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
(Image credit: Getty Images)

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:

A photo posted by on

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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Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!


Elliott is currently playing:


Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV