Lee Westwood: Playing in PGA Tour events 'not worth it' due to mandatory quarantines
English golfer Lee Westwood won't be rushing back to the United States to play in PGA Tour events amid the coronavirus pandemic anytime soon.
While speaking with Golf Channel on Tuesday, the 47-year-old explained he expects to miss at least the first two tournaments of the season's resumption because of quarantine guidelines.
As noted by Will Gray of GolfChannel.com, Westwood and any other golfers entering the United States from the United Kingdom would be required to quarantine for two weeks before playing. They'd then have to quarantine another two weeks upon their returns.
Westwood said:
"It's six weeks for two tournaments, and to me that's just not worth it. And it's not worth taking the risk if everybody thinks that those kind of precautions have got to be in place. I don't feel like golf's a priority if it's that severe."
ESPN's Bob Harig added that fellow English golfer Tommy Fleetwood also won't trek to the U.S. for a short stay. Fleetwood, instead, is planning a travel and quarantine schedule that would allow him to participate in major championships and also the Ryder Cup competition that is scheduled for late September at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.
While PGA Tour executive Andy Levinson told reporters last week that he'd like to work with the government to welcome pro players back to the States, he also acknowledged quarantine protocols are likely to continue for the foreseeable future.
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