The PGA Tour have announced that an extra tee-time will be in place on Thursday morning in honour of George Floyd.
Professional golf returns to the US for the first time since 12 March at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas. Players have undergone rigorous testing this week to ensure the safety of competitors, while fans will not be allowed to attend the Colonial Country Club event.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan stressed that golf needs to “continue the conversation” and become “part of the solution” after Floyd, an unarmed black man, was killed by a white police officer in Minnesota last month, with protests since taking place across the world.
The 8:46 tee-time – the length of time that police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck during his arrest and has now become synonymous with the fight against racial inequality – will not be attended by any players, with a one-minute silence being held instead.
Monahan also featured in a two-part discussion with Harold Varner III, one of the PGA Tour’s few prominent black professionals.
