Ian Poulter Speaks Out On PGA Tour Positive Covid-19 Tests

The Englishman says that the tour is doing a great job amid criticisms after three positive tests this week

Ian Poulter Speaks Out On PGA Tour Positive Covid-19 Tests

Ian Poulter has stood up for the PGA Tour in a rant on social media, praising the tour for its work amid criticisms following four positive Covid-19 tests in the past week.

The tour has had five Covid-related withdrawals this week at the Travelers Championship, with three of them due to positive tests, following on from Nick Watney who tested positive at the RBC Heritage.

Poulter says he has read lots of negative comments and felt compelled to speak up and defend the PGA Tour, which he says has done "an amazing job."

"Have I given someone knuckles in the last three weeks? Yes I have. Should I have done that? Absolutely not," Poulter said.

"I feel compelled to speak up a little bit about it.

"In 2,757 tests that have been done in the last three weeks [across the PGA and Korn Ferry Tours], seven people have tested positive.

"With all the stuff that's been brandished around and spoken about and shots being fired in the direction of the tour, I think the tour has done an amazing job.

"I think the bubble that has been spoken about has been pretty good.

"I've been giving players knuckles certainly after the first week and obviously a couple of days into the last week because I had clearly felt a bit too comfortable with what's happened and how many people hadn't tested positive.

"So what's success?

"Is seven cases out of 2,757 success? What would be a successful test rate? Is it zero?

"Nobody can honestly in their wildest dreams imagine that nobody would test positive.

"I feel I need to speak up about it it has been frustrating me all day.

"I think everyone is doing an amazing job I really do. People that aren't in and around it and see all the tests that are happened and all the protocols in place.

"Yes they can be tweaked, yes we can be more on guard.

"To get us to where we are today, to be able to come out and play golf and be in the position today to give a product to the outside world and sports fans. For us as an organisation to be able to come out and play golf and seven guys have tested positive out of all those tests, in my opinion that's a success."

Poulter went on to say that players will now be more on guard following the positive tests and that Covid-19 will be around for a long time until a vaccine is available.

"I feel very comfortable that we seem to have done a pretty good job but yes we are going to be more on guard because obviously there's a couple of positive tests and we can always improve something.

"But until someone produces a vaccine and until someone produces an antibody then we're gonna be in this position this week, we're gonna be in this position in six weeks and we're gonna be in this position in six months.

"So until we're at that point we've all got to be careful and I think the job so far has been done extremely well."

Watch Poulter's video below:

Poulter has finished T29th and T14th in the first two events back since the PGA Tour restart.

He currently ranks 57th in the world.

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