The PGA Tour began its 2021 season on Thursday with the Tournament of Champions from the sensational Kapalua Resort on the island of Maui. There is currently a two-way tie for the lead between Americans Harris English and Justin Thomas, as both players are at eight-under-par after shooting an opening-round score of 65. Thomas has had great success at the Tournament of Champions event in Hawaii the last few years as he won the event in 2017 and again in 2020.
However, a major storyline throughout the week in Maui is the fact that American golfers Xander Schauffele and Webb Simpson are returning to the PGA Tour after testing positive for coronavirus during the Christmas holiday season. In the first round, Schauffele shot a score of -4, and Simpson shot a score of -3.
Schauffele, who lives in San Diego, California, reportedly got coronavirus from his girlfriend, according to Ben Everill of the PGA Tour. He was first notified of her positive test while doing a photoshoot for Callaway alongside Jon Rahm and Phil Mickelson. Schauffele was extremely sick a couple of days afterward.
California remains the hot spot for coronavirus in the United States. There have been over 2.5 million cases of coronavirus in the state, and 28,511 deaths.
Like Schauffele, Simpson tested positive for coronavirus in the month of December according to Golf Channel. In an interview with Golf Channel after his first round in Maui, the most notable symptom Simpson is still experiencing from the disease is a lack of taste.
Simpson is based in Charlotte, North Carolina. In the state of North Carolina, there have been 602,774 total cases, and 7,328 deaths.
Also in December, golf legend Greg Norman of Australia tested positive for coronavirus along with his son and his fiancee. According to John Sinnott of CNN, Norman experienced severe headaches, a lack of taste, muscle and joint pain, memory loss, and fever.
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