PGA Tour sets aside 8.46 am tee time to pay tribute to George Floyd

V Krishnaswamy

The PGA Tour in its comeback at the Charles  Schwab Challenge at the Colonial and at the Korn Ferry Challenge at the TPC Sawgrass at Ponte Vedra,  Florida, will pay a tribute to George Floyd by setting  side the tee time 8:46 am on each of the four days of the competition. The figure symbolises the amount of time – eight minutes  and 46 seconds – that a police officer’s knee was on the neck on George Floyd, who died as a result of the action.

There will be no players teeing off at 8.46 am on either of the events which will bring to an end the nearly three-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The PGA Tour seeks to amplify the voices and efforts underway to end racial and social injustice and 8:46 has become a universal symbol for the racial injustice faced by the black community.

The one-minute moment of silence will begin with three horn blasts coordinated through PGA TOUR Rules Officials. Players on site will be asked to pause for reflection as a demonstration of support for the TOUR’s commitment to addressing racial and social injustices.

George Floyd died at the hands of police in Minneapolis on May 25, touching off worldwide protests.

On June 1, PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan addressed the issue through a letter to employees, players and tournaments, and later sat for a conversation with Harold Varner III to further discuss the TOUR’s potential role in the national conversation and solution.

Monahan has also said that while the TOUR doesn’t have all the answers, the organization is going to listen, learn, “demand better” and expects to be held accountable for making a commitment to the solution.

The TOUR is developing a plan to rally around a long-term, focused commitment to address racial justice issues, the details of which will be shared in the weeks to come.

 

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