Truth is stranger than fiction. Who would have believed it? Call it the Play Anywhere Tour, if you wish, but nobody can say CEO Keith Pelley doesn’t think outside the box.
Proposing to bring the European Tour to Florida for three tournaments may make no sense at first glance but, if you think about it, it’s a master stroke. If nothing else it helps to fill a large gap in the European Tour’s schedule if the planned Iberian Swing in April comprising tournaments in Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Portugal is unable to go ahead due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.
Quite apart from cementing the strategic alliance agreed with the PGA Tour last year, the European Tour won’t have any difficulty filling their timesheets with its golf-hungry members whose job it is to play golf for a living – not sitting at home twiddling their thumbs.
Going to Florida is ideal for many reasons: it’s easy to get there and it’s relatively safe. Fewer quarantining restrictions and operating in a pre-arranged bubble to avoid contacts with infection is an attractive proposition for ET players who will love the weather, accommodations, courses and top class practice facilities. There may even be restricted crowds on site to help create a genuine tournament atmosphere.
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