George Floyd honoured with 8:46am tee time on PGA Tour return
Play at Colonial Country Club to pause for a minute's silence at 8:46am
By Keith Jackson
Last Updated: 10/06/20 7:19am
The PGA Tour has announced an extra tee time will be in place on Thursday morning in honour of George Floyd.
With the eyes of the sporting world scrutinising the return of professional golf at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas, the action around Colonial Country Club will pause for a moment of reflection at 8:46am local time (2:46pm BST).
Floyd's death following his altercation with police in Minneapolis had led to protests in the majority of major cities around the globe in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, an issues which was addressed by PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan last week.
Monahan stressed the need for the Tour to "continue the conversation" and be "part of the solution" in combating racial inequality, with the Tour also publishing a two-part discussion between Monahan and Harold Varner III, one of only a handful of prominent black professionals in the United States.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 9, 2020
No players will arrive on the first tee on Thursday morning at 8:46, a number which has become a universally-recognised symbol for BAME communities to rally together and fight against racial injustices.
There will be a one-minute silence in memory of Floyd, whose funeral was held on Tuesday afternoon, and the players on and off the course have been asked to "pause for reflection as a demonstration of support for the Tour's commitment to addressing racial and social injustices".
The decision to slot in the extra time tee was taken after consultation with the PGA Tour's Inclusion Leadership Council and their multicultural employee resource group dedicated to diversity of thought and cultural change.
Monahan, who wrote to all PGA Tour members and employees last Monday to emphasise the need to "communicate and learn, has also vowed to implement a long-term plan aimed at addressing, and eradicating, any racial issues among players or the organisation as a whole.
