As the country continues to feel repercussions from the COVID-19 pandemic, many U.S. golfers are shuttered inside under stay-at-home orders. Some others can play their regular game, albeit under unique circumstances or with innovative rules. The professional game is shut down.
Well, almost.
While the PGA Tour’s return is still almost two months away at the earliest, demand is currently at an all-time high for a pair of developmental circuits in the Arizona desert.
GolfAdvisor data reflects that more than 50 percent of U.S. courses are closed as of April 20. One of the states with the highest open facility rate is Arizona, where governor Doug Ducey classified golf course operations as an essential service nearly a month ago. Ducey has become one of the most prominent governors in terms of putting a priority on sports, recently championing a scenario for Major League Baseball which would allow for the resumption of the 2020 season with all 30 teams playing in ballparks across the state.
Ducey’s policies have allowed most Arizona courses to remain open, which has been a welcome development for tournament operators at the Outlaw Tour and the all-female Cactus Tour. Typically around mid-April, demand for both circuits begins to drop precipitously: Outlaw regulars ship off north (Mackenzie Tour) or south (PGA Tour Latinoamerica), while the smaller-scale Cactus Tour begins losing players to the Symetra Tour and LPGA’s domestic slate.
But the coronavirus has rendered them essentially the only game in town. While other circuits like the West Florida Golf Tour and Minor League Golf Tour continued operations in the initial wake of the outbreak, both hit pause on competition once Florida governor Ron DeSantis issued a stay-at-home order in early April. But with golf in Arizona exempted by Gov. Ducey, the Outlaw and Cactus circuits have both been able to continue operation without missing a beat.
“Golf is still being played here. So, it’s like, why not continue to do what I’m doing as long as the girls want to continue to play? It’s keeping them competitive,” said Cactus Tour director Mike Brown. “There’s places that are totally shut down. We aren’t. As long as we aren’t, and they can play, I think they should play.”
With other playing options severely limited, both circuits have seen a sharp increase in demand and have responded in kind. Brown usually only holds three events every four weeks, but he’s now in the midst of a stretch of nine weeks in a row after adding new tournaments. The same can be said for the Outlaw Tour, which expects to add up to three more events through the end of May and recently announced plans to livestream tournament coverage via Periscope beginning with this week’s Legacy Shootout.
“We just saw an opening. People are going stir crazy with no sports, nothing to watch,” said Outlaw Tour director Toph Peterson. “We figured if we can do it somehow, we can show people that there’s still some golf going on. It would be good for us and good for people to actually have something to watch.”
Outlaw fields usually hover around the 60-player mark, while Cactus events are more in the 20-25 player range. But those fields got a considerable boost in name recognition once most major circuits suspended play in mid-March. Solheim Cuppers Anna Nordqvist and Carlota Ciganda have both won Cactus events in the last two months, while former NCAA champ Haley Moore earned her first victory as a pro there three weeks ago. Last week’s Outlaw Tour event was won by Alex Cejka, a veteran with four European Tour wins and more than $12 million in PGA Tour career earnings.
In addition to having a few more high-profile players tee it up, Brown has also seen an influx of interest from area amateurs. The field for last week’s Cactus Tour event in Sun City was split nearly down the middle, with 12 pros and 10 amateurs.
“When everyone canceled, I started getting calls. ‘Are you shutting down?’” Brown said. “As long as the government doesn’t shut us down, I’ll continue to have events. I jokingly sent (LPGA commissioner) Mike Whan a text saying, ‘I’m adding events. What are you doing?’”
Brown’s quip to Whan came with the understanding that the minimal infrastructure requirements of mini-tour life allow for competition in the era of social distancing, while larger circuits must remain frozen. Both the Outlaw and Cactus Tours have taken measures in recent weeks to keep players safe, ranging from removing bunker rakes and on-course coolers to leaving flagsticks in and allowing players to walk in the desert heat to avoid risking cart contamination.
“Truthfully, I think we are probably being safer than any public group of golfers that are ever going to be out there,” Peterson said. “We’re walking in threesomes, and we make sure we social distance. We pass out little to nothing on the tee, we Lysol wipe everything after the group leaves on the first tee so everybody’s got clean stuff to touch. I don’t think we can be any safer.”
Despite the added precautions, both circuits have faced criticism from individuals and local residents who believe that golf shouldn’t be played at all as the state and country continue to battle the pandemic. But tour officials have taken the feedback in stride, noting that they organize their events around regular daily play that continues to receive the governor’s blessing. According to Brown, Sun City Country Club had 219 rounds of golf on April 2. But only 17 of those rounds came from Cactus Tour competitors, who played in twosomes.
“I’m just old enough to look back at history and go, yeah, it’s serious, but I don’t think it’s Armageddon, so to speak. We’re adhering to all the guidelines they have out,” Brown said. “I’m in the kill zone. I’m 66 years old. So, I’m the guy that runs the risk of contracting this thing and dying. But I also could get the flu and die. I also could get hit by a bus and die.”
Peterson said that no one affiliated with the Outlaw Tour has tested positive for coronavirus. Nevertheless, officials regularly send emails to participants offering full refunds to any players who feel even “slightly ill.” They’ve received a few withdrawals, but most came from regular participants who didn’t want to play out of an abundance of caution because they live with their parents who are at higher risk because of their age.
But for now, the competition rolls on, with both circuits set to hand out a four-figure winner’s check on Wednesday. As many states still sort through executive orders and stay-at-home mandates, Arizona remains the place to be for those looking to stay competitive during a global crisis.
“We haven’t had much of an effect from the virus, and we haven’t seen a lot of change because the state has kept golf courses open,” Peterson said. “Arizona is doing quite well. It’s actually amazing. We’re really lucky right now.”