According to Golf News Net on Monday, Sergio Garcia of Borriol, Spain and Joaquin Niemann of Santiago, Chile have tested positive for coronavirus and subsequently have had to withdraw from the Masters, the third, and final major of the 2020 season. Garcia is a former Masters champion, as he won the title in 2017.
Garcia is currently ranked 40th in the world, and Niemann is ranked 42nd. The Masters was moved from its traditional time period in April to November because of the coronavirus lockdown in the United States.
There have now been 16 men’s professional golfers who have tested positive for coronavirus. Garcia and Niemann follow superstars and major champions Dustin Johnson and Adam Scott, along with regular tour players Nick Watney, Cameron Champ, Denny McCarthy, Dylan Frittelli, Harris English, Chad Campbell, Grayson Murray, Branden Grace, Sam Horsfield, Scottie Scheffler, Tony Finau, and Harry Higgs.
Of the 16 players who have tested positive, 10 are American. In addition to Niemann and Garcia, the four players from outside the United States who tested positive for the disease are Scott of Australia, Grace and Frittelli of South Africa, and Horsfield of England.
Garcia first started not feeling well after driving from the Houston Open. His symptoms included a sore throat and a cough. Sergio Garcia’s wife Angela was also tested for the disease, however, her test came back negative.
It should be noted that the Houston Open did have 2000 spectators daily this past weekend. The state of Texas has been hit hard with the pandemic as there are 162, 636 active cases, and 19, 286 deaths. Texas has also passed California for the most total number of cases among states. They have 1,019, 976 total cases overall.
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