The US Masters celebrated its 64th year this past week. Another successful and invigorating week in Augusta, Georgia brought golfers, fans, and bettors alike plenty of excitement. This storied championship odds another notch in its belt.
The Augusta Golf Course is a private enterprise. Unlike most private golf courses, this one is for profit. Let’s take a look at how the Augusta National, the golfers, and fans have dealt with the novel coronavirus in order to deliver on another great year for professional golf.
This was a great year for betting on the US Masters. That is because a degree of uncertainty is always favorable for savvy bettors. Because sportsbooks are so good at setting odds-after all, it is their job-when things go awry, it is an opening for bettors who are on their toes.
Reschedulings, potential last-minute drop-outs, and other unforeseen circumstances are winning events for bettors. Keep that in mind all year while we work through these tumultuous times.
Of course, this does not mean you should go willy-nilly. It is important to develop your betting strategy. This is something that you should do no matter which sportsbook you are using, or which sport you are betting on.
However, golf is one of the safest sports. While any social activity comes with risks, golf is outdoors and involves very large distances. It is absolutely not a contact sport, and the players do not even share equipment. So if you have any golf bets out there, you can be relatively sure that they will continue, compared to other sports.
This golf tournament faced some specific challenges when it comes to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. This has been a global challenge. However, each sector and each event requires specific agility when dealing with such a wily problem.
The first thing the Augusta National did was reschedule. Originally set for April 9-12, that proved impossible. That was the first month of the pandemic in the United States. Remember that at that time, we knew even less about this virus. How contagious it was, or how dangerous in general. So they did the responsible thing and they postponed the event.
This proved to be a winning strategy! The US Masters went off without a hitch.They of course used this time to prepare several COVID precautions to ensure the safety of all participants.
All players had to undergo a PCR test before they would even step foot on the course. Testing positive would require them to quarantine for 14 days, and would of course mean they could not play.
In August, Augusta National announced that there would be no fans at the Masters. They held true to their word, and the competition went on with all fans watching intently from their homes.
In addition to the big changes they had to carry out at an institutional level, many golfers themselves struggled with complications due to the novel coronavirus. In fact many golfers tested positive at some point, but have since recovered and were able to compete in the tournament.
The following players recovered after a positive PCR:
In addition, two golfers were prohibited from participating because they tested positive right before the tournament: Joaquin Niemann and Sergio Garcia. While it was devastating for them to
Of course, in that list of positive PCR tests we find the name of the winner of this year’s US Masters. A month before the beginning of the competition, Dustin JOhnson tested positive for the virus. He has recovered by the time of the opening. In fact, he was at the top of his game.
He ended up winning the whole kit and kaboodle. In fact, at 20-under, he earned the lowest score in the history of the US Masters. After a year of lockdown and recovering from the ill,ess this is absolutely a day for golf history!
About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football in the Mountain West Conference, and basketball. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones.
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