KOHLER (Wisconsin) • If a golfer playing in the Ryder Cup tests positive for Covid-19 this weekend, a contingency plan will kick into place, following a rarely used rule involving secret names placed in envelopes.
Europe captain Padraig Harrington said on Tuesday that he and United States counterpart Steve Stricker agreed to have a "Covid envelope" in addition to an injury envelope - to be used in the event that the coronavirus takes one of their players out of competition.
They will place the names of three of their players into an envelope before Sunday's 12 singles matches at Whistling Straits.
If a team have someone forced out by Covid-19, the other team would then sideline the top player from the "Covid envelope" list to re-balance the matches, and the point would be halved.
"There's an injury envelope and there's a 'Covid envelope', so that's two separate envelopes at this stage," Harrington said.
"Maybe the same name is in both envelopes. That's as far as I'm aware at this moment."
Harrington added the teams have not clarified "how many is too many" to call off the match in the event of an outbreak among team members.
"You have to be prepared for these things, and as I said, (the envelope system) has been there all along, so it's nothing really new," the Irishman said.
"It's obviously highlighted because of Covid, but there's always been a name in the envelope for an injury, just like coming into this we were asked to be aware that having somebody as a reserve, somebody as a back-up who you would bring along, and what happens if somebody pulls out because of Covid."
However, if an outbreak becomes too large to handle, the PGA of America and the European Tour will step in to decide the next course of action.
"In terms of multiple players testing positive, from one or both teams, while not speculating on precise numbers, the exact details of the scenario would be assessed by both organisations in order to determine its impact on the overall playing of the Ryder Cup," organisers said.
Once the competition begins tomorrow, neither team will be able to add any alternate players so the envelope contingency is only necessary for the singles matches that conclude the three-day event.
During four-ball and foursome matches tomorrow and on Saturday, only eight players are competing at a time for either team, so if someone were to be sidelined by illness or injury, the captain would choose one of his remaining available golfers to serve as a substitute.
While up to 40,000 home fans are expected daily at Whistling Straits, the teams are being kept in a bubble to minimise the risks of contracting the virus and Stricker said the Americans were making safety a priority.
He added: "We're doing the sensible things. We're doing the proper things to stay safe within our team zone and within that bubble. Just trying to make sure that no one gets sick. We want to play.
"We don't want anything to jeopardise the health of any of our players or captains. We're paying attention to that and we're trying to do the right things."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
