FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, March 13th, 2020

NOTABLE QUOTES: GOLF CENTRAL LIVE FROM THE PLAYERS – GOLF CHANNEL ANALYSTS REACT TO PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP CANCELLATION

GOLF Channel Notable Quotes
Golf Central Live From THE PLAYERS (Friday A.M.)
TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Friday, March 13

On the PGA TOUR’s decision to cancel THE PLAYERS Championship
Brandel Chamblee – “It’s quite clear that we’re veering into the unknown here. Nobody wants to see discontinuation for a day longer than necessary – safety first. It’s the worst case scenario guiding you here as your North Star. And if nothing happens over the next three, four weeks, this is still the right decision.”
Chamblee – “It was clearly an avalanche of concerns and questions that compelled the decision. Golf already sort of suffers from a reputation of being elitist. So to carry on playing, being tone deaf to the severity of the crisis… And then fighting that global PR deteriorating battle. It just made so much more sense given the avalanche of cancelations everywhere else to fall in line in that regard. This has a surreal aspect to it. We are still very much in ‘wait-and-see’ mode. Nothing more the golf world would like to see than golf to pick up and carry on at some point in April, but that comes with an all caps IF. If we understand the scale of destruction of this disease a little bit better, or if it’s even abated by then.”
Paul Azinger – “Jay [Monahan] was moment-to-moment on all his decisions. The ramifications are much greater than the event itself. It was a tough decision. It’s a huge disappointment. All-in-all, it’s a public health concern. It’s a real safety concern.”
Justin Leonard – “It was just a matter of time. It’s not just 144 players and caddies. There’s so many things that happen behind the scenes at an event like this. So you really have to think of the greater good when making a decision like this.”
Chamblee – “It was clear there was an emotional tug-of-war going on with Jay [Monahan]. And he was commendably very transparent in the last 24 hours with every single question. He answered every single one of them. You could also get the sense that he was dealing with some anguish. These events all generate huge charitable dollars that go into the communities over the course of the year. The fact that these events are not going to be played means that the impact maybe will be comprised. You could get the sense that he was dealing with not just the immediacy of the virus, but also the fact that over the course of the year there’s going to have to be some concessions made in that regard.”

-NBC Sports Group-