The Bermuda Championship at Port Royal Golf Course will take place this week with a reduced player field. Main reason for the many defections, the quarantine put in place by the authorities of this British territory following the multiplication of Covid cases in recent weeks
127 players instead of the expected 132 is a first in the history of the PGA Tour because for the first time a tournament will not fill up.
The PGA Tour has not provided an official explanation but it is accepted that the health policy in the face of the resurgence of Covid-19 cases in Bermuda has prompted some players to ignore it.
The British island territory has been “ravaged” by the pandemic in recent weeks and last month it topped a global list of cases per 100,000 population.
With 109 new cases per day, the rate reached 171 cases per 100,000 population.
Vaccine or quarantine
In an attempt to bring the virus under control, authorities have demanded that foreign visitors be vaccinated before being allowed to enter the country or be forced into a 14-day quarantine.
Several renowned players, whose vaccination status is unknown, such as Keegan Bradley, the winner of the 2019 edition Brendon Todd, or the former winner of the US Open Lucas Glover have therefore given up on going to Bermuda.
Last week, the PGA Tour explained that 83% of its members had received both doses but the calculation takes into account players, caddies, personnel related to the organization such as referees, press officers, agents. etc …
The true percentage of players vaccinated would be between 70% and 80%.
