On June 24, the PGA Tour announced that they would be distributing over 1,000 WHOOP bands to players, caddies, and essential staff in an effort to track potential Covid-19 signs. This comes after four players and two caddies have tested positive for the virus in the last two weeks.
Nick Watney was the first player on Tour to test positive for Covid-19 after the first round of the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Watney immediately was put into 14-day self-isolation by the tour in an attempt to reduce the chance of others contracting the virus.
Watney’s WHOOP band was the reason behind the decision to distribute the bands to the rest of the Tour. Watney noticed an increase in his breath rate in the middle of the night, which studies have shown could be a sign of Covid-19.
In a press conference, brand ambassador, and golf superstar, Justin Thomas said that WHOOP may have saved the PGA Tour season.
“Because of (Watney’s) WHOOP device, we could have been screwed right now, because he could have played the rest of the week and infected many other people.”
Less than a week later, Northern California native, Cameron Champ tested positive after taking the mandatory test at the beginning of the week before the Travelers Championship. Denny McCarthy also tested positive after the first round of the Travelers.
The latest player to test positive is South African, Dylan Frittelli who tested positive on Sunday before boarding the PGA Tour Charter plane to Detroit, Michigan for the following week’s event.
In a statement issued by the Tour, Frittelli said that he was not experiencing any symptoms and was surprised by the results.
WHOOP is a Boston based company that produces devices that monitor health data including your body’s recovery, respiratory rate, and activities to improve overall well-being and overall health.
In a statement released by WHOOP, their devices have been proven to detect 20 percent of COVID-19 cases in the two days prior to the onset of symptoms, as well as 80 percent of cases by the third day a person is symptomatic.
In an interview with Golf Digest, Founder, and CEO of WHOOP, Will Ahmed showed his support for the Tour.
“We are rapidly onboarding everyone in the PGA Tour universe and respect the measures that they are taking to keep the Tour safe.”
It has been three weeks now since the PGA Tour returned to competition. So far, the Tour has traveled to Texas, South Carolina, and Connecticut to play tournaments that have been broadcasted all over the world with no fans in attendance. With the safety measures been taken by the Tour, it looks like the Tour will continue for the rest of the year.