Positive test overshadows Heritage tournament

Carlos Ortiz headed for dinner near the Harbour Town lighthouse in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina and it felt like old times, which didn't necessarily mean good times.

This idyllic island is a summer destination, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's a 30-minute wait, and once you get in there, there's no social distancing, packed tables right next to each other, kids running around," Ortiz said on Saturday at the RBC Heritage.

"We were impressed how nobody was wearing a mask. We talked about it on Tuesday when we saw it. We were like, 'Oh, somebody's going to get corona here.' It's crazy how busy it is in here inside the island."

Three days later, Nick Watney became the first PGA Tour player to test positive for the coronavirus.

The tour put in motion part of its plan to handle such a result, starting with 11 additional tests for anyone who might have come in close contact with Watney. The initial tests all came back negative－including Tony Navarro, his caddie, and Vaughn Taylor, who played with Watney on Thursday.

Golf made it through 11 days of its return before getting a positive test. The question now becomes who's next, or how many more, before the show can't go on.

Rory McIlroy, who revealed he was not one of the 11 people tested for coronavirus on Friday despite an encounter with Watney at the tournament, says sheer numbers made it virtually impossible to think no one in golf would test positive. He was not part of the contact tracing because "we kept our distance" on the putting green.

"We're still in the middle of a pandemic," McIlroy said. "I think we've done really well to start golf again and get back up and play golf tournaments. I don't think anyone was blind to the fact that someone could catch the virus, and it's a shame Nick did. But as I said, it's one case. And as long as it's contained to that and we move forward, we can keep playing."

More stories emerged of a South Carolina resort that was busy as ever, even though fans aren't allowed on the golf course. The tournament is typically played in April, the week after the Masters, when school is still in session. With the pandemic shutting down golf for three months, the RBC Heritage originally was canceled, and then moved to June after the Canadian Open was canceled and the US Open was moved to September.

"Even if you wanted to go somewhere, there's no place to go," Joel Dahmen said. "We tried to rent bikes this week, and they're sold out."

Watney missed the cut last week at Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas, and drove home to Austin before flying to South Carolina with Sergio Garcia, who also lives in Austin.

He tested negative when they arrived, and according to McIlroy and Garcia, what led Watney to report symptoms was data on his Whoop strap that measures such metrics as heart rate, sleep and recovery.

"So it was his Whoop that told him his respiratory rate went up, and that's why he thought, 'Maybe I could have it,'" McIlroy said.

Garcia also was tested again on Friday and said he was nervous waiting four-plus hours for the result. He said Watney apologized to him "probably 25 times" and that in his text exchanges, Watney said he is feeling fine.

Now, the 39-year-old Watney must self-isolate for at least 10 days.

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