Wednesday 24 June 2020 20:22, UK
Graeme McDowell has withdrawn from the Travelers Championship after his caddie, Ken Comboy, tested positive for coronavirus.
McDowell is the second player to drop out of the upcoming Travelers Championship after the PGA Tour confirmed on Tuesday that Cameron Champ had tested positive for coronavirus.
"For the protection of the field and for my own physical and mental well-being, I'm going to take a test tomorrow morning then jump on a private plane," McDowell told Golfweek on Tuesday night.
"I'm going to get myself out of here, home to Florida and decide whether I need to quarantine myself from my family.
"I'd been through a huge amount emotionally and mentally, and a couple of weeks back into it after a few months off you're going to be a little tired getting your golf legs back. But the alarm bells have started to ring now that Kenny has failed this test.
"We're a close-knit team. We roomed together last week, we spent six hours in a car. He's carrying the virus so in some way I have to be carrying it too."
The pair's absence follows on from Nick Watney being forced to withdraw from the RBC Heritage last week after testing positive.
Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas headline a star-studded field at the Travelers Championship, with extended coverage live of Sky Sports.
Nine of the world's top 10 are set to tee it up at TPC River Highlands in Connecticut, the strongest line-up in the tournament's history, with the event the third in as many weeks to be played without spectators since the PGA Tour's return earlier this month.
Sky Sports will have more than 40 hours of live golf across the four days, with Featured Group coverage getting underway from 11.45am on Thursday and Friday and 12.45pm over the weekend.
Rahm, who can move to world No 1 with a victory this week, kicks off Thursday's coverage alongside defending champion Chez Reavie and FedExCup leader Webb Simpson, who won last week's RBC Heritage.
McIlroy, looking to bounce back from tied-32nd and tied-41st finishes in his first two starts back from the enforced coronavirus stoppage, is also out early on Thursday, with the world No 1 in a threeball alongside Phil Mickelson - who turned 50 last week - and Bryson DeChambeau.
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