First Positive Test: Players Express Surprise At Lax Hilton Head Scene, Veterans Hope It's A Wake-Up Call

Come to Hilton Head Island and act like it never happened!

Or something like that, at least if you go by post-round comments at the RBC Heritage where players wondered if Nick Watney was an unlucky victim of a lax distancing and mask scene.

Justin Thomas was probably the most blunt about the scene, as Joel Beall reports for GolfDigest.com.

"Yeah, obviously, I was bummed [about Watney]. I don't want to—it's a shame because ... we have done such a great job these first two weeks,” Thomas said. “I mean, no offense to Hilton Head, but they're seeming to not take it very seriously. It's an absolute zoo around here. There's people everywhere. The beaches are absolutely packed. Every restaurant, from what I've seen when I've been driving by, is absolutely crowded. So I would say it's no coincidence that there's got to be a lot of stuff going on around here.

“Unfortunately, that's not on Nick because I know he's very cautious and has done everything he can, but I would say a lot of people in this area of Hilton Head just aren't.”

And this from Thomas and then Carlos Ortiz, who is one stroke out of the leading heading into the final round:

Carlos Ortiz on eating out earlier this week: "It was here by the lighthouse right here in the marina. It was way -- it's a 30-minute wait, and once you get in there, there's no social distancing, packed tables right by each other, kids running around."

— Stephen Fastenau (@IPBG_Stephen) June 20, 2020

AP’s Doug Ferguson filed a lengthy missive on the various post-positive test mood and shared this from Vaughn Taylor and Brooks Koepka. Taylor, the first round playing partner of Watney and Koepka, world no. 2 golfer.

''It's eye-opening to see how much the virus is out there and how careful we have to be,'' Taylor said. ''I felt like coming in the last week everyone was super careful, and then we got here, and the vibe on the island is a little more relaxed. I feel like we might have gotten a little more relaxed, too. Everyone has kind of ratcheted it up a little bit. Not hanging out with too many people, hanging with too many guys, stay out of restaurants and bars and those things.

''I think if we do that, we should be safe,'' he said. ''We've all got to keep that in the back of our mind and just be smart.''

The PGA Tour heads to Cromwell, Connecticut, next week, followed by Detroit and then back-to-back tournaments in Ohio.

''We've got to see what happens,'' Koepka said. ''It's unfortunate Nick got it, but at the same time, hopefully, it stays with just him and doesn't spread. Because I think we'll have a big issue on our hands if it keeps going as the weeks continue.''

Meanwhile down in St. Augustine where the Korn Ferry Tour wrapped Saturday with a Chris Kirk win, GolfChannel.com’s Will Gray talked to veteran pros of both Tours and members of PGA Tour committees.

A consistent theme developed: wake-up call.

Now, why, as the first sport back and with so much on the line the players needed a wake-up call, I don’t know. But good for vets like Johnson Wagner, James Hahn and Scott Langley for driving home that point.

From Wagner, a PGA Tour Policy Board player director:

“I guess I’m a little apprehensive right now. I feel like the longer we’re out, the more susceptible we are to positive tests,” said Johnson Wagner, a player director on the PGA Tour’s policy board. “So I’m just hoping this is a wake-up call to everybody on Tour, that just because you get tested on Monday and pass, you’re not impervious to this virus.”