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Shane Lowry questions PGA scheduling of remaining majors

Shane Lowry says it’s difficult to see how the remaining majors on the calendar can go ahead as...



Shane Lowry questions PGA sche...
Golf

Shane Lowry questions PGA scheduling of remaining majors

Shane Lowry says it’s difficult to see how the remaining majors on the calendar can go ahead as planned in the autumn with full fields. 

The Clara golfer must wait until next summer at Royal St. George's to defend the Open Championship after this year’s event was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Earlier this week, the PGA Tour announced a re-jigging of their schedule which includes the other three majors of the year. 

Lowry must wait until November to tee off at his first ever Masters at Augusta.

The US Open is penciled in for September, just before the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits.

While the first major of the year now won't tee off until August 3 - at least that's the hope - with the PGA Championship at Harding Park in San Francisco.

But speaking to Off The Ball, Lowry feels the scheduling of that PGA Championship looks ambitious given the ancillary effects of COVID-19.

While admitting it would be "weird playing a major with no fans", Lowry says he struggles to get his head around the travel aspect of resuming sport after the fog of coronavirus lifts.

"When Ireland gets everything under control and sport's able to come back, all the GAA players live in Ireland. So they're all going to be able to go and train and go and play", Lowry told Nathan Murphy.

"Same with the Premier League in the UK when that comes back - they all live in the UK and they're going to be able to play.

"But with the PGA Championship in August in San Francisco, there's going to be I don't know how many countries represented, but they don't all live in America.

"If we all lived in America I think it would probably be be a little bit easier, but there's going to be guys coming from all over the world.

"There might still be travel restrictions in place from some countries to other countries, and having to quarantine for two weeks.

"You have to fly in two weeks early and quarantine yourself for two weeks just to play one tournament.

"I don't know how it's going to work to be honest."

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Open Championship PGA Championship R&A Shane Lowry The Open US Masters