations.

The golf community has rallied together through uncertainty with industry collaboration—especially at the provincial level—on safety protocols and operational best practices to meet the guidelines of provincial health authorities in delivering a safe environment for golfers and facility staff.

In Quebec, the Industry Concertation Table (represented by Golf Québec, ACGQ, NGCOA, PGA Québec and ASGQ) has been working collaboratively to share information with the Quebec government. The group created a program on their social networks to talk about golf with Quebec golfers, including the show Une tasse de Tée with Max Lalonde. More than 8,500 people have been connected to each show on different platforms (Facebook and YouTube) with guests including Yohan Benson, Julien Trudeau, Chip Beck, Mike Weir, Brigitte Thibault, Lisa ”Longball”Vlooswyk, Sébastien Toutant, Daniel Melançon and Martin Cloutier.

“There is no doubt that Quebec golfers are very anxious to start playing golf again, and until then, we remain a responsible industry that will follow the recommendations of public safety,” said Patrick Rhéaume, Golf Canada’s Regional Director for Quebec.

In a message to golfers and member clubs, Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum outlined the association’s support of guidelines put forth by Health Canada, the World Health Organization and provincial public health experts.

“Golf Canada is committed to supporting the golf community through these challenges to the best of our ability. I am encouraged to see the resiliency of our industry—people and facilities engaging to share ideas and best practices, further professional development and provide levity and support for each other through this difficult period.”

“When we come out of this, golf will have a really important role,” says Logan. “Not just from a business perspective but from a social aspect. Golf will be reconnecting people.”

As far as Mike Weir is concerned, 50 is the new 20.

The Canadian golfing legend will reach his half-century mark on Tuesday and qualify to join the PGA Tour Champions, the senior circuit for professional men’s golf. Although the date of the next tournament is still up in the air thanks to restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Weir is ready for a new beginning in his career.

“The interesting thing about professional golf is that you look forward to your 50th birthday instead of dreading it,” said Weir. “I’ve been looking forward to this for quite a while.”

Weir, from Brights Grove, Ont., had eight wins on the top-tier PGA Tour including at the prestigious Masters in 2003, making him the only Canadian man to win one of golf’s majors.

His last win, however, was 2007’s Fry’s Electronics Open, and Weir has been targetting a move to players closer to his age for some time.

“Just because you turn 50 and you’ve had success on the PGA Tour that doesn’t mean it’s going to translate to the Champions Tour,” said Weir. “You have to really put the work in and be ready to go and that’s what I’ve really tried to concentrate on here for quite a while now, especially the last year I’ve really dialled in a lot of stuff with my game.”

Although Weir is eager to transition to the senior circuit, he still wants to make some occasional PGA Tour appearances.

He has a lifetime exemption for the Masters thanks to his 2003 win, and a sponsor’s exemption for the RBC Canadian Open will likely always be available to him.

But the Canadian Open has been cancelled this summer because of the restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Similarly, Weir has committed to playing in the Champions Tour’s Shaw Charity Classic in Calgary at the end of August, but the city has cancelled all of its event permits up to Aug. 31.

“The next couple of weeks we’re focusing on working with our municipal and provincial government partners, Shaw Communications and of course the PGA Tour to outline what our options might be,” said Sean Van Kesteren, the executive director of the event. “We can’t say with certainty that the 2020 Shaw Charity Classic is going to happen or not, but we will update the community as soon as we can.”

Weir continues to play golf regularly at courses near his home in Utah, where clubs haven’t been closed by the pandemic. Although he still has a strong work ethic, Weir has learned to listen to his body and take some time off when aches and pains catch up with him, as they did last week.

“I just took a week off and I didn’t swing it, or hit a putt, or take a chip,” said Weir, who was suffering from some lower back pain. “I did a lot of stretching and yoga, just taking my dog on a hike, and just trying to keep moving but it’s not that explosive golf movement.”